Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 June 2016
The transient motion of a shock wave is investigated during its passage through ducts containing various area convergences. The method of characteristics has been used to follow the unsteady motion of the shock wave in an inviscid, non-conducting gas. The strength of the shock is taken to be large enough so that initially both sets of characteristics face downstream. The results are found to be in good agreement with unsteady and quasi-steady theories. A comparison is made between the characteristics results and experimental results obtained in a 1 ft (0·305 m) diameter shock tube. This shock tube incorporates a 3·75:1 linear area change in the low pressure section length. Good agreement is found between experiment and theory. A comparison is also made with other experimental work.