Shock Wave Propagation through Aerated Water

The objective of the research described here was to measure the shock and bubble characteristics in aerated water and water that is approximately air-free. For these measurements, we used SRI's water shock pool facility located at Corral Hollow Experiment Site (CHES) near Tracy, California. Obtaining SZ-like aerated water characteristics with respect to bubble size and air content required conducting the experiments in saltwater; thus, salt was added to the CHES pool facility to bring the density up to 1.022 g/cu cm, which is representative of ocean seawater. To generate aerated water in the pool, we flowed gas through a bass wood bubble generator located on the pool bottom. The experiments were conducted in aerated water with an air-content of approximately 1.6% 0.2%. Pressure measurements were made at 6.1, 8.1, and 12.5 inches from a 49-g Comp B explosive charge. With respect to air-free water, the shock peak pressure, impulse, and energy in the aerated water were reduced by factors of approximately 2.9, 1.2, and 3.3, respectively. The explosive charge bubble peak pressure, impulse, and energy were reduced by factors of 2.0, 1.4, and 2.6, respectively. --Original contains color plates: All DTIC reproductions will be in black and white.