Method of indirect determination of the anodic and cathodic voltage drops in short high-current electric discharges in a dielectric liquid

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Abstract
The removal of electrode material by electric discharges in a dielectric liquid is usually performed with a short interelectrode gap (about 50 μm) and short discharge durations (20–2000 μs). It is therefore virtually impossible to measure the anodic and cathodic voltage drops of such discharges. However, considering that there is a direct relation between the amount of electrode material removed and the electric energy provided in the anodic (or cathodic) region, an indirect determination of those voltage drops is obtained by comparison of experimental results concerning mass loss at the electrodes and the molten volume computed after a linearized heat-conduction model. The results obtained are in agreement with the measured value of the total interelectrode voltage drop.