ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the structure of steady, plane, one-dimensional, gaseous detonations. It considers the factors influencing detonation propagation velocities and describes the important unsteady and nonplanar aspects of detonation phenomena. Standing detonations may be produced by adjusting air flow conditions in a converging-diverging nozzle so that a Mach-reflected normal shock sits downstream from the nozzle exit. The structure of a steady, planar detonation wave must be understood before investigations of unsteady, nonplanar phenomena can properly be begun and is most easily illustrated by analyzing the simplest representative system. The solution given in equation for the downstream part of the detonation wave represents a high-speed deflagration in which the kinetic energy is appreciable but the transport processes are negligible. Analysis of the reaction region of a steady, planar, ZND detonation is facilitated by the introduction of simplifications in the chemical kinetics.
