THE STRUCTURE OF THE DISCONTINUITY IN DETONATION WAVES

Abstract

The optical reflectivity technique was used to study the structure of the initial discontinuity in detonation waves in H2 : 302 at initial pressures of 20 to 40 psia. The detonation fronts were found to be comparable to normal shock waves in their thickness and planarity. The density change across the front appeared less than the theoretical value, suggesting that rotational relaxation of oxygen (and hydrogen) in the front may not be complete. Experiments on shock waves in oxygen at Mach 3.0, where the final temperature is 872 K, confirm the rotational heat capacity lag and suggest that rotational relaxation is much slower at high temperatures than at room temperature. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 15, 1961
Accession Number
AD0254643

Entities

People

  • B. Levitt
  • D.f. Hornig

Organizations

  • Princeton University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Detonation Waves
  • Detonations
  • Discontinuities
  • Heat Capacity
  • High Temperature
  • Hydrogen
  • Physical Properties
  • Reflectivity
  • Shock
  • Shock Waves
  • Thickness
  • Waves

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Radar Systems Engineering.
  • Rocket Propulsion.