Shock Waves, Explosions, and Detonations

This and a companion volume include revised and edited papers that were presented at the Eighth International Colloquium on the Gasdynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems held in Minsk, USSR, in August 1981. The contributions have been assembled into two volumes: Shock Waves, Explosions, and Detonations and Flames, Lasers, and Reactive Systems. In this volume, the papers have been arranged into chapters on shock interactions, blast waves, gaseous detonations, heterogeneous detonations, and explosions in solids. The material should be particularly useful to the reader who wishes to be informed about the current directions and important findings of Soviet scientists. About half of the papers are of Russian origin and provide a valuable insight into the current status of Russian research. The Introduction by Academician Y.B. Zel'dovich provides a historical perspective of the subject matter and a critical assessment of its progress.