Shock tube
For the pyrotechnic initiator, see Shock tube detonator A shock tube is an instrument used to create and direct shock waves at a sensor or model in order to study high speed flows such as explosions, usually on a smaller scale. Shock tubes (and related impulse facilities such as shock tunnels, expansion tubes, and expansion tunnels) can also be used to study aerodynamic flow under a wide range of temperatures and pressures that are difficult to obtain in other types of testing facilities.