ABSTRACT
We have so far modelled the blast wave in several idealised ways. Each of these models represents reality in certain space-time regimes and describes some physical aspect(s) of the phenomenon. For example, the Taylor-Sedov self-similar solution is an extremely good descriptor of the initial stages of a very strong blast wave but begins to depart from reality as the shock moderates to a finite strength; Sakurai’s (1953) extension gives a solution which is valid for some further time and distance. Similarly, the piston motions describe blast waves for which the energy released is not constant. Taylor-Sedov solution comes out as a special case with constant energy of the blast wave. Bethe’s theory (1942), as also that of Whitham (1950), deals with weak explosions. Brinkley and Kirkwood (1947) and Sachdev (1971, 1972) give a local theory of the blast wave. It describes how the shock decays all the way to a sound wave; it does not give details of the flow behind the shock.
