The use of high velocity launchers for scientific and engineering studies

Shock wave techniques have been used for decades to study the dynamic states of matter in temperature and pressure regimes inaccessible by other methods. These techniques have been employed in a wide variety of scientific and commercial applications. A principal scientific objective has been to determine high-pressure equations of state (EOS) to ultra-high pressures; pressures of a few TPa have been reported for several materials. Most recently, these methods have been used for studies of thermophysical properties under shock compression, including phase transition kinetics, and mechanical properties, such as the high-pressure yield strength. In this paper, a brief discussion of recent developments in high velocity launchers is given. Advances in techniques for subjecting materials to a wide range of loading conditions are presented, including selected illustrations of shockwave measurements to Mbar pressures.