Phase transformation in bismuth under shock loading

The behavior of bismuth under shock loading was studied by means of a shock-detection technique based on the electrical response of bimetallic junctions and on the polarization effect of thin dielectric sheets under shock. The experiments were performed in the pressure range 50–180 kbar. A new shock-induced phase transformation was found to take place at about 70 kbar. A rough estimate of the temperature increase associated with shock loading, and comparison with data of static compression experiments suggest that this new shock-induced phase change in bismuth corresponds to the Bi III-V transformation, previously observed only under static pressure loading.