Strong-shock-driven Richtmyer-Meshkov instability at a V-shaped interface

While shock-tube experiments on the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) have been extensively conducted under weak-shock conditions, such experiments under strong-shock conditions remain rare. This study presents the first shock-tube experiments on RMI at V-shaped interfaces driven by shocks with Mach numbers exceeding 3.0, demonstrating that interface evolution depends on initial amplitude and involves compressibility, Mach-reflection, shock-proximity, and secondary-compression effects absent under weak-shock conditions. These effects render existing linear and nonlinear models inadequate. Guided by present experimental findings and physical understanding, empirical models are developed.