Comparison of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) gauge shock pressure measurements with numerical shock code calculations

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin film pressure gauges are capable of mea suring dynamic shock pressures of at least 25 GPa with nanosecond time reso lution for impact-loading conditions. The performance and lifetime of PVDF gauges impacted by a detonator flyer were investigated. The pressure histor y in the gauge was varied by varying the flyer travel distance and the thic kness of the gauge backer, which determined the delay time for reflected sh ocks. The measured pressure histories were compared with the results of sho ck code calculations. Agreement between the measured and calculated histori es was good for times less than 1.5 mu s after impact. Even small details i n the measured signal could be explained by the propagation of shock and ra refaction waves and their interactions with each other and material boundar ies. The results give confidence that the gauges yield accurate, dynamic da ta for 1 mu s to 1.5 mu s after impact.