On the Relationship between Surface Wear and Intermittency during Fretting in Electrical Contacts

The paper presents a study of the high frequency intermittency events occurring between sliding contact surfaces, and the relationship with surface wear. The emphasis is on fretting experiments in the crossed rod configuration with a range of contact forces. The aim is to investigate the relationship between the intermittency events and the surface wear as a primary function of the applied contact force. An established test system and test methodology are used for the study, but in the paper the additional control of the contact force and the measurement of the surface wear using a 3D surface scanning system is introduced. In addition to this the applied voltage and current are critical in defining the intermittency events; in this study a dry circuit test, with 20 mV and 100 mA supply is used. Results are presented on the relationship between wear and the event profiles, as a function of contact force.