In-material, lateral, manganin foil gauge measurements were obtained in dense polycrystalline silicon carbide (SiC) shocked to peak longitudinal stresses ranging from 10–24 GPa. The lateral gauge data were analyzed to determine the lateral stresses in the shocked SiC and the results were checked for self-consistency through dynamic two-dimensional computations. Over the stress range examined, the shocked SiC has an extremely high strength: the maximum shear stress supported by the material in the shocked state increases from 4.5 GPa at the Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) of the material (11.5 GPa) to 7.0 GPa at stresses approximately twice the HEL. The latter value is 3.7% of the shear modulus of the material. The elastic–inelastic transition in the shocked SiC is nearly indistinctive. At stresses beyond twice the HEL, the data suggest a gradual softening with increasing shock compression. The post-HEL material strength evolution resembles neither catastrophic failure due to massive cracking nor classical plasticity response. Stress confinement, inherent in plane shock wave compression, contributes significantly to the observed material response. The results obtained are interpreted qualitatively in terms of an inhomogeneous deformation mechanism involving both in-grain microplasticity and highly confined microfissures.

Longitudinal stress profiles have been measured in polycrystalline silicon carbide (SiC) shocked to peak stresses from 7.3 to 23 GPa. Dispersive wave fronts, consistent with the expected inelastic response, were observed beyond the previously reported Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) of 11.7 GPa. Detailed numerical analyses were carried out to interpret the observed inelastic response using both a strain-hardening, plasticity model and a pressure-dependent strength, stress relaxation model. Both models show good agreement with the data; the latter provides a better fit to the transient features in the measurements suggesting rate dependence in the material response. The computed Hugoniot curve matches all of the peak state data for two different types of SiC that display more than 20 % variation in HEL. This suggests that the measured HEL for SiC is not a proper indicator of the material strength in the shocked state. The results also show that the longitudinal data and analyses are insufficient to resolve issues related to material strength and mechanisms governing inelastic deformation in shocked SiC. The need for a more complete characterization of the shock response of a high-strength brittle material is discussed.

Soft-recovery plate impact experiments have been conducted to study the evolution of damage in polycrystalline Al2O3 samples. Examination of the recovered samples by means of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy has revealed that microcracking occurs along grain boundaries; the cracks appear to emanate from grain-boundary triple points. Velocity-time profiles measured at the rear surface of the momentum trap indicate that the compressive pulse is not fully elastic even when the maximum amplitude of the pulse is significantly less than the Hugoniot elastic limit. Attempts to explain this seemingly anomalous behavior are summarized. Primary attention is given to the role of the intergranular glassy phase which arises from sintering aids and which is ultimately forced into the interfaces and voids between the ceramic grains. Experiments are reported on the effects of grain size and glass content on the resistance of the sample to damage during the initial compressive pulse. To further understand the role of the glass, plate impact experiments were conducted on glass with chemical composition comparable to that which is present in the ceramic. These experiments were designed to gain further insight into the possibility of ‘‘failure waves’’ in glasses under compressive loading.

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