Abstract
SIMS was used to distinguish the primary and secondary electrical short circuit (ESC) arc beads. A Cs + primary ion was used to detect the 12 C - , 63 Cu - , 18 O - and 37 Cl - secondary ions formed during 0-3 μm depth profiles. Thin surface layer enriched with C, Cl and O was observed in the primary arc beads, whereas a comparably thick layer of Cl was observed in the secondary arc beads at the 0-0.3 μm depth profile. Comparative study of real case samples with those of simulated samples indicates that SIMS can be used as a complementary technique for identification of the cause of fire during fire investigation. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.