Detailed flowfields of a RAMAC device in H2−O2 full chemistry

Numerical simulations of a RAMAC device were performed for a range of speeds and grid densities. For certain initial conditions the detonation was unstable and propagated ahead of the projectile in a normal detonation wave, similar to the experimental phenomenon of unstart. The unstart was observed to develop within the narrow space between projectile and tube wall (the throat), so we focus on that area. Detailed flowfield views of the throat reveal a separated flow rotating in one large vortex. The detonation is overdriven but steady for fast enough upstream velocities. The vortex has an important role in triggering off the unstart by creating a condition at the throat whereby the detonation can propagate against the flow. An abridged version of this paper was presented at the 15th Int. Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems at Boulder, Colorado, from July 30 to August 4, 1995.