The figure shows the range of Mach numbers available in the shock tube using helium in the driver and the same temperature in the driver gas as the driven gas.  A light gas is chosen as the driver gas to obtain a higher Mach number and with the driven section at atmospheric pressure, and the design limit for the Wisconsin shock tube being 100 atms, the maximum Mach number is M=5 in SF₆.  Higher Mach numbers in the shock tube may be obtained by either reducing the pressure in the driven section, or by increasing the temperature in the driver, for example, with combustion.

Return to the WiSTL homepage