Method and device for the fragmentation and/or weakening of a piece of material by means of high-voltage discharges

Method for fragmenting and/or weakening a material piece by means of high voltage discharges, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a matrix of multiple high voltage electrodes, which are shiftable independently from one another along particularly parallel, particularly vertically oriented shifting axes, and each of which is attributed to a common or an own high voltage generator, by means of which they are chargeable with high voltage pulses;
• b) providing a material piece to be fragmented and/or weakened, immersed in a process liquid;
• c) guiding the material piece past the matrix of high voltage electrodes in a direction running at an angle, particularly substantially perpendicular, to the shifting axes (X) of the high voltage electrodes;
• and
• d) generating high voltage punctures through the material piece during the guiding of the latter past the matrix of high voltage electrodes by charging the high voltage electrodes with high voltage pulses,
• wherein during the guiding of the material piece past the matrix of high voltage electrodes and the generation of high voltage punctures through the material piece, the high voltage electrodes are each shifted along their shifting axes in such a way that in each case they follows the contour of the material piece at a certain distance or follows the contour of the material piece in contact with the surface of the latter and during this time are immersed in the process liquid.