Investigation of erosion mechanism of tungsten-based electrode in multiphase AC arc by high-speed visualization of electrode phenomena

Electrode phenomena in a multiphase AC arc were successfully visualized using a high-speed observation system with a bandpass filter system to understand the erosion mechanisms of tungsten-based electrodes due to the droplet ejection and electrode evaporation. The obtained results indicated that both droplet ejection and electrode evaporation contributed to the electrode erosion in the multiphase AC arc. The erosion by droplet ejection mainly occurred during the cathodic period, while electrode evaporation mainly occurred during the anodic period. The rates of erosion by droplet ejection and evaporation were estimated to be 6 and 3 g/min, respectively, when the arc current was 100 A. The results of an evaluation of the possible forces acting on the electrode tip suggested that the electromagnetic force was the dominant force in the cathodic period, resulting in droplet ejection.