Acceleration of thin plate electrode through impulsive pressure loading of electrical explosion

The shock dynamic effects of electrical explosion have consistently obtained attention from scholars in the last few decades. Generation of outwardly propagating cylindrical shock waves through exploding metal wire has been extensively studied. However, the electrical explosion itself is non-directional, so the impact on the electrodes and discharge structures also exists. The destructive effect becomes non-negligible at higher current levels. To investigate the physical image of interactions between the electrical explosion plasma and electrode, this paper designs a non-constrained thin plate electrode structure, wherein the shock of electrical explosion propels the electrode film to accelerate. Through the combined diagnostics of discharge parameters and high-speed photography, the energy transfer process from circuit to plasma, and finally to electrode has been intensively analyzed. The experimental findings reveal that the impulsive pressure generated during the discharge process, when applied to the electrodes, does not induce significant instantaneous deformation or displacement. Under an energy storage of 250 J, the electrical explosion can accelerate gram-scale objects to velocities exceeding 20 m/s. However, approximately 100 μs after the cessation of the discharge, the initiation of electrode movement becomes observable, accompanied by visible elastic deformation. This indicates that the discharge plasma exerts an instantaneous impact on the structure, with the acceleration process being asynchronous with the shock wave. The long-term plasma pressure-induced elastic deformation is identified as the primary cause of energy transfer and electrode acceleration.