as far as plugs....best are copper or silver....only problem with copper is short life....silver....expense

plug gap is something you would have to experiment with to determine which gap suits your needs

 

Iridiums are still a copper core plug.

If copper was used for the electrode it would melt away almost instantly.

 

the reason OEMs use iridium is for their long life....not because it increases spark efficiency

 

The copper core does not matter. Electrons travel on the metal surface not through the metal. The iridium is carrying the current.

The copper core likely just allows the maker to use less iridium to make it somewhat cheaper than solid iridium.

 

 

wut ?

 

My bad. I was thinking AC for some dumbass reason. AC the electrons just travel on the surface of the wire.

 

mmm no they dont.

Solid conductors would be a bit pointless if electricity only passed over the surface. May as well make them hollow and save a fortune on material !

 

Yeah in AC it is very true.

 

Skin effect yo....MOST of the electrons are on the surface. Decreases as you go deeper into the conductor.

 

Yup. That why multi strand wire > solid wire of the same gauge

 

Bingo.

 

Your pipe idea is not wrong. At work we operate two EAF. Electric Arc Furnaces. One operates at 26MW active power. Other is 8 MW active. That is just to say not counting the reactive power in the consumption numbers.

We run copper pipes from the transformer to the electrode leads and run water through the pipes to keep them cool.

Inside the transformer vault we use copper plate between taps.

 

Weird !...and I had never heard of that before and it certainly wasn't how my physics teacher taught us ! lol

Although maybe not quite as clear cut as that ?

http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=3199

 

Enjoy!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_effect

 

As a state licensed electrical contractor, we have to have a certain amount of hours per year in classes for our license. I can’t tell you the number of guys at our classes that ask “why don’t the wire makers build hollow wire for better current conductivity and flow?” Classes are taught by the smartest electrical engineers in our areas, mind you.
Ive yet to find a teacher that can answer the question correctly. It’s the reason that stranded wire in the same gauge can carry more amperage than the same sized conductor in a solid. Surface area.

 

I lead the electrical engineering and design team for 1 of the world's largest transportation companies.....that's not near as dumb as some of the stuff I've heard 🤣

 

Like I said some of you need to do some reading about spark plugs instead of showing your ignorance, GM ain't worried about your long life, all they got to do is get to the end of your warranty. In FACT the smaller iridium electrode is more likely to create a spark then a standard plug . Think about it if you can. How many times a minute is a plug told to fire. It does not spark every single time BUT if I can reduce that misfire it increases the power output Jeanne the fuel mileage.

 

King Talon....is that you? 😳

 

To be fair, even king isnt as dumb as that post....but don't mention the name in case he comes back !