Spallation Particle Ejection From Polymer Surface Irradiated by Thermal Plasmas

In this paper, polymer ablation phenomena are investigated by direct irradiation of an inductively coupled thermal plasma (ICTP) for a fundamental study. Polymer ablation by thermal plasmas can be seen, for example, in a low-voltage circuit breaker in which the arc plasma contacts the insulation polymer material to be ablated during the current interruption. Effective utilization of polymer ablation phenomena is expected as one technique to enhance arc quenching ability of circuit breakers. Direct irradiation of the ICTP to a polymer specimen enables us to observe the spatial distribution of polymer ablated vapor easily. In addition, we distinctively found spallation particles ejected from polyamide material.