Numerical Calculation of Current Density Distribution in a Vacuum Arc

When a vacuum arc ignites, the cathode spots distribute uniformly on the cathode surface and emit the electron, ion and metallic vapor into the inter-electrode region. In addition, a vacuum arc distributed evenly at the cathode surface has a tendency to concentrate near the center of the anode by a self-magnetic field effect. In this paper, it presents the investigated results of three phenomena in detail. Firstly, the authors calculate a current density distribution in the inter-electrode region, and investigate a self-magnetic field and an external magnetic field effect. Secondly, the authors measure intensities of an infrared radiation and a temperature on the anode surface. As a result, the current density, infrared radiation and temperature are at high values near the center of anode surface. And the authors also found that the center of the anode surface is melted heavily