Powered testing of electrical contacts in mixed flowing gases

A series of industrial mixed flowing gas tests were performed using real connectors to investigate the effects of electrical power on the life of gold-plated contacts. The connectors were divided into three sets unmated, unpowered, and powered. Change in contact resistance was used as the measure of contact performance. The results show that with real contacts the shielding provided by the housing, when a connector is mated, significantly inhibits corrosion at the interface, even in the harshest environments. To investigate the phenomena in more detail, more severe atmospheres and less well-shielded connectors were used. These tests produced increases in corrosion at the contact interface. The change in resistance of the powered contacts was higher than that of the unpowered sets. This result is probably due to the rise in temperature at the interface of the powered contacts increasing the rate of chemical reaction. Continuous monitoring of resistance during the tests produced resistance changes consistent with the phenomena of self-healing