Shock properties of diamond and kimberlite

Abstract
Plate impact experiments have been performed on diamond and the igneous diamond-bearing matrix kimberlite. Longitudinal and lateral stresses within kimberlite have been measured in the uniaxial strain regime using embedded manganin stress gauges. The shock Hugoniot of the kimberlite has been characterised, and the elastic limit and shear strength have been studied. An experimental technique has been developed to observe the shock loading of transparent particles of dimension ~5 mm embedded in a matrix of lower shock impedance. The destruction of a diamond sample has been observed using high-speed photography with an inter-frame time of 100 ns. A crack within the diamond was found to propagate at 10 km s ^-l, which is close to the Rayleigh wave velocity in diamond.