Decreasing the parameters of an air shock wave using an air-water curtain

The efficiency of using an air-water drop curtain for protection from the force and noise action of an air shock wave generated by an open explosion is studied experimentally. It is shown that the curtain generated by outburst of sprayed water after an advanced underwater explosion of a demolition cord is a reliable means of pressure decrease at the shock-wave front. The dependence of the “effective coefficient of charge-mass reduction” on the position of the curtain relative to the point of explosion, its length, time of evolution, and other conditions was studied. Zones with local pressure increase or decrease in the shock wave were found, which is explained by imposition of secondary compression and expansion waves on the shock wave. Possible physical mechanisms that ensure the protective effect are considered.