Investigation of Unipolar Arcing at Atmospheric Pressure in Aluminum 2024 and Aluminum Coated Glass Slides

摘要

An experimental investigation of unipolar arcing at atmospheric pressure was conducted using Aluminum 2024 and glass slides with a thin coating of pure aluminum. The plasma was produced on the surface using a neodymium-glass laser in the Q-switched mode. It was found that the power density required for the onset of unipolar arcing was similar to that of samples irradiated in a vacuum, although the size and density of the resulting craters were significantly different.