A typical exploding bridge wire (EBW) detonator initiates an explosive train utilizing the shock and high-temperature plasma produced by an electrically exploded bridge wire. We have performed dynamic electrical and optical measurements using commercial detonator bridge wires fired with a rapid current pulse generated by a capacitor discharge unit (CDU). We recorded the electrical voltage, current, and power going into the wire as it explodes (bursts). The gold bridge wires were immersed in water and a streak camera optically recorded the shock front position versus time produced by the gold wire over a range of CDU discharge voltages. The influence of the CDU current rise time on the exploding bridge wire shock phenomena is compared for identically-deposited energies by varying the inductance of the CDU by almost two orders of magnitude. The experimental results obtained are compared with a one-dimensional hydrodynamic code simulation of the gold EBW wire in water combined with a nonlinear resistance model of the electrical burst. The electrical-hydrodynamic code simulation model matches the experimentally measured shock front velocities in water within ten percent and provides a predictive capability for a given CDU and bridge wire combination.
展开▼
