Nonstationary oblique shock-wave reflections over compressive wedges in air and argon were investigated using infinite-fringe interferometric techniques. These allowed direct, continuous and accurate observations of the isopycnics (lines of constant density) of the flow field. The initial pressures for these experiments were made as high as possible (15 to 250 torr) in order to increase the number of isopycnics and to enhance their details and distribution along the wedge surface over a shock-Mach-number range 2.0 < M_s [les ] 8.7. Included in the study were two cases of regular reflection (RR) and one of each single Mach reflection (SMR), complex Mach reflection (CMR) and double-Mach reflection (DMR) for air, and one RR, SMR, CMR and DMR for argon. These particular cases, which we investigated previously in N₂ and Ar using a finite-fringe technique, have been used by computational fluid dynamicists to check their finite-difference results against our experimental data. It will be shown that the isopycnic structure previously reported by us differs in detail, in most cases, from that of the present study. The major difference arises from the fact that it was only possible previously to obtain discrete points on isopycnics and along the wedge surface. Consequently, the results obtained before were not as accurate. Comparisons were made of actual wall-density distributions with numerical simulations of the density contours of the various flows obtained by a number of authors. Each numerical method displays its advantages and disadvantages in describing the details of the flow fields. The present experimental results for air are new. They are of great interest from a practical viewpoint. The experiments in argon were redone to provide better data for a gas free from real-gas effects in the range of initial conditions considered, in order to simplify the computations in the numerical simulations. Although the recent numerical simulations are better than those reported previously, additional efforts are required to improve the predictions of the shape, location and values of the isopycnics and other flow isolines in the various regions and along the wall, and to render the predictions free of computer ‘noise’. It is worth noting that real-gas effects did not play any significant role in determining the various wave systems in RR, SMR, CMR and DMR; a different claim was made in our previous work. Relaxation of nitrogen in air can be seen however, at the highest shock Mach numbers (M_s = 7.19 and 8.70), with relaxation lengths in good agreement with accepted predictions.

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