PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve general versatility by generating shock waves having a strength sufficient to process a food or the like, even by a relatively small energy in a constitution for processing a material to be processed such as a food, by making shock waves act on the material to be processed.SOLUTION: The shock wave processing apparatus 1 for processing the material 2 to be processed by making shock waves act on the material 2 to be processed, includes a vessel 3 formed with a cavity 4 in which a transmitter medium 5 to propagate shock waves and constituted of a high acoustic impedance material having a higher acoustic impedance than that of at least the transmitter medium 5. Shock waves are made to act on the material 2 to be processed through the vessel 3 and the transmitter medium 5 by making the vessel 3 receive shock waves in the cavity 4 from the outside of the cavity 4 while the material 2 to be processed is stored in the cavity 4.COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT【課題】食品等の被加工物に衝撃波を作用させることで被加工物の加工を行う構成において、比較的小さなエネルギーによっても食品等の加工に十分な強度の衝撃波を発生させることで、汎用性の向上を図る。【解決手段】被加工物2に衝撃波を作用させることにより、被加工物2を加工する衝撃波加工装置1は、衝撃波を伝播させる伝達媒体5が充填される空洞4を形成するとともに、少なくとも伝達媒体5よりも高い音響インピーダンスを有する高音響インピーダンス材料により構成される容器3を備え、空洞4内に被加工物2を収容した状態で、容器3が空洞4の外側から空洞4内に衝撃波を発生させるための衝撃を受けることにより、容器3および伝達媒体5を介して被加工物2に衝撃波を作用させる。【選択図】図1
