Electric Arc
Uses of Electricity - the Electric Arc
The electric arc is a physical phenomenon in wide use today. Its application include:
- Spark generation - lighting your kitchen gas stove
- Spark plugs
- Arc welding
- Plasma cutting
- Carbon arc torch - see note at [1]
- Neon lights
- Electrical discharge machining
- Arc lamp
- Arc furnace
- Plasmas of many types
- Lasers - arc ionizes carbon dioxide in a tube to cause a discharge
How It Works
An arc is caused when electricity ionizes (strips electrons off) gas particles between two wires or electrodes. Ionized gas is called a plasma. When electrons move back to their original energy state, they emit light.
Plasmas are highly energetic. Plasmas will ionize other materials that they come in contact with - breaking their atoms or lighting them on fire if oxygen is available.
OSE Use Case
- For the particular case of OSE, it is useful to explore the Electric Arc Construction Set - various ways that electrodes may be used in conjunction with different working gases and gas streams. Graphite electrodes make an arc furnace. Tungsten electrodes made for welding. Blow curring air through an arc via a small aperture and you have a plasma cutter. A carbon arc torch may be used for rapid removal of welds.
- Thus - a welder, plasma cutter, or electric discharge machining system may be made from similar parts. For a welder or plasma cutter, the difference is in the shape of the gun and electrodes. The gun has many common parts. The electrodes are part of the Electric Arc Construction Set.
