Studies of electric arc discharge plasma with addition of copper and chrome

Abstract

This paper investigates the plasma arc discharge in argon flow between the electrodes of the composite Cu—Cr—W, produced by powder metallurgy techniques. By optical emission spectroscopy obtained radial distributions of temperature and electron density for the current 3,5 and 30 A. These experimental results are used to calculate the composition of the plasma in the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium. Structural changes in electrodes’ working layer were studied. Similarity of the changes in this study and in switching contacts of industrial vacuum chamber were found. Full text download