THE USE OF A T-TUBE TO PRODUCE SHOCK-HEATED PLASMAS IN AN X-BAND WAVEGUIDE
The shock wave produced by a T-tube with a sidearm expansion tube of 10 mm square cross section was investigated to find out whether it might be used to produce shock-heated plasmas in an X-band waveguide. Only weak shocks of Mach number less than 15 in argon at ambient pressures from 0.12 mm to 2 mm of mercury were studied. The investigation had two aspects. The theoretical and expertmental results obtained by previous studies of strong shocks in T-tubes were applied. Experimental studies were also made on the tube. At Mach numbers less than 16 the velocity of the shock front was found to vary as the inverse square of the initial pressure and as the square of the applied voltage. The maximum volume of the shockheated test plasma was found by theoretical considerations to be less than 1.2 cc. Drum camera pictures revealed the presence of additional fronts which moved slightly faster than the shock front itself. Several shocks were produced by the ringing of the discharge circuit. A summary is given of the knowledge cf the thermodynamic variables of the test gas behind the shock front which can be obtained from drum camera photographs. It appears that the important parameters of electron temperature and density cannot be obtained by this means. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Maryland. Univ., College Park. Inst. for Fluid Dynamics and Applied Mathematics
- DOE Contract Number:
- AF49(638)-401
- NSA Number:
- NSA-15-022997
- OSTI ID:
- 4061792
- Report Number(s):
- AFOSR-757; BN-245
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-61
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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