Asymmetry of imploding detonations in thin channels

The factors that influence the symmetry of an imploding detonation are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Detonations in sub-atmospheric acetylene–oxygen were initiated and made to converge in an apparatus that followed that of Lee and Lee (Phys Fluids 8:2148–2152, 1965). The width of the test section was controlled with a wave-shaping insert, which formed the test section against the viewing window, creating an effectively two-dimensional problem with a channel width comparable to the detonation cell size. The convergence of the detonation was observed via self-luminous open-shutter photography and high-speed videography. The resulting videos were analyzed to quantify the wave speed, degree of asymmetry, and direction and magnitude of the offset in the center of convergence. To determine the experimental parameters that influence the symmetry of the imploding wave, the wave-shaping insert was intentionally canted by \(0.3 ^{\circ } {\text {--}} 0.6^{\circ }\), accentuating the asymmetry of the imploding detonation. The experiment was modeled using a Huygens construction wherein the detonation is treated as a collection of wavelets, each assumed to propagate locally at a velocity determined by the channel width. The results of the model reproduced the observed offsets in detonation convergence from the center of the apparatus, confirming that velocity deficits resulting from the narrow channel width control the observed asymmetry.