Equation of State of Gases by Shock Wave Measurements. I. Experimental Method and the Hugoniot of Argon

Abstract

An experimental method is described for the simultaneous measurement of the velocity of a plane shock through a gas and the associated particle velocity. Shocks are generated by a plate driven by a high-explosive system. The velocities are recorded by a high-speed rotating-mirror smear camera with a precision of about ±½%. Data are presented defining the Hugoniot of argon between 200 and 1100 Los Alamos atmospheres. These data are compared with the theoretically predicted Hugoniot.