Admissible shock waves and shock-induced phase transitions in a van der Waals fluid

A complete classification of shock waves in a van der Waals fluid is undertaken. This is in order to gain a theoretical understanding of those shock-related phenomena as observed in real fluids which cannot be accounted for by the ideal gas model. These relate to admissibility of rarefaction shock waves, shock-splitting phenomena, and shock-induced phase transitions. The crucial role played by the nature of the gaseous state before the shock (the unperturbed state), and how it affects the features of the shock wave are elucidated. A full description is given of the characteristics of shock waves propagating in a van der Waals fluid. The strength of these shock waves may range from weak to strong. The study is carried out by means of the theory of hyperbolic systems supported by numerical calculations. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3622772]