A Study of Magnetic Sawing in an Aluminum Bar

Abstract

Magnetic sawing is a phenomenon that can severely damage electrical conductors. In this process, high local current densities melt the conductor and eject the liquid metal through magnetic forces. This is exacerbated at the interface between dissimilar metals. To further characterize magnetic sawing, we used a new technique with alternating strips of copper conductors and G-10 insulators placed onto an aluminum alloy bar. When a current of 1.7 MA was applied to the copper strips and aluminum, the bar experienced severe magnetic sawing. We repeated the experiment with different current pulses to study the effects of electrical action. Results show that increasing the action greatly increases the severity of the damage