Minimizing Effects of Reflected Shocks in Ballistic Ranges

Shock waves originating from hypersonic projectiles flown in ballistic ranges and subsequently reflected from the range walls have been found to produce undesirable effects on the measurements of projectile wakes. This paper reports on the mechanisms through which reflected shock waves perturb the wake, the design, and installation of full-scale fiberglas wedge shock attenuation treatments, the design of equipment for minimum shock reflection, and the results of measurements of the performance of the treatment.