Supersonic jets and strong shock waves generated by electrical explosions of V-shaped foils in water and gelatin

Abstract Building on prior work demonstrating that underwater microsecond timescale electrical explosions of semicylindrical wire arrays produce radially converging strong shock waves and blade-shaped supersonic jets reaching 1.6 km/s [ Experiments in Fluids 67, 25 (2026)], this study presents experimental investigations and two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations aimed at optimizing jets generation from tamped, V-shaped electrically exploded foils. Aluminum and copper foils with varying apex angles were exploded using μs and sub-μs pulse generators with peak currents up to 300 kA, in two tamping media: water and 20% gelatin/water solution. Shock formation and jet dynamics were characterized using multi-frame shadowgraphy and X-ray imaging. Results show that the highest tip velocities, up to 4.5 km/s, are achieved with a 60° apex angle, sub-μs drivers and gelatin tamping. These high-velocity jets are capable of accelerating gram-scale targets to ~ 0.3 km/s and driving shocks in fluid and solid media at pressures up to ~ 7 GPa, offering a promising platform for dynamic material characterization under extreme loading conditions.