Hertzian Wave Wireless TelegraphyFleming, J. A. (John Ambrose), Sir
Science
Hertzian Wave Wireless Telegraphy
Fleming, J. A. (John Ambrose), Sir
Electric waves; Telegraph, Wireless
The Wehnelt break acts best as an interrupter with an electromotive
force from 40 to 80 volts. At higher voltages a third stage sets in:
the luminous glow round the platinum wire disappears, and it becomes
surrounded with a layer of vapour, as observed by MM. Violle and
Chassagny; the interruptions of current cease, and the platinum wire
becomes red hot. If there is no inductance in the circuit, the
interrupter stage never sets in at all, but the first stage passes
directly into the third stage. In the first stage bubbles of oxygen
rise steadily from the platinum wire, and in the interrupted stage
they rise at longer intervals, but regularly. The cell will not,
however, act as a break at all unless some inductance exists in the
circuit.
In applying the Wehnelt break to an induction coil, the condenser is
discarded and also the ordinary hammer break, and the Wehnelt break is
placed in circuit with the primary coil. In some cases, the inductance
of the primary coil alone is sufficient to start the break in
operation, but with voltages above 50 or 60, it is generally necessary
to supplement the inductance of the primary coil by another inductive
coil. The best form of Wehnelt break for operating induction coils is
the one with multiple anodes (see Dr. Marchant, _The Electrician_,
Vol. XLII., p. 841, 1899), and when it has to be used for long
periods, the cathode may advantageously be formed of a spiral of lead
pipe, through which cold water is made to circulate.
Another form of electrolytic break was introduced by Mr. Caldwell. In
this, a vessel containing dilute sulphuric acid is divided into two
parts. In the partition is a small hole, and in the two compartments
are electrodes of sheet lead. The small hole causes an intermittency
in the current which converts the arrangement into a break. Mr.
Campbell Swinton modified the above arrangement by making the
partition to consist of a sort of porcelain test-tube with a hole in
the bottom. This hole can be more or less plugged up by a glass rod
drawn out to a point, and this is used to more or less close the hole.
This porcelain vessel contains dilute acid and stands in a larger
vessel of acid, and lead electrodes are placed in both compartments.
The current and intermittency can be regulated by more or less closing
the aperture between the two regions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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