Evolution of blast wave profiles in simulated air blasts: experiment and computational modeling

Shock tubes have been extensively used in the study of blast traumatic brain injury due to increased incidence of blast-induced neurotrauma in Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. One of the important aspects in these studies is how to best replicate the field conditions in the laboratory which relies on reproducing blast wave profiles. Evolution of the blast wave profiles along the length of the compression-driven air shock tube is studied using experiments and numerical simulations with emphasis on the shape and magnitude of pressure time profiles. In order to measure dynamic pressures of the blast, a series of sensors are mounted on a cylindrical specimen normal to the flow direction. Our results indicate that the blast wave loading is significantly different for locations inside and outside of the shock tube. Pressure profiles inside the shock tube follow the Friedlander waveform fairly well. Upon approaching exit of the shock tube, an expansion wave released from the shock tube edges significantly degrades the pressure profiles. For tests outside the shock tube, peak pressure and total impulse reduce drastically as we move away from the exit and majority of loading is in the form of subsonic jet wind. In addition, the planarity of the blast wave degrades as blast wave evolves three dimensionally. Numerical results visually and quantitatively confirm the presence of vortices, jet wind and three-dimensional expansion of the planar blast wave near the exit. Pressure profiles at 90° orientation show flow separation. When cylinder is placed inside, this flow separation is not sustained, but when placed outside the shock tube this flow separation is sustained which causes tensile loading on the sides of the cylinder. Friedlander waves formed due to field explosives in the intermediate-to far-field ranges are replicated in a narrow test region located deep inside the shock tube.     

Interaction of a shock with a sphere suspended in a vertical shock tube

Shock wave interaction with a sphere is one of the benchmark tests in shock dynamics. However, unlike wind tunnel experiments, unsteady drag force on a sphere installed in a shock tube have not been measured quantitatively. This paper presents an experimental and numerical study of the unsteady drag force acting on a 80 mm diameter sphere which was vertically suspended in a 300 mm x 300 mm vertical shock tube and loaded with a planar shock wave of M _s = 1.22 in air. The drag force history on the sphere was measured by an accelerometer installed in it. Accelerometer output signals were subjected to deconvolution data processing, producing a drag history comparable to that obtained by solving numerically the Navier-Stokes equations. A good agreement was obtained between the measured and computed drag force histories. In order to interpret the interaction of shock wave over the sphere, high speed video recordings and double exposure holographic interferometric observations were also conducted. It was found that the maximum drag force appeared not at the time instant when the shock arrived at the equator of the sphere, but at some earlier time before the transition of the reflected shock wave from regular to Mach reflection took place. A negative value of the drag force was observed, even though for a very short duration of time, when the Mach stem of the transmitted shock wave relfected and focused at the rear stagnation point of the sphere.Received: 31 March 2003, Accepted: 7 July 2003, Published online: 2 September 2003     

Experimental study of the shock–bubble interaction with reshock

The interaction of a planar shock wave with a spherical density inhomogeneity is studied experimentally under reshock conditions. Reshock occurs when the incident shock wave, which has already accelerated the spherical bubble, reflects off the tube end wall and reaccelerates the inhomogeneity for a second time. These experiments are performed at the Wisconsin Shock Tube Laboratory, in a 9m-long vertical shock tube with a large square cross section (25.4×25.4 cm²). The bubble is prepared on a pneumatically retracted injector and released into a state of free fall. Planar diagnostic methods are used to study the bubble morphology after reshock. Data are presented for experiments involving two Atwood numbers (A = 0.17 and 0.68) and three Mach numbers (1.35 < M < 2.33). For the low Atwood number case, a secondary vortex ring appears immediately after reshock which is not observed for the larger Atwood number. The post-reshock vortex velocity is shown to be proportional to the incident Mach number, M, the initial Atwood number, A, and the incident shock wave speed, W _i.     

一种三阶有限体积法及其在欠膨胀射流激波结构数值模拟中的应用

以喷管出口欠膨胀射流为研究对象,在Lagrange坐标系下建立欠膨胀射流二维积分形式的流动方程。通过在单元交接面处进行三阶ENO(essentially nonoscillatory)格式插值,构造得到一种适用于求解该方程的三阶ENO有限体积法。采用该格式对一维Sod激波管算例和喷管出口欠膨胀射流进行数值计算。计算结果表明,该方法具有高精度、基本无振荡的特点,能很好地捕捉包含激波、滑移线以及三波交点等复杂流场波系结构。计算得到的波系结构中马赫盘的位置与实验结果吻合很好,相对误差小于1.1%。     

Effect of air jet vortex generators on a shock wave boundary layer interaction

The effect of upstream injection by means of continuous air jet vortex generators (AJVGs) on a shock wave turbulent boundary layer interaction is experimentally investigated. The baseline interaction is of the impinging type, with a flow deflection angle of 9.5° and a Mach number M _e  = 2.3. Considered are the effects of the AJVGs on the upstream boundary layer flow topology and on the spatial and dynamical characteristics of the interaction. To this aim, Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry has been employed, in addition to hot-wire anemometry (HWA) for the investigation of the unsteady characteristics of the reflected shock. The AJVGs cause a reduction of the separation bubble length and height. In addition, the energetic frequency range of the reflected shock is increased by approximately 50%, which is in qualitative agreement with the smaller separation bubble size.     

Shock wave triple-point morphology

The existence and characteristics of shock wave triple points are examined. The analysis utilizes a single flow plane for the three shocks and is local to the triple point. It applies when the flow is unsteady, three-dimensional, and the upstream flow is nonuniform. Under more restrictive conditions, a relation is also derived for the ratio of the curvature of the Mach stem to that of the reflected shock. For given values of the ratio of specific heats, γ, and the upstream Mach number, M ₁, a solution window is established. A parametric set of solutions is generated within the window for γ = 1, 1.4, and 5/3 and for 16 values of M ₁ ranging from solution onset to M ₁ = 6.A solution can be one of three types, these stem from the velocity tangency condition along the slip stream. Topics are addressed such as solution multiplicity, shock wave and slip stream orientation, the nature of the reflected wave (weak, strong, inverted, normal), the nature of the Mach stem (weak, strong, normal), and differences due to changes in γ and M ₁.     

Characteristics of counter-rotating vortex rings formed ahead of a compressible vortex ring

Characteristics of high Mach number compressible vortex ring generated at the open end of a short driver section shock tube is studied experimentally using high-speed laser sheet-based flow visualization. The formation mechanism and the evolution of counter rotating vortex ring (CRVR) formed ahead of the primary vortex ring are studied in details for shock Mach number (M) 1.7, with different driver section lengths. It has been observed that the strength of the embedded shock, which appears at high M, increases with time due to the flow expansion in the generating jet. Strength of the embedded shock also varies with radius; it is strong at smaller radii and weak at larger radii; hence, it creates a velocity gradient ahead of the embedded shock. At critical Mach number (M _c ≥ 1.6), this shear layer rolls up and forms a counter rotating vortex ring due to Biot-Savart induction of the vortex sheet. For larger driver section lengths, the embedded shock and the resultant shear layer persists for a longer time, resulting in the formation of multiple CRVRs due to Kelvin–Helmholtz type instability of the vortex sheet. CRVRs roll over the periphery of the primary vortex ring; they move upstream due to their self-induced velocity and induced velocity imparted by primary ring, and interact with the trailing jet. Formation of these vortices depends strongly upon the embedded shock strength and the length of the generating jet. Primary ring diameter increases rapidly during the formation and the evolution of CRVR due to induced velocity imparted on the primary ring by CRVR. Induced velocity of CRVR also affects the translational velocity of the primary ring considerably.     

Blast Wave Mitigation by a Particulate Foam Barrier

Blast waves mitigate in foam due to various mechanisms, whose contribution to the final result is not fully understood yet. Actually, blast waves can destroy the foam barrier that is usually prone to decay and thus subsides with time. Fortunately, different time scales allow separating between these processes. The foam shattering, for example, could be completed within several milliseconds, while the foam decay lasts minutes and even hours. Recently, an increasing interest in this area has emerged, because particle-laden foams are much more stable and thus, could be applied for blast wave protection. To explore the full advantage of these new foams, the relationship between the micro-properties of the foam structure and the blast wave mitigation has to be clarified. In order to specify this relationship, little has been done. Information available in the literature on this subject clearly shows that during the test, the foam structure could be changed in a wide range, which is not usually controlled. This complicates the analysis of the occurring processes and ensures that the new factor involved in the studied problem has to be tested one by one, after the result of the previous step is well understood. To follow this strategy, this study continues our previous investigation (Britan et al in Colloid Surf A Physicochem Eng Aspects 309:137–150, 2007; Colloid Surf A Physicochem Eng Aspects 344:15–23, 2009; 2011), while mainly focusing on a single new factor, namely blast-shaped profile. To separate out the effect of the foam decay, which was discussed elsewhere (Britan et al in 2011), a special effort has been spent to ensure that the tested foam is homogeneous over its height. To exclude the bubble shattering, preference was given to weak impact conditions (Mach number of the shock generated inside the shock tube was about M _S  = 1.05). Under these circumstances, the blast wave mitigation inside the tested foam barrier solely depended on the concentration of the solid additives.     

Interaction of a shock wave with a two-phase interface

The acceleration by an incident shock of a planar interface between a gas and a particle-gas mixture has been investigated experimentally and numerically. The experiments were conducted in a newly developed vertical shock tube in which the planar interface of the particle-gas mixture was generated and its particle concentration history was measured. Polydisperse corn starch particles with a mean diameter of 10m were used. We recorded the motion of the interface, as well as of the incident and reflected shock by using a 4 channel spark shadowgraph. The experimental conditions were Mach numberM _s=5.15 and initial pressurep ₁=50kPa for various particle concentrations in nitrogen. The reflected shock appears with a delay after the incident shock enters the particle-gas mixture. Numerical methods were employed to solve the two-phase governing equations. Experiments and numerical solutions are in good agreement.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.     

Comparison with experiment for TVD calculations of blast waves from a shock tube

Harten's second-order-accurate total-variation-diminishing (TVD) scheme is applied to calculation of flow from the open end of a shock tube. Comparison of numerical results with available experimental data for overpressure at selected points around the shock tube exit shows good agreement. Numerically indicated positions of the moving shock front and Mach stem also compare well with flow shadowgraph data. Where the problem geometry is sufficiently simple and rectangular gridding can be used, Harten's method affords a good choice for blast wave calculations.     

Nonlinear Strong Shock Interactions: A Shock-Fitted Approach

This paper addresses nonlinear effects which result from the interaction of shock waves with vortices. A series of experiments are carried out, which involve the interaction of a strong shock wave with a single plane vorticity wave and a randomly distributed wave system. These experiments are first conducted in the linear regime to obtain a mutual verification of theory and computation. They are subsequently extended into the nonlinear regime. A systematic study of the interaction of a plane shock wave and a single vortex is then conducted. Specifically, we investigate the conditions under which nonlinear effects become important, both as a function of shock Mach number, M ₁, and incident vortex strength (characterized by its circulation Γ). The shock Mach number is varied from 2 to 8, while the circulation of the vortex is varied from infinitesimally small values (linear theory) to unity. Budgets of vorticity, dilatation, and pressure are obtained. They indicate that nonlinear effects become more significant as both the shock Mach number and the circulation increase. For Mach numbers equal to 5 and above, the dilatation in the vortex core grows quadratically with circulation. An acoustic wave propagates radially outward from the vortex center. As circulation increases, its upstream-facing front steepens at low Mach numbers, and its downstream-facing front steepens at high Mach numbers. A high Mach number asymptotic expansion of the Rankine--Hugoniot conditions reveals that nonlinear effects dominate both the shock motion and the downstream flow for ΓM ₁ > 1. Received 28 June 1997 and accepted 25 November 1997     

Shock wave diffraction in the presence of a supersonic co-flow jet

The interaction between a diffracting shock wave and a uniform jet is a case that so far has only been partially investigated. This interaction is extremely important for the control of noise generation and improvement of combustor performance. To fill this knowledge gap, three geometries of the diffracting corner, namely a straight ramp, a serrated ramp, and a rounded corner, have been tested experimentally to study the interaction of shock diffraction with a supersonic co-flow jet at incident Mach numbers of 1.31 and 1.59, with Reynolds numbers of \(1.08\times 10^{6}\) and \(1.68\times 10^{6}\), respectively. Schlieren photography was employed to analyse the evolution of the flow phenomena. The aim is to provide a qualitative understanding of the interaction between the diffracting shock wave and the uniform jet relevant to future high-speed transport. The results show that the flow field evolves more rapidly and develops stronger structures for a higher shock Mach number. The diffraction around a rounded splitter develops a periodical vortical structure which continues after the disturbance introduced by the passage of the shock wave is removed.     

Development of shock wave and vortex structures in unsteady jets

The paper deals with the formation of a gaseous jet behind a sonic nozzle. The nozzle was located at the end wall of a shock tube. A specially made two-direction shadow system, which ensured a simultaneous recording of side-on and head-on images of the jet, as well as a diffraction interferometer were used. On the basis of the data obtained, an analysis of the vortex structure of the jet was carried out, the amplitude of the azimuthal instability was measured and the spatial distribution of the density in the gaseous flow was obtained. Comparison between the experimental density distribution, numerical results and a nonself-similar point source blast wave model was conducted.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.     

Characteristics of an annular vertical diaphragmless shock tube

Abstract. This paper reports on the characteristics of a compact vertical diaphragmless shock tube, which was constructed and tested in the Shock Wave Research Center to study experimentally the behavior of toroidal shock waves. It is 1.15 m in height and has a self-sustained co-axial vertical structure consisting of a 100 mm i.d. outer tube and an 80 mm o.d. inner tube. To create a ring shaped shock wave between the inner and outer tubes, a rubber sheet is inserted to separate a high pressure driver gas from a test gas, which is bulged with auxiliary high pressure helium from the behind. When the rubber membrane is contracted by the sudden release of the auxiliary gas so as to break the seal, shock waves are formed. Special design features of the shock tube are described and their role in producing repeatable shock waves is discussed. Its special opening characteristics make possible the production of annular shaped shock waves that are unlikely met with a conventional tube that uses rupturing diaphragms. Performance of the shock tube is evaluated in terms of the shock wave Mach numbers and the measured flow properties. It eventually showed a higher degree of repeatability and the scatter in the shock wave Mach numbers Ms was found to be 0.2% for Ms ranging from 1.1 to 1.8. The shock wave Mach number so far measured agreed very well with the simple shock tube theory. Received 3 February 1999 / Accepted 6 April 2000     

Experimental investigation of liquid jet injection into Mach 6 hypersonic crossflow

The injection of a liquid jet into a crossing Mach 6 air flow is investigated. Experiments were conducted on a sharp leading edge flat plate with flush mounted injectors. Water jets were introduced through different nozzle shapes at relevant jet-to-air momentum–flux ratios. Sufficient temporal resolution to capture small scale effects was obtained by high-speed recording, while directional illumination allowed variation in field of view. Shock pattern and flow topology were visualized by Schlieren-technique. Correlations are proposed on relating water jet penetration height and lateral extension with the injection ratio and orifice diameter for circular injector jets. Penetration height and lateral extension are compared for different injector shapes at relevant jet-to-air momentum–flux ratios showing that penetration height and lateral extension decrease and increase, respectively, with injector’s aspect ratio. Probability density function analysis has shown that the mixing of the jet with the crossflow is completed at a distance of x/d _j  ~ 40, independent of the momentum–flux ratio. Mean velocity profiles related with the liquid jet have been extracted by means of an ensemble correlation PIV algorithm. Finally, frequency analyses of the jet breakup and fluctuating shock pattern are performed using a Fast Fourier algorithm and characteristic Strouhal numbers of St = 0.18 for the liquid jet breakup and of St = 0.011 for the separation shock fluctuation are obtained.     

Shock wave propagation into a surface depression

An aircraft travelling at supersonic speeds close to the ground generates a bow wave which is reflected off the ground surface. If a valley is traversed a complex reflection pattern will be generated. Similar patterns will evolve with a plane wave traversing a depression on a surface or structure. To simulate the process a planar shock wave, generated in a shock tube, is moved over several notched wedge configurations. Schlieren photographs were produced to assist in identifying the resulting complex three-dimensional wave structures and then verified and extended by three- dimensional computations. The valley geometries investigated are rectangular, triangular, parabolic and conical with a number of valley floor inclinations. The main features are extracted in surface models to demonstrate the complexity of the flow, and in particular in the case where the reflection is regular on the ground plane and Mach reflection in the valley.      

Effects of a Single-pulse Energy Deposition on Steady Shock Wave Reflection

The effects of energy deposition in the free stream on steady regular and Mach shock wave reflections are studied numerically. A short-duration laser pulse is focused upstream of the incident shock waves. It causes formation of the expanding blast wave and the residual hot-spot interacting in a complex way with the steady shock wave reflection. It was found that the laser energy addition in the free stream may force the transition from regular to Mach reflection in the dual solution domain. In contrast to previously reported numerical results, the transition from Mach to regular reflection has not been reproduced in our refined computations since the Mach reflection is restored after the flow perturbation.     

One-dimensional shock wave interaction with rubber and low-porosity foam

One-dimensional interaction between a planar shock wave and a rubber or low-porosity foam is investigated experimentally and numerically. The considered polyurethane foam is of high density (ρ _c=290 kg/m³) and lowporosity (ϕ=0.76), and this corresponds to an intermediate condition between rubber and high-porosity foam. Stress-strain relations for the low-porosity foam are investigated by machine tests, which show larger deformation against compressive force and higher non-linearity in stress-strain curve as compared with rubber. Also the low-porosity foam shows a hysteresis cycle. Experiments on shock wave-foam interactions are conducted by using a shock tube. Experimental time history of the surface stress of the foam at the end of the shock tube does not show shock type stress increase, but continuous excessive stress rise can be seen, and then dumping vibration approaching to gas dynamic pressure of the reflected shock wave is followed, and the highest stress amounts about 3∼4 times of the pressure after the reflected gas dynamic shock wave. Interactive motions of gas and the low-porosity foam are analyzed using the Lagrangean coordinates system. An elastic model for a low-porosity foam is assumed to be a single elastic material with the measured stress-strain relation. Results of numerical simulations are compared with the shock tube experiments, which show essentially same stress variations with experimental results.     

Effects of Mach number on turbulent separation behaviours induced by blunt fin

 An experimental study of the interaction between shock wave and turbulent boundary layer induced by blunt fin has been carried out at M _∞=7.8 using oil flow visualization and simultaneous measurements of fluctuating wall pressure and heat transfer. This paper presents the effects of Mach number on turbulent separation behaviours induced by blunt fin. Received: 21 July 1996/Accepted: 4 February 1998     

Mach reflection of a plane shock wave passing a mountain of 45° inclination

The transition from regular reflection (RR) to Mach reflection (MR) as a plane shock wave diffracts around a triangular mountain of 45° inclination is analysed in this paper, both by optical measurement in a shock tube and by numerical simulation the numerical method developed by Li Yingfan^[1] is of the FLIC type with triangular mesh. The dependence of the critical transition point Lk ofRR→MR on shock Mach numberM _i is analyzed and the variations of the incidence angle ω _i of the impinging shock and the reflection angle ω _r with the distanceL ^* are investigated. Our experimental and numerical results agree well with the theoretical results of Iton and Italya.