Arc heater based on spontaneous arc division of cathode and test method thereof

The invention belongs to the technical field of pneumatic heat-proof ground test equipment of hypersonic flight vehicles, and discloses an arc heater based on spontaneous arc division of a cathode and a test method of the arc heater. The arc heater comprises a cylindrical cathode, the inner wall of the cathode is made of a phase material containing low work function elements, the outer wall of the cathode is wrapped with a magnetic field coil, and a power supply circuit is arranged on the magnetic field coil; the anode is arranged on the central axis of the cathode, and the rear end of the cathode is connected with the spray pipe. The test method comprises the following steps: electrifying the arc heater through an external plasma power supply, establishing plasma between the cathode and the anode in a contact arc striking or high-frequency arc striking manner, introducing test airflow into the arc heater, heating the test airflow through the arc heater, and spraying airflow from the spray pipe, and a high-en