Abstract
Experimental observations were made of the motion of the arc column sustained between Cu electrodes in a vacuum ambient when driven with currents of 1.5–35 kA. Arc‐column velocities in the positive Amperian direction of (0.1–3.5) ×103 m/s were observed in a self‐magnetic‐field of approximately 50 G/kA with currents of 2–8 kA. The arc motion was observed to be erratic when a dc uniform external field of 450 G was superimposed on the self‐field. When the arc was trapped between the self‐field and an external nonuniform dc field, the arc located itself such that the net magnetic force upon it was zero. When the self‐field exceeded the maximum external field, a transition from a constricted to a diffuse discharge was observed.

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit: