Shock Waves and Blast Waves

Abstract

This chapter will provide you with a brief introduction to the mathematical description of shock and blast waves and the most common experimental techniques to study shock wave focusing phenomena. In order to fully understand shock wave focusing, it is necessary to first have a good understanding how a shock wave reacts when it encounters another shock or, for example, a concave solid boundary. Therefore, we will introduce the concept of shock wave reflections, how it was discovered and its two main types, regular reflection and irregular reflection, and provide references for the interested reader to learn more. Self-similar solutions are very common tools to predict the motion of converging shocks, and a brief introduction to this topic is provided in this chapter. Lastly, several of the most common experimental techniques to study shock wave focusing, such as shock tubes, exploding wires, and microexplosives, are presented followed by an introduction to different types of visualization techniques (schlieren and interferometry) that are used to photograph the often remarkable beautiful shock wave dynamics phenomena.