On the compression process in a free-piston shock-tunnel

Preliminary results in the Marseille free-piston shock-tunnel facility are presented. The compression of the driver gas by the piston is studied experimentally for two different geometries of the end of the compression tube. Peak pressures obtained with the end of the compression tube closed, and with bursting of the diaphragm separating the high pressure from the low pressure chamber, are compared with calculated values in the cases of N₂ and He as driver gases. A phenomenon of accoustic resonance has been uncovered, generating strong pressure oscillations which, if not properly dealt with, could impair the quality of the useful flow in such a facility.This article was processed using Springer-Verlag T_EX Shock Waves macro package 1.0 and the AMS fonts, developed by the American Mathematical Society.