Preface to the First Edition
This book provides an elementary introduction to some one-dimensional fluid flow
problems involving shock waves in air. The differential equations of fluid flow are
approximated by finite difference equations, and these in turn are numerically
integrated in a stepwise manner. Artificial viscosity is introduced into the numerical
calculations in order to deal with shocks. The presentation is restricted to the finite
difference approach to solve the coupled differential equations of fluid flow as
distinct from finite volume or finite element methods. It presents the results arising
from the numerical solution using Mathcad programming, and, as I had Mathcad
installed on my computer, it was natural for me to use it in order to obtain solutions
to the examples presented here. Both plane and spherical shock waves are discussed
with particular emphasis on very strong explosive shocks in air.
I am not an expert in fluid dynamics, and I only took an interest in this area within
the past 3 years in an effort to solve some specific problems in compressible fluid
flow involving shock waves in air. The very strong shocks produced by explosions
became a particular interest after reading the book by Bruce Cameron Reed, entitled
The Physics of the Manhattan Project. The book provides an excellent account of the
basic physics in relation to the enormous amount of energy released in nuclear
reactions. My primary interest was not specifically in the area of critical mass
calculations and their ramifications but, instead, on very large quantity of energy
released and the propagation of its effects on the surrounding atmosphere. The
learning process in coming to terms with the subject of gas dynamics was an
interesting adventure for one who had no exposure to the subject at undergraduate
physics level. In fact, my lack of experience in the area is no different from other
physics graduates since the pressure on physics departments to teach other subjects
has meant that the important subject of gas dynamics has received very little
attention in the physics curriculum for many decades. It is important to emphasize
that this book is not an introduction to gas dynamics or to computational fluid
dynamics (CFD), and the method of solution to the problems presented here is a
personal one and makes no attempt to emulate or make reference to the numerical
techniques employed in modern-day CFD. Instead, it presents the results arising
from the numerical solution to several simple examples of compressible fluid flow
vii
This book provides an elementary introduction to some one-dimensional fluid flow
problems involving shock waves in air. The differential equations of fluid flow are
approximated by finite difference equations, and these in turn are numerically
integrated in a stepwise manner. Artificial viscosity is introduced into the numerical
calculations in order to deal with shocks. The presentation is restricted to the finite
difference approach to solve the coupled differential equations of fluid flow as
distinct from finite volume or finite element methods. It presents the results arising
from the numerical solution using Mathcad programming, and, as I had Mathcad
installed on my computer, it was natural for me to use it in order to obtain solutions
to the examples presented here. Both plane and spherical shock waves are discussed
with particular emphasis on very strong explosive shocks in air.
I am not an expert in fluid dynamics, and I only took an interest in this area within
the past 3 years in an effort to solve some specific problems in compressible fluid
flow involving shock waves in air. The very strong shocks produced by explosions
became a particular interest after reading the book by Bruce Cameron Reed, entitled
The Physics of the Manhattan Project. The book provides an excellent account of the
basic physics in relation to the enormous amount of energy released in nuclear
reactions. My primary interest was not specifically in the area of critical mass
calculations and their ramifications but, instead, on very large quantity of energy
released and the propagation of its effects on the surrounding atmosphere. The
learning process in coming to terms with the subject of gas dynamics was an
interesting adventure for one who had no exposure to the subject at undergraduate
physics level. In fact, my lack of experience in the area is no different from other
physics graduates since the pressure on physics departments to teach other subjects
has meant that the important subject of gas dynamics has received very little
attention in the physics curriculum for many decades. It is important to emphasize
that this book is not an introduction to gas dynamics or to computational fluid
dynamics (CFD), and the method of solution to the problems presented here is a
personal one and makes no attempt to emulate or make reference to the numerical
techniques employed in modern-day CFD. Instead, it presents the results arising
from the numerical solution to several simple examples of compressible fluid flow
vii