Investigation of a Shock-Induced Transition in Bismuth

Abstract

The structure of the shock-wave system to be expected in a material which can undergo a polymorphic transition is discussed. It is shown that the slope of the coexistence line in the $p-T$ plane for the transition can be determined from shock-wave measurements at a given initial temperature. Shock waves produced by high explosives were used to investigate the equation of state of bismuth. An electrical contact technique was used to measure shock and free-surface velocities. The transition near 25 kilobars reported by Bridgman was observed but the transition pressure was about 3.5 kilobars higher than in static experiments. Other results indicated that recrystallization is a faster process than melting under shock conditions. Evidence suggests that the relaxation time for recrystallization in bismuth at 42°C and 27 kilobars is less than 1 μsec.