Abstract
This paper provides insights into the process driving the fast transition of an impulsively accelerated, then decelerated interface between gases of different densities, such as the one produced by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability, when the timescale of this transitional process is of the same order as the characteristic timescales representative of the resulting turbulence. In this context, a new experimental approach is exposed. For the first time, it allows to design well-defined initial gaseous interfaces in a multiparametric and controlled way, giving access to a precise statistical analysis of the flow. An overview of the main results obtained by means of strioscopic, particle image velocimetry and tomoscopic measurements is provided. They unravel the fast transition of the mixing zone to a turbulent state, as the imprint of the initial condition is lost and the dynamical spectral content covers a wide range of scales, compatible with the achievement of a self-similar trend on very short timescales.
- Received 4 September 2019
- Accepted 21 January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.5.024101
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