[en] Simulations of laser-driven shock waves were carried out by means of a 1-D Lagrangian hydrodynamic code for polyethylene and aluminium slab targets. It was found that the shock front is accelerated into the cold material till t is approximately 0.8 tau (tau is the laser pulse width) and only later is a constant velocity propagation attained. Scaling laws were obtained for the pressure and temperature of the compression wave, which are in good agreement with those published in other works. Calculations of pressure, compression and shock wave motion were also carried out for laser-driven slab targets composed of CH² on aluminium and aluminium on CH² in the intensity range of 10₁₃ to 10₁₄ W/cm₂. High compressions were found to occur at the interface of CH² on Al targets due to impedance mismatch but were not found when the layers were reversed. The persistence time of the high pressure on the interface in the CH² on A1 case is long relative to the characteristic times of the plasma. It was also found that the pressure and compression on the interface can be optimized by adjusting the CH² layer thickness. (author)