Skin electric explosion in double-layer conductors with a low-conductivity deposited layer

The experiments on explosion of cylindrical conductors aimed at comparison of plasma formation during skin explosion of homogeneous and double-layer conductors with an external layer with a lower conductivity are carried out on a high-current MIG generator (current amplitude up to 2.5 MA and current rise time 100 ns). The generator is loaded with cylindrical copper conductors with a diameter of 3 mm on the cathode part of which a titanium layer of thickness 20, 50, and 80 $\mu$m is deposited in vacuum. This type of loading makes it possible to compare the behaviors of the homogeneous and double-layer conductors in identical conditions. It is shown that using the double-layer structure of the conductor with an external layer of thickness 20–80 $\mu$m with a lower conductivity, which is obtained by vacuum arc deposition, higher values of magnetic induction (as compared to homogeneous conductor) can be attained on its surface prior to plasma formation and spread.