Abstract
The requirements for contact material in vacuum interrupters are demanding because the arc medium is formed by electrode evaporation during the operation. Copper chromium alloy (CuCr) is widely used as contact material. Different compositions could result in a different rate of successful interruption. This work compares vacuum arc properties for two CuCr compositions - 75/25 and 50/50 weight percent. The contact surface temperature is measured during and after the vacuum arc with an AC current flow at 2kA magnitude. Quantitative characterization of the contact surface temperature was obtained with near-infrared spectroscopy using Planck curve fitting and spectrally filtered high-speed photography. Evaluation of the anode surface temperature has shown a slower surface cooling for CuCr 50/50 compared to 75/25. Despite this, CuCr 75/25 has experienced higher temperature with dispersion in a larger area during the arcing time, in a successful current interruption.
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