Nonstationary flows of gases (and liquids under high pressure) are of interest in many engineering problems. These include the study of shock waves arising from a very sudden release (explosion) of chemical, nuclear, electrical, or mechanical energy in a limited space, the study of the behaviour of media through which the shock propagate, and the investigation of the nonstationary motion of a mixture of gases in energy-producing devices and engines. Nonstationary flows are also relevant to modern physics and cosmology.

In this book the reader will find all the important aspects of shock-tube and shock-wave research in pure and dusty gases, as well as dissociated and ionized boundary layers, spherical and cylindrical explosion and implosion phenomena, hypervelocity launchers, and shock-wave reflections, diffractions, and refractions. It is a unique book combining analytical numerical and experimental work, covering 40 years of continuous research in the area.

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Irvine Glass and J.P. Sislian is are both with the Institute of Aerospace Studies, University of Toronto.