The High Intensity Arc

Frank Benford

The high intensity arc is in many respects so radically different from the plain carbon arc that they are nearly as far separated as is the carbon arc from the incandescent filament. It is true that both are arcs having current passing between spaced electrodes, and both have carbon as the current carrier, but here the resemblance ends. In the carbon arc the carbon itself is the source of light, while in the high intensity arc the carbon is secondary in the production of light and acts as a holder for the real source of light which is a small hotly o f luminous gas. The current density in the carbon are is about 0.33 ampere per square millimeter of crater area, while the current density in the high intensity crater is 1.2 amperes per square millimeter. These differences emphasize the fact that the high intensity are is radically different and requires its own mechanism and technic for its proper operation.

Print ISSN
Published
1926-03
Content type
Original Research
DOI
10.5594/J10306