Numerical analysis of preburst temperatures in an exploding strip conductor

Numerical studies on the magnitude of the electric field in bridgewire conductors and the contribution of that field to the ohmic heating of the bridge element are documented. The investigations explain the processes that occur in exploding foils prior to the time of burst. The uniformity of the bridge element heating over its area was investigated, providing a uniform initiation and propulsion to a flyer plate lying on the element. A bridge element into which a dc current is passed is considered, assuming a constant conductivity. The purpose is to obtain some results of the magnitude of the current density in the bridge in this steady-state situation. A nonlinear problem is considered and the conductivity is allowed to vary as a function of temperature; for this problem the current is time-dependent and the bridge element lies in a circuit with inline resistance and inductance with a capacity discharge unit providing the current surge. The actual temperature in the bridge element was calculated in the latter problem.