The thermal non-equilibrium boundary layer at the end wall of a shock tube in methane combustion initiated by a reflected shock, is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Time-dependent boundary conditions are caused by the shock–boundary-layer interaction and the combustion process outside the boundary layer, and are taken into account. Space- and time-resolved density measurements using a focused laser beam are in good agreement with results from numerical computation and show existence of similarity solutions for short and long times. Differences, so far unexplained, occur between measured and predicted heat fluxes to the wall.

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