Editing Exploding-bridgewire detonator (section)

{{Short description|Detonator fired by electric current}}
[[Image:Exploding bridgewire detonator.png|right|thumb|300px|Image from the exploding-bridgewire detonator patent. Fig. 2 is a detail of Fig. 1.{{ordered list
| Housing
| High explosive
| Fuse wire
| Lead-in wire
| Lead-in wire
| Insulating support
| Cambrick tubing
| Dividing portion of the support
| (Nothing labeled)
| Condenser (capacitor)
| Switch
| Battery
}}]]

The '''exploding-bridgewire detonator''' ('''EBW''', also known as '''exploding wire detonator''') is a type of [[detonator]] used to initiate the [[detonation]] reaction in [[explosives|explosive materials]], similar to a [[blasting cap]] because it is fired using an electric current. EBWs use a different physical mechanism than blasting caps, using more electricity delivered much more rapidly. They explode with more precise timing after the electric current is applied by the process of [[exploding wire method|exploding wire]].  The precise timing of exploding wire detonators compared with other types of detonators has led to their common use in [[nuclear weapons]].<ref name="Cooper">
{{cite book
 |last=Cooper
 |first=Paul W.
 |title=Explosives Engineering
 |year=1996
 |publisher=Wiley-VCH
 |pages=353–367
 |chapter=Exploding bridgewire detonators
 |isbn=0-471-18636-8
}}</ref>

The [[slapper detonator]] is a more recent development along similar lines.