Abstract:
Vacuum arc spot movement on various graphite cathode materials is
investigated. The dependence of the arc spot velocity on physical, mechanical and
electrical properties of the different cathode materials is measured in the presence
of a variable magnetic field. It is shown that the cathode spot velocity is larger on
cathodes having large grain size, low electrical resistivity and higher apparent
density. The spot velocity is lower for cathodes having larger pore sizes and total
porosity.