Piezoelectric probe for the detection of shock-induced spray and spall

Abstract

A piezoelectric probe has been developed to study the formation and evolution of spray and spall in explosively driven materials. The probe senses the rate of change of momentum of the impacting material and thereby provides an estimate of the density and time-of-arrival of the various features evolving from the shocked surface. The principle of operation is explained and examples of probe construction and performance are given.