Stratified structure of the reaction zone in detonation waves

Schlieren photographs of detonation waves often reveal not one but several inhomogeneities behind the flame front, with the form of narrow bands extending along all or part of the front. It is proposed that this effect is caused by flow expansion behind the front and the resulting sharp decrease in temperature farther from the front. Behind the primary reaction zone, gas layers are formed with a sufficiently high concentration of active centers in which secondary ignition can occur. The mechanism of this stratified structure is examined on the basis of experimental data consisting of Schlieren photography of detonation wave propagation in a 2H2+O2+3Ar mixture in a plane channel.