Analysis of the charge imbalance occurring on a body in free flight

Abstract

Our study deals with the magnitude of electrostatic charge supported by a metal body moving through gas. The work deals with the charge exchange phenomena between the metal, charged body and the gas through which the body travels. In our past work, we have found that a complex interaction takes place under these conditions, that results in possibility for charge imbalance occurring whenever the ballistic method is used, depending on the potential of the moving body. Our present experimental technique was based on the measurements of the charge on a test body driven at varying speed through air, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen, with the charge being measured by induction method and by a static Faraday vessel. The experiments were analyzed statistically and the effect of the moving charge magnitude was determined for the given set of gas media. The charge magnitudes ranged from +1 /spl times/ 10/sup -8/ to +8 /spl times/ 10/sup -8/ C, and the velocity of the charged body varied from 5 to 200 m /spl middot/ s/sup -1/.