Equation of state of forsterite

Abstract

Shock wave data for pure forsterite with initial bulk densities of 2.6 and 3.1 g/cm 3 are obtained to 0.370 Mb by impacting series of specimens with tungsten alloy plates that are launched at speeds of up to 2.3 km/sec with a high-performance propellant gun. The onset of a shock-induced phase change, probably corresponding to the forsterite-'post spinel' phase change is observed at 0.280 + 0.025 Mb. Because of the low shock temperatures, the transition is believed to be limited by the reaction rate and this pressure value should be taken only as an upper limit. Adiabats derived from the Hugoniot data for the forsterire phase are fit to the two-parameter finite strain Birch-Murnaghan equation and to two simple ionic equations of state. The Birch-Murnaghan form of the equation of state gives a zero-pressure bulk modulus (1.29 Mb) that agrees more closely with the ultrasonic data than the modulus obtained from the ionic equations of state. An unusual relaxation effect, in which the elastic shock precursor velocity varies from 5.8 to 9.5 km/sec, is also observed. The characteristic time of the relaxation process appears to be less than 1 sec.