Shock wave interaction with an array of conical deflectors*

Blast protection deflectors are required to reduce the impact of explosions. We present an experimental study where the interaction between shock waves and an array of conical deflectors is qualitatively analyzed to assess the shock-mitigating effect. An array of conical deflectors of tip angle 110⁰ and hydraulic diameter 90 mm are placed 75 mm away from the exit of the shock tube. The Schlieren flow visualization method was used to study the behavior of flow exiting the open shock tube at Mach 1.49 as it interacts with an array of conical deflectors mounted on a flat plate. The incident shock reflects from the conical deflectors with a speed of 390 m/s. The incident shock wave first reflects off the central cone, followed by successive reflections from the surrounding cones. Additionally, the shock wave reflects from the spaces between the plates, and eventually, all the reflections converge to form a single strong reflected shock. The reflected shock interacts with the compressible vortex ring and the trailing jet. The embedded shock and central Mach disk are visible in front of the jet stream. Additionally, the interaction between the compressible vortex ring and the cones is observed in the visualization.