Supersonic water jets as point-like sources of extremely high pressure

Abstract

Two interacting supersonic water jets and collisions of a water jet with an aluminum target are studied experimentally and by hydrodynamic simulations. Supersonic water jets form, when shocks generated by underwater electrical explosions of conical wire arrays converge. The arrays are supplied by a ∼250 kA, ∼1 μs rise time current pulse. Underwater explosion of two conical arrays placed face to face produces jets propagating in air with velocities of ∼2.5×103 m/s leading to hot plasma formation at a temperature of ∼2200–3000 K, pressure ∼1.7×1010 Pa, and density >1029 m−3. When a single array explodes underwater in front of an aluminum target, the collision of the jet with the target produces a local pressure of ∼3×1010 Pa on the surface of the target.