Detonation driver for enhancing shock tube performance

The development of a shock-induced detonation driver for enhancing the performance of a shock tube is described. The detonation wave is induced by the expansion of helium or air. Various gaseous fuel-oxidizer combinations are examined. This method produces a detonation wave which propagates downstream that transitions into a shock wave in the driven section. High-enthalpy flows with a maximum total temperature of 4200 K and a maximum total pressure of 34 atm in the driven tube are achieved. The problems of achieving the so-called perfectly-driven mode as well as those of inadequate fuel-oxidizer mixing are discussed.