Comparative characteristics of strong shock and detonation waves in bubble media by an electrical wire explosion

Abstract

Strong shock and detonation waves in inert and chemically active bubble media, which are generated by a wire explosion initiated by a capacitor with a stored energy $$W_0 =12.3$$ –1,600 J, is experimentally studied. The measurements are performed near the wire and far from the wire in a vertical shock tube 4.5 m long with a volume fraction of the gas in the medium $$\beta _0 =1$$ –4 %. It is shown that in inert bubble medium, a short intensely decaying shock wave (SW) with intense pressure oscillations is formed in the vicinity of wire explosion point; near the explosion point at $$\beta _0 \le 2$$ % the SW propagates with the velocity of sound in a liquid. In chemically active bubble medium, an unsteady detonation wave generated by a wire explosion is formed. The pressure amplitude and the velocity of this wave are greater and the length is smaller than those of SW in an inert bubble medium in the same range of explosion energy. It is found that in the interval of low energy explosion from $${\sim }12$$ to 64 J, the formation of the bubble detonation wave occurs faster than that at high energies ( $$3\times 10^{2}$$ – $$10^{3}$$ J).