Experimental investigation on shock waves generated by pressurized gas release through a tube

An experimental investigation on the flow structures and the strength of shock waves generated by high-pressure gas release through a tube into air was conducted. The results demonstrated that a leading shock wave was generated in front of the compressed gas jet and the shock wave speed increased firstly, then decreased and finally kept constant with an increase of the propagation distance in the tube. The experimentally measured Mach numbers of shock waves were close to those calculated from the theory of ideal shock tube flow. After spouting out of the tube, the normal shock quickly developed into a hemispherical shape. The Mach disk was observed in the under-expanded jet. For high-pressure combustible gas release, the concept of theoretical critical pressure of ignition was introduced and several theoretical critical pressures of common gaseous fuels were obtained.