ABSTRACT
Projectile impacts and explosions result in the formation of waves of stress that can propagate deep into a target. Stress waves (and indeed shock waves) are important as they travel at very high velocities, and consequently, failure of the target linked to these waves can occur a long distance ahead of the penetrating projectile. This is very important when the spall failure of materials is considered. Understanding wave propagation mechanisms is also important when the design of armour is considered – especially in the case of brittle-based systems where small tensile waves can cause catastrophic failure. In this chapter, the physics behind stress waves and the special case where a shock wave is formed within the target material are examined.
