Theoretical Calculation of the Process of Contact Arc Erosion Using a One-Dimensional Contact Model

In order to study the mechanism of contact arc erosion, we have developed a calculation program by which we can calculate the amount of melting and evaporation of contacts made of binary metals. The results obtained are as follows. 1) The calculated amount of the evaporation of contact material is smaller than the amount of contact erosion, but the calculated amount of melt is close to it. 2) In the case of a binary alloy like Cu-W, the latent heat of evaporation of the Iow boiling point material plays a very important role in the reduction of contact erosion. 3) Experimental results which show that the contact erosion is smaller in the range of intermediate content of the low melting point material can be explained by calculation.