Quick initiation of a detonation wave in a combustion chamber is important to realize high-performance pulse detonation engine. A possible method is to generate a detonation wave in a pre-detonator and release the detonation wave into the chamber. In this paper, a reflecting board is installed in the combustion chamber near the pre-detonator exit where the tube diameter expands abruptly. It prevents the detonation wave from disappearing at the expanding region near the tube exit. The re-initiation mechanisms of a detonation wave near the reflecting board were observed by using the soot film method. Main results obtained in this study are in the followings: Re-initiation of a detonation wave due to the Mach reflection of a shock wave is observed on the surface of the reflecting board and the propagation promoting effect is observed. The effectiveness of the reflecting board is a strong function of the clearance between the pre-detonator exit and the reflecting board, and the promotion effect sharply decreases with increasing the clearance beyond the distance, in which the incident planar detonation wave maintains. By equipping with a reflective board with a suitable clearance, the critical cell size increases by 2 or 3 times.
