Instabilities of electrically exploded wires

Abstract

The experimental results summarized in this paper, which have been obtained with thin tungsten, copper, and constantan wires, give further evidence that electromagnetic macroinstabilities may develop near the melting point of thin wires which are heated by the sudden release of electrical energy and lead to their disintegration. At low-energy-input rates, screw-type instabilities develop in all the wire materials used. On the other hand, at high-energy-input rates, the copper and constantan wires show striations after the explosion, while tungsten wires are not striated but are split into tiny fibers which emerge along the whole wire. At the beginning the restrike channel of copper and constanstan wires has an helicoidal form. Annealed wires show the same results. Helical channels were not observed in tungsten wires. By twisting the copper and constantan wires in the opposite direction to the channel helix, it was possible to change the direction of the helix. Thus, the helical shape of the channel may be an effect produced by the twisting of the wire in mounting it betwen the electrodes. The possibility that the helicoidal shape of the channel is due to some other effect is also discussed.