Experimental Determination of the Thickness of Weak Shock Fronts in Liquids

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Abstract
The thickness of weak shock fronts, across which the pressure difference was in the vicinity of ten atmospheres, was measured by the reflectivity method in acetone, ethyl alcohol, and ethyl ether. They are all of the order of 10—4 cm thick. Lower limits to the thickness were established in water, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, and ethylene glycol. A theoretical expression for the thickness is derived. Comparison between theory and experiment suggests that the effective viscosity in the shock front is several times the ordinary shear viscosity in ethyl ether and acetone but agrees well in ethyl alcohol.