Abstract
Two sets of shock compression tests (i.e. conventional and reverse impact) were conducted to determine the shock response of two rock materials using a plate impact facility. Embedded manganin stress gauges were used for the measurements of longitudinal stress and shock velocity. Photon Doppler velocimetry was used to capture the free surface velocity of the target. Experimental data were obtained on a fine-grained marble and a coarse-grained gabbro over a shock pressure range of approximately 1.5-12 GPa. Gabbro exhibited a linear Hugoniot equation of state (EOS) in the pressure-particle velocity (P-u(p)) plane, while for marble a nonlinear response was observed. The EOS relations between shock velocity (U(S)) and particle velocity (u(p)) are linearly fitted as U(S) = 2.62 + 3.319u(p) and U(S) = 5.4 85 + 1.038u(p) for marble and gabbro, respectively.This article is part of the themed issue 'Experimental testing and modelling of brittle materials at high strain rates'.