Influence of the interaction of a shock wave with a region of contact of two fluxes of different density on the rate of mixing

A shock tube was used in an investigation of enhancement of the rate of turbulent mixing in the region of contact between two media of different densities which is crossed by a shock wave in the direction from a light to a heavy gas. A determination was made of the influence of this process on the reduction in the amount of a "pure" shock-compressed gas located between the end of the shock tube and the contact mixing region. A maximum of the dependence of the "mass defect" on the Atwood number was observed.