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Design considerations for a new detonation tube are presented to further improve detonation wave interaction research. The new structure consists of four independent portions: the deflagration to detonation initiation section, the transition expansion section, the operating test section, and the dump section. The initiation, transition, and test sections are designed to operate within a temperature limit of 150 °C and a maximum detonation pressure of 100 bar. The test section is comprised of interchangeable 155 cm 316 stainless steel plates assembled to create a 10x10 cm square hollow structure, sealed with longitudinal O-rings between plates and lateral O-rings between flanges and plate ends. The ports and windows are all sealed with O-rings. The current assembly has 30 circular ports for pressure measurements and ion gauge measurements. These same circular ports will also be used for laser spectroscopy measurements through 1.27 cm diameter circular windows. Two axial rectangular windows of 16.51 x 5.74 cm and two of 16.51 x 2.54 cm, with centers 52 cm from the downstream end of the test section, are used for various diagnostics and imaging techniques. Hydrostatic droplet release, piezo-actuated droplet release, and vibration-induced droplet release have been designed and discussed. 

The deformation and breakup of water droplets impacted by a shock wave has been largely attributed to surface mechanisms. This study investigates the possibility of cavitation-induced droplet breakup. Shock waves of Mach 4 are used in this study to impact groups of droplets, both groups of degassed droplets and a group of non-degassed droplets. Distilled water droplets on the order of 1-3 mm in diameter are introduced into the shock tube. High speed images and deformation plots are used to explore the existence of cavitation in the droplets, as well as how they deform comparatively.