Mechanical Properties of PZT 52/48 under Shock and Ramp Wave Compression*

Complementary gas-gun and electromagnetic pulse experiments have yielded data regarding the dynamic mechanical behavior for poled and unpoled specimens of a PZT (52 wt{\%} lead zirconate plus 48 wt{\%} lead titanate) ferroelectric ceramic subjected to shock and intermediate-strain-rate ramp wave ($i.e.$, quasi-isentropic) loading. For each experiment, velocity interferometer (VISAR) diagnostics provided time-resolved measurements of sample response for conditions nominally involving one-dimensional ($i.e.$, uniaxial strain) compression and release. Wave profiles obtained during the shock experiments have been analyzed to assess the Hugoniot Elastic Limit (HEL), Hugoniot equation of state, spall strength, and high-pressure yield strength of PZT. Profiles from the ramp wave experiments have been processed to determine the locus of isentropic stress-strain states generated in PZT for deformation rates substantially lower than those associated with shock loading.