ИСТИНА

The shock-wave method is a powerful tool for studying behavior of materials at extremely short load durations and extremely high rates of compression and tension [1,2]. The subjects of measurements and analysis in these experiments are the shock compression waves, rarefaction waves, as well as wave interactions. The structural transformations, elastic-plastic transition, and fracture are accompanied by changes in material compressibility and, as a consequence, manifest themselves in the structure of the compression and rarefaction waves. All these phenomena are time-dependent. Macroscopic kinetics of these processes should be accounted for any analysis of effects of explosions, hypervelocity impacts or impacts of laser or particle beams on materials and assemblies. Experimental investigations are based on registration and analysis of evolution of shock waves in studied material. The modern temporal resolution of the measurements normally is around 1 ns (10-9 s) and in some cases recently has approached a picosecond (10-12 s) level that allows an approaching of ultimate values of shear and tensile strength of solids. The latest results of investigations into macrokinetics of high-rate inelastic deformation, fracture and physicochemical transformations of condensed matter under shock-wave loading are reviewed in this presentation from the view point of real and potential capabilities of the method.