Experiments in a Combustion-Driven Shock Tube with an Area Change

Abstract

Shock tubes are versatile and useful tools for studying high temperature gas dynamics and the production of hypervelocity flows. High shock speeds are desirable for creating higher enthalpy, pressure, and temperature in the test gas which makes the study of thermo-chemical effects on fluid dynamics possible. Independent of construction and operational cost, free-piston drivers, such as the one used in the T5 facility at Caltech, give the best performance [3]. The high operational cost and long turnaround time of such a facility make a more economical option desirable for smaller-scale testing.

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