Analysis of critical dynamics for shock-induced adiabatic explosions by means of the Cauchy problem for the shock transformation

We present a theoretical and numerical study on the induction of adiabatic explosions by accelerated curved shocks in homogeneous explosives, and pay a special attention to critical conditions for initiation. We characterize the first stage of the decomposition process, or induction, as an initial-value problem. During induction, the reaction progress-variable remains small; the induction time is given by the runaway of the dependent variables and corresponds to a logarithmic singularity in theirs material distributions. We express these distributions as first-order expansions in the progress variable about the shock. Then, the framework of our procedure is the formal Cauchy problem for quasi-linear hyperbolic sets of first-order differential equations, such as the balance laws for adiabatic flows of inviscid fluids considered in this study. When a shock front is used as data surface, the solution to the Cauchy problem yields the flow derivatives at the shock, then the induction time, as functions of the shock normal velocity and acceleration, \(D_{n}\) and \(\delta D_{n}/\delta t\), and the shock total curvature C. We next derive a necessary condition for explosion as a constraint among \(D_{n}\), \(\delta D_{n}/\delta t\) and C that ensures bounded values of the induction time. This criterion is akin to Semenov's, in the sense that the critical condition for explosion is that the heat-production rate must just exceed the heat-loss rate, here given by the volumetric expansion rate at the shock. The violation of the criterion defines a critical shock dynamics as a relationship among \(D_{n}\), \(\delta D_{n}/\delta t\) and C that generates infinite induction times. Depending on the rear-boundary conditions, which determine the shock dynamics, this event can be interpreted as either a non-initiation, or the decoupling of the shock and of the flame front induced by the shock. We illustrate our approach by a simple solution to the problem of the initiation by impact of a noncompressible piston. From the continuity constraint in the material speed and acceleration at the contact surface of the piston and the explosive, we first derive the initial shock dynamics, and then rewrite the induction time and the initiation condition in terms of the piston speed, acceleration and curvature. We compare these theoretical predictions to those of our direct numerical simulations, and to numerical results obtained by other authors, in the case of impacts on a gaseous explosive.