Laboratory Investigation of Diffraction and Reflection of Sonic Booms by Buildings

A method is described for simulating the acoustic phenomena that occur when an N-wave passes over a building. Information concerning the enhanced overpressure in front of the building and the shielding effect of the building on the region behind it is obtained from comparative pressure measurements and from schlieren photographs of the shock pattern. The effects of varying parameters such as the shock-ground angle and the building size and shape are studied.