DETONATIONS may rip through flammable gases even faster than previously thought. They were considered to be limited to a single shock wave travelling at several times the speed of sound. But a new model shows that a few molecules could leap ahead of the main shock wave, triggering further reactions so the explosion tears outwards even faster.
Some chemical reactions – for example when flammable gases burn – happen so fast they generate a shock wave that shoots forward, triggering further reactions as it spreads. These reactions in turn fuel the shock wave, resulting in the kind of explosion known…
