Influence of electrodes on electrical breakdown along exploding tungsten and aluminum wires

Experimental results on the influence of electrodes on electrical breakdown along exploding W and Al wires in vacuum are presented. It is shown that insulation of any electrode (anode or cathode) leads to a significant increase in both the breakdown delay time and the energy deposited into the wire. The obtained experimental data are compared with the results of the experiments on electrical wire explosion in water and vacuum without surface insulation. It is shown that insulation of one of the electrodes prevents from shunting of the anode-cathode gap both when using an electrical explosion of a single wire and that of a wire array.