Formation, Propagation and Reflection of 1D Normal Shocks in Riemann Shock Tube

The purpose of this paper is to consider 1D Riemann shock tube to investigate the formation and propagation of compression waves leading to formation, propagation and reflection of 1D normal shocks using simplified mathematical models commonly used in the published work as well as using complete mathematical models based on Conservation and Balance Laws (CBL) of classical continuum mechanics and constitutive theories for compressible viscous medium derived using entropy inequality and representation theorem. This work is aimed at resolving compression waves, the shock structure, shock formation, propagation and reflection of fully formed shocks. Evolutions obtained from the mathematical models always satisfy differentiability requirements in space and time dictated by the highest order of the derivatives of the dependent variables in the mathematical models investigated. All solutions reported in this paper including boundary conditions and initial conditions are always analytic. Solutions of the mathematical models are obtained using the space-time finite element method in which the space-time integral forms are space-time variationally consistent ensuring unconditionally stable computations during the entire evolution. Solution for a space-time strip or slab is calculated and is time marched upon convergence to obtain complete evolution for the desired space-time domain, thus ensuring time accurate evolutions. The space-time local approximation over a space-time element of a space-time strip or slab is p-version hierarchical with higher-order global differentiability in space and time, i.e., we consider scalar product approximation spaces in which k = (k1, k2) are the order of the space in space and time and p = (p1, p2) are p-levels of the approximations in space and time. Model problem studies are presented for different mathematical models and are compared with solutions obtained from the complete mathematical model based on CBL and constitutive theories for viscous compressible medium to illustrate the deficiencies and shortcomings of the simplified and approximate models in simulating correct physics of normal shocks.