Controlling the location of the channel of an arc discharge in vacuum-arc devices

Possibilities of controlling electric arc-location burning between the butt-ends of cylindrical electrodes for the thermal treatment of metals are investigated. It is shown that the behavior of an electric arc in a nonuniform magnetic field can be determined by the diamagnetism of plasma, Holl-current and mechanical interaction of the arc with current-carrying elements. Methods of localizing or positioning the AC and DC arc discharges in the gap between electrodes are suggested.