Study of the Efficiency of Energy Transfer From Chemical to Acoustic Pressure Impulse for an Underwater Aluminum Exploding Wire

The present technical note is dedicated to an experimental study to determine the efficiency of energy transfer from chemical to acoustic pressure impulse for an underwater aluminum exploding wire. The study is part of a larger project aimed at developing a repetitive exploding wire powerful pressure source for industrial applications. This article presents the experimental arrangement, the diagnostics used, and the main results obtained. The experiments reported include the accurate measurement of the acoustic pressure impulse generated by both aluminum and gold underwater exploding wires. Based on previously published work, a straightforward interpretation of the results allows the efficiency of the energy transfer from chemical to acoustic pressure impulse for an underwater aluminum exploding wire to be estimated as 2.2%.