An Explosive Light Source of Low Energy for 30-Nanosec Schlieren or Shadowgram Photography

T. P. Liddiard, S. J. Jacobs, I. Kabik

A short-duration light source to substitute for a spark gap in schlieren or shadowgram photography is described. Having a spot diameter of 4.4 mm, the flash delivers 90% of its total illumination in about 30 nanosec. The explosive system is equivalent to a small electric detonator containing 0.1–0.3 gram of PETN. The total energy of 500 to 1,500 j is sufficiently small to allow handling with relative safety. A simple container to protect operator and equipment is described. The short flash-duration and uniformly reproducible spot size of this type of light source make it attractive for stopping the motion of fast objects and shock waves.

Print ISSN
Published
1965-02
Content type
Original Research
DOI
10.5594/J09263