Numerical study of the reflection of detonation waves from a wedge

The reflection of a nonstationary multifront two-dimensional gas-detonation wave from a wedge is simulated numerically for a 2H₂+O₂ mixture. The value of the critical angle of the wedge at which the regular reflection of the detonation wave becomes Mach reflection is determined forp ₀=0.2 bar. In the case of Mach reflection, it is established for various angles of the wedge that the growth of the Mach stem is not self-similar, i.e., the triple-point trajectory is not a straight line. Numerical analysis shows that the limiting height of the Mach stem depends on the angle of the wedge. The effect of the detonation-cell size and the gradients of the incident-wave parameters on the specific growth of the Mach stem and on the critical angle of the wedge is studied. Translated fromFizika Goreniya i Vzryva, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 97–104, November–December 1999.