Knowra Detonation Detonation A detonation is a supersonic reaction wave in which a leading shock compresses and heats reactive material, triggering chemical energy release that sustains the shock.
Chapman–Jouguet condition : A condition describing a steady detonation whose products reach sonic speed relative to the wave at its end. It sets a characteristic speed and state for an idealized detonation.
Rankine–Hugoniot relations : Conservation equations relating states across a shock or other propagating discontinuity. They constrain the pressure, density, and energy changes across the detonation front.
High explosive : An energetic material designed to release energy rapidly through a detonation. Its reaction front is engineered to propagate through the material.
Combustion : A chemical reaction with an oxidizer that releases heat, often accompanied by light or flame. Detonation is a wave-propagation regime of combustion rather than a separate energy source.
ZND model : A one-dimensional model of detonation with a leading shock followed by an induction zone and chemical reaction zone. It resolves the internal structure hidden by idealized detonation theory.
Equation of state : A relation connecting thermodynamic variables such as pressure, temperature, density, and internal energy. It describes how reactive material responds to shock compression and heating.
Detonation engine : An engine that uses detonation waves to release fuel energy and produce thrust or power. It applies the wave’s rapid, pressure-producing combustion to propulsion.
Shock-induced combustion : Combustion initiated by a shock but not necessarily coupled to it as a self-sustaining detonation. It separates shock-triggered reaction from a shock sustained by its own heat release.
Shock wave : A thin, rapidly moving disturbance across which pressure, temperature, and density change sharply. Its compression initiates the chemistry that sustains a detonation.
Thermal runaway : A self-accelerating process in which heat generation outpaces heat loss, raising reaction rates and temperature. Runaway heat release can trigger initiation or intensify a reaction zone.
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