minimum inductance, the character of the current flow changes, and it becomes intermittent, and the cell acts as an interrupter, the current being interrupted from 100 to 2,000 times per second, according to the electromotive force, and the inductance of the circuit. Under these conditions, the cell produces a rattling noise and a luminous glow appears round the tip of the platinum wire. Thus, in a particular case, with an inductance of 0.004 millihenry in the circuit of a Wehnelt break, no interruption of the circuit took place, but with one millihenry of inductance in the circuit, and with an electromotive force of 48 volts, the current became intermittent at the rate of 930 per second, and by increasing the voltage to 120 volts, the intermittency rose to 1,850 a second.
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 vapor, 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, page 841, 1899), and when it has to be used for long periods, the kathode 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
