Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities at the debris/air interface

Technical Report · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5338563

Jones, E M; Kodis, J W

Early-time photographs of high mass-to-yield nuclear explosions show an irregular fireball surface best described as ''lumpy.'' In this report we examine the possibility that the lumpy features are caused by a Rayleigh-Taylor instability at the debris/air interface driven by crossed gradients of density and pressure. A simple phenomenological model of the instability is discussed as well as the implementation in the one-dimensional rad/hydro code RADFLO. The temporal and spatial growth of unstable features is compared with data from the US test Buster-Jangle Charlie; reasonable agreement is found.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5338563
• Report Number(s): LA-10823-MS; ON: DE87000804
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450202* -- Explosions & Explosives-- Nuclear-- Weaponry-- (-1989)
AIR
COMPUTER CODES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CONVECTION
ENERGY TRANSFER
EXPLOSIONS
FLUIDS
GASES
HEAT TRANSFER
INSTABILITY
INTERFACES
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR INSTABILITY
SIMULATION