Dynamic Compression

Dynamic compression methods, including shock wave and high-strain-rate studies, offer a range of insights into material properties of importance to geophysics and planetary science. Beyond direct studies of the flow and failure of projectiles and targets in impact and cratering processes, dynamic measurements of the equation of state, strength, thermodynamic functions, and phase boundaries of planetary materials at high pressure contribute essential constraints on the composition, physical state, and dynamical behavior of planetary interiors on all timescales. This chapter summarizes the physics of shock compression, experimental methods, and applications of dynamic material property measurements in geophysics and planetary science