Experiments on the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability of an air/SF₆ interface

Results of flow visualization experiments of an impulsively accelerated plane interface between air and SF₆ are reported. The shock tube used for the experiments has a larger test section than in previous experiments. The larger extent of uniform test flow relative to nonuniform boundary-layer flow permits unambiguous interpretation of flow-visualization photographs, and the influence of shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions is no longer dominant. The strong wall vortex observed in previous studies is not observed in these experiments. It is found that the thin membrane, which forms the initially plane interface, has a significant influence on the initial growth rate of the interface thickness. However, the measured growth rates after the first reflected shock are independent of membrane configuration and are in good agreement with analytical predictions