Arc stability and ablation characteristics in O 2 , N 2 , and air environments

Arcing is widely used in the processing and manufacturing of electrical materials. Arc duration and stability play a key role in the quality and efficiency of arc welding and cutting. Therefore, a platform for arc experiment and test analysis in a multi-atmosphere environment is built in this paper. The influence of the gas environments and pressures on arc breaking distance, arc stability, and ablation characteristics is explored. The experimental results show that the arc stability and arc breaking distance in the oxygen environment are significantly different from those in the air and nitrogen environment. This phenomenon is mainly caused by the strong electronegativity of oxygen and the Rayleigh–Taylor instability between the arc and the air. In addition, the variation of arc ablation characteristics under different gas environments and pressures is found. The influence mechanism of gas environments and pressures on arc breaking distance, arc stability, and ablation characteristics are cleared. The correlation mechanism between arc breaking distance and arc ablation characteristics is revealed. The research results provide theoretical support for improving the quality of electrical material processing and manufacturing and the service life of electric contact systems.