Quantification and Maximization of Shockwave during Aluminum Wire Explosion

The purpose of this study is to quantitatively evaluate the shockwave generated during the rapid volume expansion of thin aluminum wire by applying pulsed power. Conventional building demolition work involves the use of dynamite and excavators, which are noisy and labor intensive. Another problem is the difficulty of moving heavy equipment in urban and residential areas. To solve these problems, we developed a new method that applies pulsed power to thin aluminum wires installed at demolition points in advance and utilizes the shockwaves generated when the aluminum wires are exploded. In order to obtain the highest shockwave pressure during aluminum wire explosion, we investigated the dependence of the applied voltage, wire diameter, current rise time, wire material, wire shape, and number of wires. The voltage and current waveforms were measured with an oscilloscope, and the shockwave generated by the wire explosion was observed using Schlieren method with a high-speed camera. As a result, what emerges from the wire explosion is a shockwave and an expansion wave of evaporated gas after the explosion. Shockwave was investigated in terms of average velocity and pressure. For the expansion wave, the arrival distance was investigated. It was found that the highest values for the shock force and expansion wave were obtained when the number of fine wires was increased, and their volume was large.