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Materials to avoid with plasma

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GhostNull

Mon Jul 05 2010, 01:24AM

Registered Member #2648 Joined: Sun Jan 24 2010, 12:45PM
Location: Australia
Posts: 291

What materials and substances should be avoided in environments with air discharge and therefore ozone too?
Also, What materials are preferable?

So far I think rubber must be avoided.

lpfthings

Mon Jul 05 2010, 01:46PM

Registered Member #1361 Joined: Thu Feb 28 2008, 10:57AM
Location: Cairns, Australia
Posts: 305

I think some types of oil produce a certain gas when exposed to ozone, or at least degrade.

quicksilver

Mon Jul 05 2010, 06:07PM

Registered Member #1408 Joined: Fri Mar 21 2008, 03:49PM
Location: Oracle, AZ
Posts: 679

Are you wondering about material that are in the midst of the plasma discharge or materials used for insulation?

In the production of insulators, I believe that ceramic is a standard for fixed (non-bending) terminals; however when examining high-voltage neon-sign wiring (insulation only) the newer materials are Teflon coated. There have been some very heavy rubber insulation on lead wire that may have exposure to plasma in past decades.

IS rubber a serious problem? Could you elaborate?

GhostNull

Mon Jul 05 2010, 10:39PM

Registered Member #2648 Joined: Sun Jan 24 2010, 12:45PM
Location: Australia
Posts: 291

I'm going to build a plasma speaker and I'm wondering what material(s) would be okay for the horn and enclosure. The material would have to be able to withstand the effect of being closer to an air discharge i.e. heat, ozone and other thing assosicated with air discharge.

According to Wkipedia:

ozone can attack rubber.
I want to know what other materials would be attacked?
What materials don't fair too well from other people's experiences?
What materials have worked for you?

Thanks

Adam Munich

Thu Jul 08 2010, 12:18AM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

Carbon fiber sheet with an aluminum frame would probably be you're best bet.

GhostNull

Thu Jul 08 2010, 09:24AM

Registered Member #2648 Joined: Sun Jan 24 2010, 12:45PM
Location: Australia
Posts: 291

Yeah, but that might be *slightly* out of my price range.

Adam Munich

Thu Jul 08 2010, 11:58AM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

Pvc pipe with a cut window? So long as the arc is centered, away from the pvc it should be fine.

quicksilver

Thu Jul 08 2010, 05:15PM

Registered Member #1408 Joined: Fri Mar 21 2008, 03:49PM
Location: Oracle, AZ
Posts: 679

I once had an experience with rubber exposed to ozone. I used some as shielding on a SGTC that really pumped for it's size (20"x 2" coil) in that the primary was quite close to the secondary and I had a bit of racing sparks. I tuned and tuned but could not get rid of them so I shielded it with a small amount of rubber and that was exposed to quite a bit over time.
Just my opinion but I think that UV AND Ozone (together) will gulp rubber fairly fast but the level that one gets from electronics doesn't appear to ruin it quite so quickly.

There is a fellow here who hosts the Teslathons in my state and his garage has several seriously LARGE coils in it. That garage is an Ozone factory: clouds of it travel down the street..... There's so much ozone pumping out of that home that any damage to the Earth's layer is filled by his playing around for a single evening.

And I don't think it's as nasty as it may superficially appear (rubber getting wasted from ozone, etc)

GhostNull

Thu Jul 08 2010, 11:32PM

Registered Member #2648 Joined: Sun Jan 24 2010, 12:45PM
Location: Australia
Posts: 291

Mates built some good horns for his tesla based plasma speaker. He didn't really post too much on how he made it though. He made his from talc, a vase, latex, gypsum and some special high temp silicon. Appreantly it had to stand the heat from the arc.

I'm thinking of getting the horns from some cheap tweeters on ebay and using them but I'm not sure about what the heat will do.

1) What kind of heat will you get from a plasma speaker?
2) What materials will/won't stand up to it?
3) How did Mates make his?

okk

Sat Sept 25 2010, 04:36AM

Registered Member #2821 Joined: Fri Apr 23 2010, 04:57AM
Location: Beijing
Posts: 5

[size]

GhostNull wrote ...

I'm thinking of getting the horns from some cheap tweeters on ebay and using them but I'm not sure about what the heat will do.
1) What kind of heat will you get from a plasma speaker?
2) What materials will/won't stand up to it?
[/size]

1) Surface temperature will be over 400C, I think the best thing is ceramic.
2) Various hydrocarbon glue mixed with anything.

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