Time-Dependent 3D Reconstruction of Arc Shape in a TMF contact system

It is well known that the transverse magnetic field (TMF) can drive vacuum arcs moving continuously on contacts. Vacuum arc appears asymmetric characteristics during arcing. Consequently, the various density, e.g., atoms, ions, electrons, consisting of vacuum arcs are distributed in a non-uniform mode as well. Certainly, the dynamic behaviors of the density during arcing will play a crucial role in the processes of an interruption. However, the traditional observation method by a high-speed camera cannot reflect the behaviors since it can only capture the arc images in a two-dimensional way from one direction. In this paper, a multi-direction imaging system with one high-speed camera was used to obtain the multi-direction arc images. The time-dependent three-dimensional shape distribution of the vacuum arc was reconstructed. A 510 nm filter with a bandwidth of 10 nm was mounted in front of the high-speed camera, so that the experimentally obtained three-dimensional shape distribution was also the density distribution of Cu. Due to the wide bandwidth of the filter used in the experiment and the interference of other particle characteristic spectral lines, the results obtained in this paper are the approximate distribution of Cu density.