This book introduces core concepts of shock wave physics in condensed matter, using a continuum mechanics approach to analyze liquids and isotropic solids. It primarily focuses on one-dimensional uniaxial compression to illustrate how condensed matter responds to shock wave loading. The first four chapters aim to quickly familiarize physical scientists and engineers with the interactions of shock waves and material boundaries. Readers will gain insights into shock wave literature, basic data analysis techniques, and the design of simple 1-D shock wave experiments. The text begins with steady one-dimensional strain conservation laws through shock wave impedance matching, ensuring conservation of mass, momentum, and energy, while emphasizing shock wave and mass velocities in a laboratory coordinate system. Basic experimental techniques for measuring pressure, shock velocity, mass velocity, compression, and internal energy of steady 1-D shock waves are also covered. The second part of the book progressively introduces advanced topics, including thermodynamic surfaces for equilibrium flow behavior, first-order Maxwell solid models for time-dependent flow, descriptions of detonation shock waves in various explosives, and a discussion of current issues in shock wave physics in the final chapter.
