The volumetric erosion of electrical contacts

Author

McBride, John W.

Author_Institution

Sch. of Eng. Sci., Southampton Univ., UK

Volume

23

Issue

2

fYear

2000

fDate

6/1/2000 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

211

Lastpage

221

Abstract

In this paper a method for measuring the volume of eroded electrical contacts is presented. The main emphasis is on the measurement of volume relative to a contact support surface, allowing severely eroded contacts to be measured. A noncontact system is described, which allows contacts to be evaluated for volume change without the contact being removed from contact supports. The accuracy of the measurement method is discussed and results show how the volume measurement can be used to evaluate contact performance. Results are presented on the erosion characteristics of Ag/SnO₂ contacts used in automotive relays. A new measurement methodology is presented which will allow for the evaluation of the performance of relay contacts in devices

Keywords

electrical contacts; particle reinforced composites; relays; silver; tin compounds; wear; AgSnO₂; automotive relays; contact support surface; electrical contacts; erosion characteristics; measurement method; noncontact system; relay contacts; volumetric erosion; Automotive engineering; Contacts; Electric variables measurement; Helium; Low voltage; Power system relaying; Relays; Shape; Volume measurement; Welding;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Components and Packaging Technologies, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1521-3331

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/6144.846756

Filename

846756