Experimental and numerical studies on detonation reflections over cylindrical convex surfaces

Abstract

The detonation reflection over a cylindrical convex surface was investigated experimentally and numerically by focusing on the length-scale effect on the reflection process, such as the triple-point trajectory and the critical wedge angle at which a transition occurs from regular reflection to Mach reflection. The results show that the critical wall angle plots exhibit significant scatter because of the cellular properties of the detonation front. If the transverse spacing is large as compared to the radius of curvature, the scatter range extends. If the transverse spacing is small as compared to the radius of curvature, the scattering is dramatically reduced. The critical wall angle is found to mainly depend on the scaled length i.e., the radius of curvature (R) over the cell size λ (or the reaction zone thickness Δ). Moreover, the critical wall angle increases with the decrease in the detonation thickness or with the increase in the radius. As R/λ increases to approximately ten, the critical wall angle approaches a value calculated using the non-reactive two-shock theory for pseudo-steady flows. The numerical results reveal that the transition to Mach reflection occurs earlier in the case of a ZND detonation than in the case of an inert shock wave because of the higher sound speed due to the release of chemical heat.