The Gas Dynamics of Explosions

Explosions, and the non-steady shock propagation associated with them, continue to interest researchers working in different fields of physics and engineering (such as astrophysics and fusion). Based on the author’s course in shock dynamics, this book describes the various analytical methods developed to determine non-steady shock propagation. These methods offer a simple alternative to the direct numerical integration of the Euler equations and offer a better insight into the physics of the problem. Professor Lee presents the subject systematically and in a style that is accessible to graduate students and researchers working in shock dynamics, combustion, high-speed aerodynamics, propulsion and related topics.

Author Biography

Professor John H. S. Lee is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University, Montréal. He has been carrying out fundamental and applied research in combustion, detonations and shock wave physics, and explosion dynamics for the past 40 years. As a consultant, Lee has also served on numerous government and industrial advisory committees on explosion hazards and safety. He has received many prizes, including the silver medal from the Combustion Institute (1980), the Dionizy Smoleński Medal from the Polish Academy of Sciences (1988), and the Nuna Manson gold medal (1991) for his outstanding contributions to the fundamentals and applied aspects of explosion and detonation phenomena. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.