Extreme translational impact of triple-shock configurations of blast waves in a confined volume of an orbital station

Abstract

The translational effects of gas streams, which form after the triple-shock configurations at Mach reflection of blast waves with normal main shock (so-called stationary Mach configurations), were analyzed. Unlike in the case of an elevated explosions of fuel as rocket starts in initially stagnant air, which is considered here as a private case, it was supposed that this shock-wave structure moves in a preceding flow with arbitrary velocity (and corresponding flow Mach number). Analyzing relations of the dynamic pressures across the slipstream, which emanates from the triple point of the Mach reflection, it was shown that the flows after the triple-shock configuration usually differ much in their translational action on surrounding objects. It was found and discussed that some configurations drag the objects initially situated above and below the triple-point trajectory in opposite directions. Moreover, the “trigger” structure was found that remains previous flow drag action on the object above the triple-point trajectory, but switches it to exactly opposite one, if the object is situated below the triple point.