The reflected pressure field in the interaction of weak shock waves with a compressible foam

This paper deals with the waves that are reflected from slabs of porous compressible foam attached to a rigid wall when impacted by a weak shock wave. The interest is in establishing possible attenuation of the pressure field after a shock or blast wave has struck the surface. Foam densities from 14 to 38 kg/m³ were tested over a range of shock wave Mach numbers less than 1.4. It is shown that the initial reflected shock wave strength is accurately predicted by the pseudo-gas model of Gelfand et al. (1983), with a pressure ratio of approximately 80% of the value for reflection off a rigid wall. Evidence is presented of gas entering the foam during the early stages of the process. A second wave emerges from the foam at a later stage and is separated from the first by a region of constant velocity and pressure. This second wave is not a shock wave but a compression front of significant thickness, which emerges from the foam earlier than predicted by the pseudo-gas model. Analysis of the origin of this wave points to much more complex flows within the foam than previously assumed, particularly in an apparent decrease in average wave front speed as the foam is compressed. It is shown that the pressure ratio across both these waves taken together is slightly higher than that for reflection off a rigid wall. In some cases this compression wave train is followed by a weak expansion wave.This article was processed using Springer-Verlag T_EX Shock Waves macro package 1990.