Crushing Cans With The Pinch Effect
Many high-voltage electronics enthusiasts make their own crude electromagnetic forming devices. They use pulsed power techniques to produce a theta pinch capable of crushing an aluminium soft drink can using the Lorentz forces created when high currents are induced in the can by the strong magnetic field of the primary coil.
An electromagnetic aluminium can crusher consists of four main components (1) A high voltage DC power supply which provides a source of electrical energy (2) A large energy discharge capacitor to accumulate the electrical energy (3) A high voltage switch or spark gap and (4) A robust coil (capable of surviving high magnetic pressure) through which the stored electrical energy can be quickly discharged in order to generate a correspondingly strong pinching magnetic field (see diagram below).
In practice, such a device is somewhat more sophisticated than the schematic diagram suggests, including electrical components that control the current in order to maximize the resulting pinch, and to ensure that the device works safely. For more details, see the notes.
Read more about this topic: Pinch (plasma Physics)
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