The Phenomenon of Loss of Energy Flux Density in Pneumatic and Electromagnetic Generators for EPAT Therapy

Shock wave therapy involves introducing an acoustic wave into the living organism, whose pro-healing effect promotes the decomposition of stones and calcareous deposits. To generate such a wave, devices converting electrical energy into shock wave energy are used. Two versions of radial wave generators dominate the market: pneumatic and electromagnetic. The quality of the generator components and the design solutions significantly affect the amount of shock wave energy received. In the literature, there is a belief that, unfortunately, due to design limitations, it is not possible to obtain the same portion of energy for increasingly higher frequencies of generating wave pulses. The current study presents the results of a series of experiments carried out on two test benches. Two types of the wave generator were tested: pneumatic and electromagnetic. The obtained results clearly show that the mentioned problem occurs in both types of shock wave generators, regardless of whether it is a pneumatic or electromagnetic solution. This study discusses, in detail, the principle of operation of each type of generator and proposes a hypothesis on the source of the phenomenon.