A Laboratory Complex for Studying the Microstructure of Turbulent Flows

Abstract

A laboratory experimental complex is presented, with which it is possible to study hydrodynamic instabilities and turbulent mixing with a micron spatial resolution and a nanosecond time resolution and then to process results with high precision. The arrangement of the complex and instrumentation is shown. The complex has been used to study turbulent mixing zones that develop under Rayleigh–Taylor and Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities at gas–liquid interfaces and Richtmyer–Meshkov instabilities at an interface of gases. New results have been obtained: thin micro-cumulative liquid jets can be ejected from the turbulent mixing zone; after the passage of a shock wave through the zone of turbulent mixing of gases the zone tends to be homogeneous and the shock wave is distorted and expanded. The sizes of fluid particles in the zone of turbulent mixing of substances have also been determined.