Four-dimensional visualization of blast loading inside a detonation-driven shock tube using improved pressure-sensitive paint and digital image correlation

We present a blast wave simulator consisting of a detonation tube and a low-pressure channel with a 25 cm(2) cross section, which was used to investigate the fluid dynamics of blast injuries. A blast-like flow was generated by detonating a gaseous mixture of ethylene and oxygen with a stoichiometric ratio at or less than the atmospheric pressure. The evolution of the pressure profile at the test section was determined using PZT-type pressure transducers and a high-speed-response pressure-sensitive paint (PSP), which exhibits optimal linearity in the high-pressure region. Three-dimensional deformation of the test model was examined using sub-millimeter-scale digital image correlation (DIC) to verify the effects of the blast wave and its associated flow. In addition, three-dimensional numerical analysis of the initial detonation was performed to validate the DIC-based experimental result. Together, the experimental and simulated results elucidate the four-dimensional (spatial (x, y, and z) and temporal (t)) effects on the test model. The detonation-driven blast simulator established herein offers the prospect of developing improved protective equipment to combat the risk of blast-related injuries to the human body.