FEATURES OF SHOCK-WAVE FORMATION IN A WIRE INDUCED SURFACE FLASHOVER

Explosive wire induced surface flashover has been studied as a promisi ng method for destruction of solid materials. This method exhibits ver y high efficiency of electric energy transformation into the discharge and effective shock wave generation. The framing photography method i s applied in order to clarify the discharge dynamics and the mechanism of the shock wave formation and propagation. The experiments performe d allow to suggest the model of the pressure wave generation in the wi re explosion process. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.