Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T21:53:30.672Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An experimental investigation of the stability of plane shock waves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2006

K. C. Lapworth
K. C. Lapworth
Affiliation:
Department of the Mechanics of Fluids, University of Manchester
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The stability of plane shock waves was measured in a shock tube by perturbing the primary shock wave, formed on rupturing the diaphragm, by means of thin wedges. A time-record of the shape of the shock wave after it passed the wedges and travelled along a channel of constant cross-section was obtained by Schlieren photography. Analysis of the photographs enabled the rate at which the shock wave recovered its plane shape to be determined and this, together with the detailed shape of the wave at various instants, was compared with the first-order theory of Freeman (although all the conditions assumed in the theory could not be faithfully reproduced in the experiments).

For shock-wave Mach numbers of 1·165, 1·41 and 1·60, the time-rate of decay of the perturbations was found to agree quite well with the theoretical value, but the amplitudes of the perturbations were much larger than those given by the theory.

The experiments failed to give reliable information about the decay of the perturbations after a large time, owing, it is believed, to flow separation from the sharp corners of the wedges which constituted an additional source of disturbance to the shock waves.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , October 1959 , pp. 469 - 480
Copyright
© 1959 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Freeman, N. C. 1957 On the stability of plane shock waves. J. Fluid Mech. 2, 397–411.Google Scholar
Hollyer, R. N. Jr. 1956 Attenuation in the shock tube. I. Laminar flow. J. Appl. Phys. 27, 254–61.Google Scholar
Lighthill, M. J. 1949 The diffraction of blast. I. Proc. Roy. Soc. A, 198, 454–70.Google Scholar
Perry, R. W. & Kantrowitz, A. 1951 The production and stability of converging shock waves. J. Appl. Phys. 22, 878–86.Google Scholar
Trimpi, R. L. & Cohen, N. B. 1955 A theory for predicting the flow of real gases in shock tubes with experimental verification. Tech. Note Nat. Adv. Comm. Aero., Wash., no. 3375.Google Scholar
Whitham, G. B. 1957 A new approach to problems of shock dynamics. Part I. Two-dimensional problems. J. Fluid Mech. 2, 145–71.Google Scholar