Explanation of bubble creation in high electric fields by a new consideration on the structure of a liquid

Abstract

This paper is the first summarizing report on a new approach. It is intended that some of the considerations will be expounded at a later date in more detail. The fundamental idea is that the physical behaviour — and therefore the breakdown property — of liquids is determined by their structure. This paper tries to substantiate this new concept. Theoretical considerations confirm the experimental fact that high electric fields cause the formation of bubbles in dielectric liquids. These considerations show that a crystal defect leads to the generation of unattached i.e. gas-like, molecules. The assumption is made, and is substantiated physically, that liquids have a crystalline structure: they consist of elementary crystals, ‘liquid grains’. Therefore gassing occurs in liquids, and, to a smaller extent, in solids too. The formation of cavities in liquids is primarily due to the thermal motion of the grains, but their growth into bubbles is due to the presence of an external electric field.