In an experimental investigation of the transient processes that occur when a single droplet of butane at the superheat limit vaporizes explosively, short-exposure photographs and fast-response pressure measurements have been used to construct a description of the complete explosion process. It is observed that only a single bubble forms within the drop during each explosion, and that the growth proceeds on a microsecond time scale. An interfacial instability driven by rapid evaporation has been observed on the surface of the bubbles. It is suggested that the Landau mechanism of instability, originally described in connection with the instability of laminar flames, also applies to rapid evaporation at the superheat limit.The photographic evidence and the pressure data are used to estimate the evaporative mass flux across the liquid-vapour interface after the onset of instability. The ;ate of evaporation is shown to be two orders of magnitude greater than would be predicted by conventional bubble-growth theories that do not account for the effects of instability. An estimate of the mean density within the bubbles during the evaporative stage indicates that it is more than one half of the critical density of butane.Additional interesting dynamical effects that are observed include a series of toroidal waves that form on the interface between the butane vapour and the external host liquid in the bubble column apparatus after the bubble has grown large enough to contact the outer edge of the drop, and violent oscillations of the bubble that occur on a millisecond time scale, after evaporation of the liquid butane is complete, that cause the disintegration of the bubble into a cloud of tiny bubbles by Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

Experiments on flammability limits, ignition energies, and flame speeds were carried out in a 11.25-and a 400-liter combustion vessel at initial pressures and temperatures of 100 kPa and 295 K, respectively. Flammability maps of hydrogen-nitrous oxide-nitrogen, methane-nitrous oxide-nitrogen, ammonia-nitrous oxide-nitrogen, and ammonia-nitrous oxide-air, as well as lean flammability limits of various hydrogenmethane-ammonia-nitrous oxide-oxygen-nitrogen mixtures were determined. Ignition energy bounds of methane-nitrous oxide, ammonia-nitrous oxide, and ammonia-nitrous oxide-nitrogen mixtures have been determined and the influence of small amounts of oxygen on the flammability of methane-nitrous oxide-nitrogen mixtures has been investigated. Flame speeds have been measured and laminar burning velocities have been determined for ammonia-air-nitrous oxide and various hydrogen-methane-ammonianitrous oxide-oxygen-nitrogen mixtures. Lower and upper flammability limits (mixing fan on, turbulent conditions) for ignition energies of 8 J are:Flammability limits of methane-nitrous oxide-nitrogen mixtures show no pronounced dependence on small amounts of oxygen (< 5%). Generally speaking, flammable gases with large initial amounts of nitrous oxide or ammonia show a strong dependence of flammability limits on ignition energy.

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An analytical model for the impulse of a single-cycle pulse detonation tube has been developed and validated against experimental data. The model is based on the pressure history at the thrust surface of the detonation tube. The pressure history is modeled by a constant pressure portion, followed by a decay due to gas expansion out of the tube. The duration and amplitude of the constant pressure portion is determined by analyzing the gasdynamics of the self-similar ow behind a steadily moving detonation wave within the tube. The gas expansion process is modeled using dimensional analysis and empirical observations. The model predictions are validated against direct experimental measurements in terms of impulse per unit volume, speci c impulse, and thrust. Comparisons are given with estimates of the speci c impulse based on numerical simulations. Impulse per unit volume and speci c impulse calculations are carried out for a wide range of fuel-oxygen-nitrogen mixtures (including aviation fuels) of varying initial pressure, equivalence ratio, and nitrogen dilution. The effect of the initial temperature is also investigated. The trends observed are explained using a simple scaling analysis showing the dependency of the impulse on initial conditions and energy release in the mixture. = time taken by the rst re ected characteristic to reach the thrust surface t 3 = time associated with pressure decay period t ¤ = time at which the rst re ected characteristic exits the Taylor wave U CJ = Chapman-Jouguet detonation velocity u = ow velocity u e = exhaust velocity u 2 = ow velocity just behind detonation wave V = volume of gas within detonation tube X F = fuel mass fraction ® = nondimensional parameter corresponding to time t 2 = nondimensional parameter corresponding to pressure decay period°= ratio of speci c heats 1P = pressure differential 1P 3 = pressure differential at the thrust surfacé = similarity variablȩ = cell size 5 = nondimensional pressure ½ e = exhaust density ½ 1 = initial density of reactants ¿ = nondimensional time ct=L Á = equivalence ratio

This paper deals with the structural response of a tube to an internal gaseous detonation. An internal detonation produces a pressure load that propagates down the tube. Because the speed of the gaseous detonation can be comparable to the flexural wave group speed, excitation of flexural waves in the tube wall must be considered. Flexural waves can result in much higher strains and stresses than static loading with the same loading pressures. Experiments and numerical simulations were used to determine the structural response. In the experiments, a detonation tube was instrumented with a number of strain gages. A series of experiments was carried out under different conditions. Strains were measured that exceeded the equivalent static strain by up to a factor of 3Á9: Special attention was paid to the influence of the detonation speed, reflection and interference of structural waves at flanges and also at the tube end, the linearity of the response, the transient development of the deflection profile, and the influence of detonation cell size. Analytical models and finite element models were used to interpret the observations and to make quantitative predictions of the peak strain. #