This article is cited in 21 papers

PLASMA, GASES

What initiates the explosion of a current-carrying conductor?

V. S. Vorob'ev^a, S. P. Malyshenko^b, S. I. Tkachenko^a, V. E. Fortov<sup>a

a</sup> Institute of Extremal States Thermophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
^b Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Abstract: It is shown that the explosion of a conductor heated by a high-power current pulse is initiated by the nuclei of liquid phase that appear in the layer of a supersaturated vapor surrounding the liquid current-carrying core. The instant of electric explosion and the expansion velocity predicted by this scenario are confirmed by the experimental and computational data on current-induced heating of a tungsten conductor.

PACS: 64.60.My, 64.70.Fx, 65.70.+y

Received: 13.03.2002

 English version: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters, 2002, 75:8, 373–377

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