Improved Driver Chamber for Arc Driven Shock Tube

Driver temperatures in excess of 25 000°K have been obtained for an arc driven shock tube by utilizing a prestressed ceramic liner. A steel jacket is shrunk onto the 99% alumina liner enabling it to withstand 3.17×108 N/m2 internal pressure. This system has dramatically reduced the contamination and cooling of the driver gas by evaporated liner products. Velocities of up to 2.1×104 m/sec have been observed for the driver gas.