Measurement of shock waves in nonmetals with a VISAR system

The VISAR (Velocity Interferometer Systems for Any Reflector) is one of the most powerful measurement methods for the shock compression research of solids. We ourselves constructed a differential-type VISAR system for precise measurement of shock waves in solids. In this report, the construction of the VISAR is described. The measurement experiments of free surface velocity under shock compression were performed by using the present VISAR system and an optical fiber unit combined with a powder gun. The measurement of the fringe beat signals of free-surface motion were successful on a steel, and the velocity history was analyzed. The measurements were also performed on a few non-metallic materials (LiF and Si3N4), in this study.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.