Doctoral Dissertations
Keywords and Phrases
Blast tubes; Blast waves; Explosives; Shock tubes; Shock waves; Vortex rings
Abstract
"Blast and shock tubes are frequently used to create shock waves to study their effects and impacts on structures, humans, and personal protective equipment. These tubes are also found in other industries including wind tunnels for aerodynamic testing, jet engines for propulsion research, spacecraft reentry simulations, and industrial applications such as material testing and high-velocity impact studies. Despite their widespread use, there is no standard design, with variations in geometry, size, and energy sources. Current research only evaluates the peak pressure of the shock wave produced and does not consider the effects of changing the size or geometry of the tube. This dissertation examines shock waves and vortex rings produced by explosively driven blast tubes, evaluating different sizes and geometries to determine their effect on the resulting shock wave and vortex ring. High-speed imaging, statistical analysis, hydrodynamic simulation, and pressure measurements were used to analyze the shock waves and vortex rings. Smaller diameter tubes produce longer shock wave durations while square tubes demonstrated a more predictable scaling behavior, suggesting that their performance may be more straightforward to model compared to other geometries. The investigation also found that as the diameter of the tubes increases, the shock wave exhibits a negative phase, aligning more closely with the behavior observed in open-field tests. Findings showed it is the duration of the shock wave, rather than peak pressure, that primarily influences changes in impulse. This dissertation provides a foundational understanding of how tube parameters affect shock wave characteristics, guiding future shock tube studies aimed at replicating complex waveforms seen in open field conditions"-- Abstract, p. iv
Advisor(s)
Johnson, Catherine E.
Committee Member(s)
Douglas, Alexander
Xu, Guang
Schmidt, Jillian B.
Williams, Kelly
Department(s)
Mining Engineering
Degree Name
Ph. D. in Explosives Engineering
Publisher
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Publication Date
Spring 2025
Pagination
xiii, 158 pages
Note about bibliography
Includes_bibliographical_references_(pages 55, 78, 108, 134 and 147-157)
Rights
©2024 Rachel Louise Bauer , All Rights Reserved
Document Type
Dissertation - Open Access
File Type
text
Language
English
Thesis Number
T 12452
Recommended Citation
Bauer, Rachel Louise, "Shock Wave And Vortex Ring Dynamics From Explosively Driven Shock Tunnels" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations. 3372.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/3372
