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This is representative of the first type of medium pressure mercury lamp to have been introduced to the USA, in 1934. Its design is a direct copy of the MA 400W lamp, which had been invented by Osram-GEC in England in 1932. Both its physical and electrical characteristics are virtually identical.
In America it quickly became known as the H1. Several different variants emerged over time, This A-H1 is intended for burning in the vertical cap-up position. Type B-H1 has an inverted arc tube to permit cap-down use. It is important that the tip-off area is always uppermost, otherwise its slightly lower temperature may lead to the condensation of mercury inside the tip, thus preventing the lamp from fully running up. The D-H1 and E-H1 lamps were GE and Westinghouse's respective attempts at quartz lamps, whose more refractory arc tubes could be burned horizontally. The higher mercury vapour pressure also delivered increased luminous efficacy. A later F-H1 lamp was identical to the A-H1 but featured a more rugged mechanically fixed cap.
The discharge operates at a mercury pressure of 1.2 atmospheres, the same as the standard MA 400W. The arc tube is fabricated from a blown aluminosilicate bulb. The main electrodes take the form of open tungsten coils impregnated with barium, strontium and calcium oxides as the emissive material. They are supported on a molybdenum T-piece, and the auxiliary ignition electrode is a simple rod alongside one of the main electrodes. As was standard practice with the American lamps, there is no platinum heat-reflective coating in the area behind the electrodes - hence the sensitivity to burning position, and the need to offer both cap up and cap down variants. |