Effect of Deposition Energy on Underwater Liquid Metal Discharge

The electro-explosive of metal wires in water is an effective method for generating strong underwater shock waves and has broad application prospects in fields such as electro-hydraulic forming and underwater oil recovery. This study employs gallium–indium–tin alloy (GaInSn) as the electrode material and investigates the electro-explosive process of liquid metal wires. During the discharge process, load voltage, circuit current, and shock wave pressure waveforms were measured, and parameters such as electrical power and deposition energy were calculated. Based on these measurements, the influence of deposition energy during distinct discharge stages on the electro-explosive process was investigated. The results indicate that the deposition energy remains nearly constant during the liquid metal wire heating stage. Most of the total deposition energy is allocated during the vaporization-to-breakdown stage, from which the shock-wave energy primarily originates. Enhancing deposition energy during this stage significantly improves energy conversion efficiency. The experimental results offer practical insights for optimizing liquid–metal electro-explosion technology in industrial applications.