Propagation characteristics of shock waves driven by gaseous detonation waves

Abstract

We experimentally investigated propagation characteristics of the shock wave driven by a gaseous detonation wave emerging from the open end of a cylindrical detonation tube. In the present study, we visualized the shock wave and exhaust flowfields using a shadowgraph optical system and we obtained peak overpressure in the tube axial direction and the continuous shape transformation of shock waves around the tube open end. We also obtained overpressure histories of the shock wave using piezo-pressure transducers within 201 m from the open end of the tube. We normalized and classified these results by four regions using non-dimensional pressure and distance which are independent of variety of mixture and tube diameter. In the vicinity of the open end of the tube, the shock wave is nearly planar and does not significantly attenuate, and the peak overpressure maintains approximately C–J pressure. Subsequently, the shock wave attenuates rapidly, transforming from quasi-spherical to spherical. Farther from the tube open end, the shock wave propagates with approximately sound characteristic so that the peak overpressure decreases proportional to 1/r. Eventually, the shock wave begins to attenuate more rapidly than ideal sound attenuation, which may be due to the viscous effect.