Equations of state and shock-induced transformations in solid I-solid II-liquid bismuth

An equation of state is determined for each phase in the solid I-solid II-liquid region of bismuth. Equality of the Gibbs free energy for each pair of phases determines the phase boundaries and triple point in the temperature-pressure plane. From the complete equation of state, the shock-wave response of bismuth preheated to 493 °K. is calculated and comparison is made with experimental data obtained by means of quartz transducer instrumentation. These results suggest that bismuth undergoes a certain degree of melting on the microsecond time scale of the shock-wave experiment. This is contrary to previous results and conclusions drawn from data on the shock-wave propagation in bismuth. These seemingly contradictory results may be due to microstructural differences in the samples or to differences in measuring techniques.