Effect of angles between twin wires on twin-wire indirect arc characteristic

Three dimension finite element model of twin-wire indirect arc was established and the influence of different angles between twin wires on the arc characteristic was studied. The images of the arc were obtained by a high speed camera to verify the correctness of calculation. The results showed that the temperature, velocity and current density of the arc are high in the cathode and anode regions and relatively lower in arc column region and lowest in the lower part of arc column region. The temperature, velocity and current density of the arc increase in the cathode region, anode region and upper part of the arc column region, and decrease in the lower part of the arc column region as the angle between twin wires increases. The change rates of temperature, velocity and current density in cathode region and anode region are greater than those in arc column region, and the change rates in anode region are greater than those in cathode region with increasing angle between twin wires. The deflection of the twin-wire indirect arc increases with the angle between the twin wires increasing.