Diaphragm effect on the detonation wave transmission across the interface between two mixtures

An experimental study is conducted to investigate the effect of the diaphragm thickness on the transmission of an incident detonation wave from a propane–oxygen mixture (donor) to a propane–air mixture (acceptor). Quenching of the incident detonation wave near the interface is observed for all test cases. The presence of a diaphragm results in a longer distance required for re-initiating the detonation wave in the acceptor. In the presence of a diaphragm with a thickness smaller than 50 μm, the velocity of detonation wave propagation approaches that of the test case with a slide gate valve (no diaphragm).