Numerical simulation of high peak overpressure blast wave through shock tube and its interaction with a rectangular object

Abstract

The generation of high peak overpressure (>10 bar) blast wave inside the shock tube and its interaction with a rectangular object is examined in this paper using the in-house developed multi-component Navier–Stokes solver. It is difficult to generate these peak overpressure blast waves in the laboratory due to aerodynamic noise and strong reflected blast waves. Driver and driven section lengths of the shock tube are 0.8 m and 6 m respectively. A blast wave with a non-dimensional peak overpressure of 11.65 is generated inside the shock tube using helium as the driver section gas with a diaphragm pressure ratio of 57. The peak overpressure and pressure histories obtained from simulations are validated with shock tube experiments and found to be matching closely. Next, the development of a strong trailing jet after diffraction of the blast wave at the shock tube exit is studied. Finally, the interaction of blast wave with a rectangular object is studied using numerical schlieren images, line plots of pressure and density.