This book is presented primarily to record the papers of the Conference on the Exploding Wire Phenomenon conducted by the Air Force Cambridge Research Center in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 2 and 3, 1959. A second and scarcely less important purpose of this book is to serve as a monograph on exploding wires. Nowhere in any language is there a book, or for that matter a section of a book, on electrical wire explosions. The growing interest in and import ance of the phenomenon was indicated by the very gratifying re sponse to the Confe: rence invitations. We hope this book, reaching an even larger audience, will fill a gap in the literature as well as serve as a record of the Conference. A logical arrangement of the papers was extremely difficult to accomplish. On whatever basis they were classified, most papers could have been equally well placed in more than one category. This difficulty was solved by arranging them in three broad classes. If this book is to serve as a monograph, some gene: ral back ground in the exploding wire phenomenon (EWP) is needed. The Introduction was written to serve this purpose. It is, of course, impossible to thank all those without whose help the Conference and this book would not have been possible.

This volume contains the proceedings of the Second Conference on the Exploding Wire Phenomenon. In addition to the general theory of exploding wires, this conference considered exploding wire shock waves; the generation by exploding wires of extreme tem peratures, X-rays, and very high pressures; instrumentationprob lems in wire explosions; and, for the first time, exploding foils. Sponsored by the Geophysics Research Directorate ofthe Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories, this symposium was held in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 13 and 14, 1961. To fill a definite need for ready access to information, Volume Two of Exploding Wires contains a comprehensive index which should facilitate the use of both volumes on the exploding wire phenomenon. It is not possible to express full appreciation to all those whose generous assistance made the Second Conference and this volume possible. It is certain, however, that without the cooperation of Dr. John N. Howard, Laboratory Chief, and Mr. Morton A. Levine, Branch Chief, there could have been no conference. Special ac knowledgment goes to the Staff of the Hydromagnetics Laboratory for its invaluable aid: to Mrs. William Watson for exceptional secretarial work; to Mr. E. H. Cullington for technical assistance; to Mr. C. V. Fish for drawings, graphs, and art work; and to Mr. K. R. Saari for photography. Particular gratitude is due to Mr.

This book is presented primarily to record the papers of the Conference on the Exploding Wire Phenomenon conducted by the Air Force Cambridge Research Center in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 2 and 3, 1959. A second and scarcely less important purpose of this book is to serve as a monograph on exploding wires. Nowhere in any language is there a book, or for that matter a section of a book, on electrical wire explosions. The growing interest in and import ance of the phenomenon was indicated by the very gratifying re sponse to the Confe:rence invitations. We hope this book, reaching an even larger audience, will fill a gap in the literature as well as serve as a record of the Conference. A logical arrangement of the papers was extremely difficult to accomplish. On whatever basis they were classified, most papers could have been equally well placed in more than one category. This difficulty was solved by arranging them in three broad classes. If this book is to serve as a monograph, some gene:ral back ground in the exploding wire phenomenon (EWP) is needed. The Introduction was written to serve this purpose. It is, of course, impossible to thank all those without whose help the Conference and this book would not have been possible.