1963•Journal of Fluid MechanicsRequires access
Extreme temperatures in shock-wave interactions with rarefaction waves
G. A. Bird
Open publisher page 0 citations
Abstract
The method of characteristics is used to calculate numerical solutions for the head-on collision of a shock wave with a centred rarefaction wave in the onedimensional unsteady flow of a perfect gas. It is found that, for sufficiently strong shock waves, the rate of increase in the strength of the shock as it propagates through the rarefaction is so great that the temperature behind the shock reaches extreme values.