Radiant Properties of Argon Gases under Shock Compression

Aluminum targets filled with argon gas were impacted by tungsten projectiles with velocities of 1.78 km/s, 2.00 km/s, and 2.76 km/s. The radiation of the gas following the shock fronts was recorded using a six-channel pyrometer and oscilloscopes. The velocities of shock waves in the gas were measured and the radiant properties of the gas under different shock conditions were surveyed. It was observed that the radiant intensities of the gas in the shock downstream varied with time first linearly and then exponentially when shock velocity gradually increased. Assuming that shock waves in gases were one-dimensional and local thermodynamic equilibrium was reached under shock compression, the experimental results and the corresponding radiant mechanism were explained by means of simple theoretical calculation and analysis.