Re: Spark gap

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "D.C. Cox by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <resonance-at-jvlnet-dot-com>



This idea has been floated before.  It doesn't work because of a surface
characteristic known as "high voltage tracking".  The sparks track along the
surface and also will form deposits on the surface material, ie, some
carbonizing that will cause the tracking to become even worse.

Good idea in theory but it doesn't work in practice.

Dr. Resonance





----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Monday, September 02, 2002 7:16 AM
Subject: Spark gap


> Original poster: "John Richardson by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jprich-at-up-dot-net>
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> This is only my third post, and I appreciate everyone taking the time to
> answer what may seem to be trivial questions.  Here's another one:  I've
> been hitting all of the sites and the archives concerning rsg's, and I was
> wondering why a gap couldn't be constructed using only two stationary
> electrodes and having small holes drilled in the disc to control firing
> times.  Wouldn't this help to alleviate problems concerning arcs following
> the electrodes on a standard rotary disc, as well as having very precise
> control over quenching?  I'm sure there's a suitable material that could
> handle the high heat as the arc passes thru the holes without eroding it.
> Also a suggestion for those building gaps with tungsten rods-would it help
> to use brass air brake fittings to hold your rods in place?  They can be
had
> with pipe thread on one end (easy enough to thread your stationary gap
> blocks on your rsg for these), plus the compression ferrule on the other
end
> would allow uniform clamping force all the way around, and if not overly
> tightened can be loosened and the rod slid in our out to make adjustments
to
> gap width or compensate for wear.  They come in sizes from 1/8" up.  Just
a
> thought.
>
> Thanks,
> John Richardson
>
>