Investigation of a Shock-Induced Phase Transition in Antimony

Abstract

A solid-to-solid phase transition has been induced in antimony by an explosive-produced shock wave of about 130 kbar. Details of the transition were determined by measurement of the free—surface motion with electrical pin contactors. The first plastic wave pressure varied from 108 kbar for the thinnest samples to 91 kbar for the thickest samples. This variation is felt to be due to the sluggishness of the transition, the material requiring about 0.6 μsec to relax into its higher-density phase. The transition pressure was found to be 88 kbar. Hugoniot data are presented in conjunction with existing higher-pressure dynamic data.