Investigation of vacuum arc characteristics in cup-type Axial Magnetic Field contacts with irons and without irons

In this paper, vacuum arc characteristics in cup-type Axial Magnetic Field (AMF) contacts with and without irons were studied through simulation and experiments. Three-dimensional models of the two types of contacts were established according to the actual size of the tested contacts, and the Axial Magnetic Field was analyzed through finite element method. Then an experimental system to study the arc characteristics was established, and the morphological changes in the vacuum arc were observed by a high-speed charge coupled device (CCD) video camera while the arc current and arc voltage were recorded. Based on the simulation and tests results, it could be concluded that, the introduction of irons effect the distribution and strength of AMF density, which can increase the interrupting capacity. The results in this paper could provide some information for further research on the AMF vacuum arc.