Abstract
A neutron-activated zinc electrode is used to measure the electric erosion of electrode in a spark discharge.Vapor of the electrode material is collected in a glass capsulle and radioactivity of the condensate is measured by a well-type γ-ray spectrometer. The relation between erosion (E) and circuit parameters is found as
E∝CBV2/3/R
where C is the capacitance, B the number of breaks per half cycle, V the break down voltage and R the resistance.Inductance (L) scarcely influences the erosion. These results suggest that erosion is directly proportional to the average current.The latter is measured by the method developed by Schreiber and Fry with a high vol tage spark source; with a Raiskii spark source the measureme nt could not be made.
