Impulse breakdown of rod-rod gaps in atmospheric air

This paper describes the behaviour of a rod-rod gap of 120cm under impulse voltages of a front duration of 2¿s and a tail of 1000¿s. The results were obtained mainly by measuring the field at the electrode surface by a method which permitted simultaneous recordings at both ends of the gap. Photographs were taken of the discharge in the gap using a still camera with an f0.95 lens. The discharges at both electrodes have been studied and various observations made about the mechanisms that lead to the breakdown of the gap, in particular the influence of space charges in the gap.