STUDY OF THE ELECTRIC STRENGTH OF HIGH-VOLTAGE VACUUM GAPS

It is shown that the breakdown voltage for stainless-steel electrodes is reduced by increasing the voltage-pulse duration from 9 to 43-mu-sec as well as by increasing the discharge capacitance from 80 to 210 pF for gaps of from 3 to 20 mm. Conditioning curves are provided for discharge capacitances of tens, hundreds, and thousands of picofarads for various materials for a 5-mm gap and limitation of the released energy by resistances of units and hundreds of ohms. It is shown that the mutual positions of the electrode materials in order of increasing electric strength are changed with energies of tens of joules.