Blast wave induced unsteady flow at the shock tube opening

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Rao, Saini Jatin, Aravind, Akhil, Basu, Saptarshi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Rao, Saini Jatin
Aravind, Akhil
Basu, Saptarshi
author_facet Rao, Saini Jatin
Aravind, Akhil
Basu, Saptarshi
contents Shock tubes have been a crucial device, facilitating studies across a wide range of practical applications. An open-ended shock tube employing the wire-explosion technique with a rectangular cross section is used in the present study to generate blast waves over a Mach number range of 1.2-1.8, enabling detailed investigation of unsteady compressible flow at the tube opening. The blast wave produces a complex flow field comprising a compressible vortex ring with a trailing jet, and several transient structures, including embedded shocks, inward-moving shock or reverse shocks, shear layers, and Prandtl-Meyer expansion fans. An approximate model based on a power-law density profile describes the blast evolution inside and outside the tube, with the equivalent source deduced from measured shock trajectories. The blast wave-tube exit interaction is analyzed using the method of characteristics with alternate exit boundary conditions. A steady-pressure outlet best reproduces experimental observations, predicting supersonic efflux, embedded shocks, expansion waves, and circulation production. Several previously unreported unsteady features, including reverse shock or "reshock" formation and embedded shock shedding, are documented. The findings highlight the intricate dynamics of various features associated with such highly transient, blast-driven flows emanating from an open-ended shock tube.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_00247
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Blast wave induced unsteady flow at the shock tube opening
Rao, Saini Jatin
Aravind, Akhil
Basu, Saptarshi
Fluid Dynamics
Shock tubes have been a crucial device, facilitating studies across a wide range of practical applications. An open-ended shock tube employing the wire-explosion technique with a rectangular cross section is used in the present study to generate blast waves over a Mach number range of 1.2-1.8, enabling detailed investigation of unsteady compressible flow at the tube opening. The blast wave produces a complex flow field comprising a compressible vortex ring with a trailing jet, and several transient structures, including embedded shocks, inward-moving shock or reverse shocks, shear layers, and Prandtl-Meyer expansion fans. An approximate model based on a power-law density profile describes the blast evolution inside and outside the tube, with the equivalent source deduced from measured shock trajectories. The blast wave-tube exit interaction is analyzed using the method of characteristics with alternate exit boundary conditions. A steady-pressure outlet best reproduces experimental observations, predicting supersonic efflux, embedded shocks, expansion waves, and circulation production. Several previously unreported unsteady features, including reverse shock or "reshock" formation and embedded shock shedding, are documented. The findings highlight the intricate dynamics of various features associated with such highly transient, blast-driven flows emanating from an open-ended shock tube.
title Blast wave induced unsteady flow at the shock tube opening
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.00247