On the scattering of a metallic cumulative jet with an intense electric current pulse passing through it

The extension of metallic cumulative jets, through which an intense electric current pulse is passed, is numerically simulated in the framework of the model of a uniformly elongating cylindrical rod. Emphasis is on the radial scattering of the jet, which is observed after it escapes from the interelectrode gap. The influence of the magnetic energy accumulated in the jet’s elements under the action of the current is elucidated. For central parts of cumulative jets generated by charges from 50 to 150 mm in diameter, the distributions of the material density and velocity along the radius of the jet immediately after the current cutoff are obtained. These distributions suggest that the surface layer of the jet may separate out and scatter under the action of the current with the central portion of the jet remaining solid. As the current passing through the jet grows, the thickness of its disintegrating layer, which acquires a radial velocity from the axis, increases. Critical currents causing separation of the jet’s surface layer and its collapse are determined.