Abstract
An apparatus, containing a rotating cylindrical electrode and a stationary rod electrode, is described for investigating the properties of high current arcs. The circuit for generating current pulses is linked to the angular position of the electrode so that discharges can be preset to burn for up to 100 revolutions of the electrode in units of 0.01 of a revolution. The apparatus has been initially used with the rotating electrode as anode to study the electrode properties of DC arcs of up to 1.5kA burning in air at atmospheric pressure, at surface speeds up to the maximum. The experimental technique has been found to have considerable advantages over normal techniques employing stationary electrodes for observing the column structure of high current arc discharges and the interaction of such discharges with an electrode.