Experimental and computational studies of shock wave-to-bubbly water momentum transfer

•We have measured and calculated the momentum transfer from the air shock wave to bubbly water implying the use of shock-induced motion of water in advanced pulsed detonation hydrojet engines.•Experiments in a hydroshock tube and 2D calculations show that as the initial gas volume fraction in water increases from 0 to 0.3 the momentum imparted in bubbly water by shock waves increases monotonically, gradually levelling off at an air volume fraction of about 0.30.•The momentum transfer efficiency at a gas volume fraction of 0.3 attains the values of 12–15% and 20% for weak and strong shock waves, respectively.