To overcome the limitations of conventional shock tubes in studying strong shock-interface interaction, a converging shock tube based on shock wave area contraction method is designed. The wall profile of the shock-area-contraction section is designed as a concave-flat-convex shape based on shock dynamics theory, allowing for a smooth shock shape transformation from planar to cylindrical and then back to planar. A converging angle of 8 \(^{\circ}\) is chosen by comprehensively considering the effects of viscosity and flow choking on the shock enhancement and attenuation. Numerical simulations verify that the designed wall profile is suitable for enhancing planar shocks with Mach numbers ( \(M_\textrm{S}\) ) ranging from 1.5 to 2.2. Experimentally, it is found that the converging shock tube is capable of transforming a planar shock with \(M_\textrm{S}\) \(\approx \) 2.2 to a planar shock with \(M_\textrm{S}\) \(\approx \) 3.2 and providing a relatively ‘clean’ post-shock flow. The ability of the shock tube to study strong shock-interface interaction is also examined by high-speed shadowing photography.