Originally Posted by
rick130
yes, the reflected wave is not a body of gas but a shock wave moving at or near sonic speeds up the tube, however, your assertion that only the primary pipes do anything for 'extraction' and torque production is incorrect. The entire system can and is in race car applications tuned to harness these waves. Each time you have a junction with a corresponding tube a reflected wave results.
By also changing diameters at various points and changing the velocity at these points a primary system that is tuned for top end power, via tube length and diameter/volume can have it's torque curve improved significantly below the point at which torque peaks, improving drivability without penalty to top end power production.
Yes, I've had the mad Scots book for over twenty years, and while the theory is good, much has been learned and improved upon over the last forty years since it was written.