Comparative Study of Electrohydraulic and Electrо-Pulse Effects

We investigated the mechanisms of solid material destruction, such as granite, under electric discharge in a liquid medium. Two main effects are examined: the electro-pulse effect (Vorobyevs’ effect) and the electrohydraulic effect (Yutkin’s effect). A mathematical model was applied to analyze the fracture process, accounting for the mechanical properties and heterogeneous structure of granite. Numerical simulations revealed that the electro-pulse effect produces more extensive cracking due to the combined action of direct and reflected shock waves, compared to the electrohydraulic effect. Experimental results confirmed that the volume of material destructed per pulse was significantly higher for the electro-pulse effect (1 cm3/pulse) than for the electrohydraulic effect (0.05 cm3/pulse). The findings demonstrate that under the identical energy release modes in the discharge channel the electro-pulse method is more efficient for material destruction, requiring less energy and offering higher productivity.