Rayleigh-Taylor instability in compressible fluids. Final report, 24 September 1982-23 September 1983
During the past year an experimental study of the shock-wave initiated Rayleigh-Taylor instability, also known as the Richtmeyer-Meshkov instability, has been initiated at the shock tube laboratories of the Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories, California Institute of Technology. The work is an outgrowth of earlier studies of shock wave propagation in non-uniform media. These preliminary experiments were supported jointly by both the National Science Foundation (the agency which supported the previous work) and the Department of Energy, under this grant. In order to scope out the areas in which modern shock-tube technology might contribute particularly effectively to the understanding of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability emphasis has been placed during the first year on the study of the instability in simple three-dimensional geometries. In particular, a canonical problem with axial symmetry has been studied experimentally; namely, the impulsive rectilinear acceleration of spherical and cylindrical volumes of gas by an incident shock wave. In this report we summarize the main results of the preliminary experiments; a detailed description is in preparation for publication. Encouraged by the success of the first year's work, we intend during the next year to concentrate on a detailed examination of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability of classical planar configurations subject to shock-wave acceleration. Results of some preliminary experiments to define the pressure field generated on a wavy interface by an incident plane shock wave are presented.
- Research Organization:
- California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena (USA). Graduate Aeronautical Labs.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AS08-82DP40176
- OSTI ID:
- 5617865
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/DP/40176-1; ON: DE85013150
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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