Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Background-oriented schlieren with natural background for quantitative visualization of open-air explosions

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Shock Waves Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study describes an attempt of quantitative visualization of open-air explosions via the background-oriented schlieren method (BOS). The shock wave propagation curve and overpressure distribution were extracted from the obtained images and compared with the results of the numerical analysis. The potential of extracting the density distribution behind the shock front is also demonstrated. Two open-air explosions were conducted; one with a \(36\)-kg emulsion explosive and the other with a \(7.89\)-kg composition C4 explosive. A high-speed digital video camera was used with a frame rate of \(10{,}000\,\mathrm{Hz}\) and a pixel size of \(800 \times 600\). A natural background, including trees and grass, was used for BOS measurements instead of the random dots used in a laboratory. The overpressure distribution given by the passing shock was estimated from the visualized images. The estimated overpressures agreed with the values recorded by pressure transducers in the test field. The background displacement caused by light diffraction inside the spherical shock waves was in good agreement, except at the shock front. The results shown here suggest that the BOS method for open-air experiments could provide increasingly better quantitative and conventional visualization results with increasing spatial resolution of high-speed cameras.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Fomin, N.: Speckle photography for fluid mechanics measurements. In: Experimental Fluid Mechanics. Springer, Berlin (1998)

  2. Hargather, M.J., Settles, G.S.: Natural-background-oriented schlieren imaging. Exp. Fluids 48(1), 59–68 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Kinney, G.F., Graham, K.J.: Explosive Shocks in Air, 2nd edn. Springer, Berlin (1985)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. Klinge, F., Kirmse, T., Kompenhans, J.: Application of quantitative background oriented schlieren (BOS): investigation of a wing tip vortex in a transonic wind tunnel. In: Proceedings of PSFVIP-4, F4097, Chamonix, France (2003)

  5. Leopold, F.: The application of the colored background oriented schlieren technique (CBOS) to wind tunnel, free-flight and in-flight measurements. J. Flow Vis. Image Process. 16(4), 279–293 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Meier, G.E.A.: New optical tools for fluid mechanics. Sadhana 23(5–6), 557–567 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Raffel, M., Richard, H., Meier, G.E.A.: On the applicability of background oriented optical tomography for large scale aerodynamic investigations. Exp. Fluids 28(5), 477–481 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Ramanah, D., Raghunath, S., Mee, D.J., Rosgen, T., Jacobs, P.A.: Background oriented schlieren for flow visualisation in hypersonic impulse facilities. Shock Waves 17(1–2), 65–70 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Richard, H., Raffel, M.: Principle and applications of the background oriented schlieren (BOS) method. Meas. Sci. Technol. 12(9), 1576–1585 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Richard, H., Raffel, M., Kompenhans, J., Meier, G.E.A.: Demonstration of the applicability of a background oriented schlieren (BOS) method. In: Laser Techniques for Fluid Mechanics, pp. 145–156. Springer, Berlin (2002)

  11. Sakurai, A.: On the propagation and structure of the blast waves I. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 8(5), 662–669 (1953)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Sakurai, A.: On the propagation and structure of a blast wave II. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 9(2), 256–266 (1954)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Sakurai, A.: Blast wave theory. In: Holt, M. (ed.) Basic Developments in Fluid Dynamics, vol. 1, pp. 309–375. Academic Press, New York (1965)

  14. Sommersel, O.K., Bjerketvedt, D., Christensen, S.O., Krest, O., Vagsaether, K.: Application of background oriented schlieren for quantitative measurements of shock waves from explosions. Shock Waves 18(4), 291–297 (2008)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  15. Tanaka, K.: Detonation properties of high explosives calculated by revised Kihara\(\text{- }\)Hikita equation of state. In: Proceedings of the Eighth Detonation Symposium, pp. 548–557. Albuquerque, New Mexico (1985)

  16. Venkatakrishnan, L., Meier, G.E.A.: Density measurements using the background oriented schlieren technique. Exp. Fluids 37(2), 237–247 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Atsushi Abe of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation for his help and for lending his experience with AUTODYN numerical solutions. The authors also thank Mr. Michel V. Hopson of the Naval Sea Systems Command, U.S. NAVY for his insightful comments on our manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 4-1-1, Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, 259-1292, Japan

    T. Mizukaki

  2. Chyuou 5, 1-1, Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8565, Japan

    K. Wakabayashi, T. Matsumura & K. Nakayama

Authors
  1. T. Mizukaki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Wakabayashi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. Matsumura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. K. Nakayama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. Mizukaki.

Additional information

Communicated by K. Kontis.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mizukaki, T., Wakabayashi, K., Matsumura, T. et al. Background-oriented schlieren with natural background for quantitative visualization of open-air explosions. Shock Waves 24, 69–78 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-013-0465-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-013-0465-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation