Propagation of Low Amplitude Shock Waves in a Tube

Abstract

Essentially, a shock tube consists of a long, rigid pipe which is divided into two sections: an air-tight driver, or compression section, and a long expansion section. The two lengths are separated by a thin diaphragm, and a pressure above atmospheric is established in the driver section. Vfuen the diaphragm is ruptured mechanically, a pressure disturbance, which can be idealized as a step wave, propagates down the tube. Most published shock-tube research involves driver pressures of many atmospheres, because of interest in the extremely high temperatures and gas flow velocities which can be obtained. The present thesis research, on the other hand, is a study of the propagation of low-amplitude shock waves, which have received comparatively little previous attention. The shock tube is thus used as a means of generating pressure disturbances of higher amplitude than those commonly encountered in acoustics.