Interaction of a shock front with a wavy contact discontinuity

The excitation of Richtmayer-Meshkov instability fora ₀^–1>1 (a ₀ are the amplitude and wavelength of the initial contact discontinuity) is experimentally and numerically investigated. The effect of the curvature of the initial contact discontinuity on the development of the instability is determined.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No.5, pp. 168–174, September–October, 1992.