Shock Tube Instrumentation Techniques for Study of Hypervelocity Entry Problems

Abstract

Shock tube instrumentation techniques developed for the study of convective heat transfer and the radiative properties of high temperature gases at conditions simulating hypervelocity entry into planetary atmospheres are described. An electrically heated helium driven shock tube is used; measurement methods suitable for conventional shock tubes must be modified before they can be used in the hypervelocity shock tube. Extremely high shock velocities necessary for proper simulation are associated with very short test times imposing requirements for fast response instrumentation systems. Methods for evaluating test gas quality are illustrated.Techniques described have been applied to several studies; typical results are shown and instrumentation requirements for the extension of aerothermodynamic investigation in the hypervelocity regime are outlined.

Approximating a far-field blast environment in an advanced blast simulator for explosion resistance testing

“…Since the invention of the shock tube by French engineer, Paul Vieille, to study combustion and detonation about 120 years ago (Vieille, 1899a(Vieille, , 1899b, shock tubes remain largely relevant today and have been integral for a variety of research such as experimentally simulating re-entry flows of space shuttles and supersonic aerodynamics (Gruszczynski and Rogers, 1965;Yu, 1999), studying the combustion processes in engines (AlAbbad et al, 2017), investigation of plasma physics (Fucks and Czech, 1965), blast injuries (Alay et al, 2018;Ning and Zhou, 2015), blast simulation (Aune et al, 2016;Richmond et al, 1966) and many others.…”