Vorticity deposition, structure generation and the approach to self-similarity in colliding blast wave experiments

Abstract

When strong shocks interact with transverse density gradients, it is well known that vorticity deposition occurs. When two non-planar blast waves interact, a strong shock will propagate through the internal structure of each blast wave where the shock encounters such density gradients. There is therefore the potential for the resulting vorticity to produce pronounced density structures long after the passage of these shocks. If the two blast waves have evolved to the self-similar (Sedov) phase this is not a likely prospect, but for blast waves at a relatively early stage of their evolution this remains possible. We show, using 2D numerical simulations, that the interactions of two ‘marginally young’ blast waves can lead to strong vorticity deposition which leads to the generation of a strong protrusion and vortex ring as mass is driven into the internal structure of the weaker blast wave.