Impact Laboratory

The Institute has three single-stage, light gas guns capable of achieving projectile velocities to 1.5 km/s.  One of these gas guns was built for performing combined compression and shear loading experiments.  Three powder guns capable of achieving impact velocities to 2.5 km/s are also used routinely.  One of these powder guns is used exclusively for x-ray diffraction measurements.  To achieve higher stresses (1-2 Mbar), a two-stage, light gas gun is used to achieve impact velocities to 5 km/s.

Additional items associated with the impact facilities include mechanical and electrical control equipment, a dedicated precision lathe, and gun performance diagnostics (pressure gauges, electrical and optical velocity measurements, power supplies, etc.).