Ultra-high pressure apparatus

This review applies to static pressure apparatus capable of developing pressures over about 25 kbar for purposes of scientific measurements of the physical and chemical behavior of matter, and in some cases for the high-pressure, high-temperature, synthesis of materials like diamond and cubic boron nitride. A brief history is presented, and major emphasis is given to geometry and stress/strain analysis and the properties of materials that are useful in ultra-high pressure (UHP) apparatuses. Examples are given, and analyzed, of various kinds of UHP apparatuses which have been used extensively in actual service. Finally there is an assessment of the future possibilities for realizing pressures greater than those that have been attained to date.