Corona Discharge from Antenna Wire: A First Partial Report

Purpose: 1. To examine the conditions for corona at the surface of a wire. This report is a theoretical discussion. No test procedure was used. Conclusions: 1. Calculation of the gradient at the surface of the fixed-wire liaison antenna (bare copperweld, .040 diameter) on the B-17 airplane indicates that it is of the order of 200 times the gradient measured at the top generating voltmeter. 2. Further work will be done by the Special Devices Branch in an attempt to determine the conditions under which insulated wire goes into corona