Abstract: Arc erosion significantly affects the life of electric contact material as well as its work reliability.Based on the arc ablation experimental platform,the arc ablation experiment of different polarities under carbon-copper pairing was carried out to explore the process of arc erosion.From the voltage and current waveforms during the arcing process,the arcing spectrum,and the electrode topography,the following conclusions were drawn.When carbon and copper were paired,the anode corrosion was dominant.When the copper is the anode,the surface of the copper electrode is eroded to form molten copper.When the carbon is the anode,the surface material is transferred seriously,and the surface of the carbon material forms an ablation pit.And the material transfer will affect the arc root movement,which will affect the arc ablation and change the material transfer.This research has done some basic work for the arc erosion behavior of carbon and copper materials,enriching the theory of electrical contact.

Key words: arcing, polarity, materials transfer, arcing root movement