Shock wave interaction with breakable cylinders of different cross-section

Understanding shock wave interaction with solid objects range is necessary for a range of applications in aerospace, defense, and geophysics. Our experimental study seeks a better understanding of the physics and relevant timescales, as well as collects quantitative information that will be used for numerical code validation. Shock waves at three different Mach numbers are generated in a horizontal shock tube. Solid objects (cylinders) with three different cross sections and three different lengths were fabricated by additive manufacturing process for this experiment. These solid objects were mounted in a sample holder, placed inside the shock tube, and subjected to the arrival of planar shock waves. Four high speed pressure transducers were used to record pressure readings as the shock wave propagated through the shock tube. High-speed Kronos and Phantom cameras were used to record the interaction between shock wave and test samples. Interactions of the shock with cylinders appear to depend significantly on the cylinder cross-section. Additionally, we report significant shock reflection even for configurations where the cylinders occupy a modest cross-sectional area in the shock tube.