Friction, wear and tribofilm formation on electrical contact materials in reciprocating sliding against silver-graphite

Abstract

In this study nanocomposite coatings mating silver-graphite were investigated for sliding electrical contact applications with the aim to optimize tribological and electrical properties. Apart from two different Ti–Ni–C nanocomposite coatings, brass, steel and TiN were also tested against a commercial silver-graphite at varying load and current. Friction, wear and contact resistance were measured in reciprocating sliding in ambient air. It was concluded that the wear of the silver-graphite was increased by current, for TiN and steel as much as four times, at a 5N load. A tribofilm, with properties differing from the silver-graphite, formed on the coating/metal surface in all cases. This resulted in a very similar coefficient of friction, 0.3, for all mating materials. However, different load and current gave rise to slightly different thickness and morphology. A too low load was detrimental, as the coating became damaged, while a too high load was not favorable for tribofilm formation. In tests with varying current, a specific current could be identified that best governed the build-up of a well conducting and stable tribofilm. The largest differences were observed in the initial stages of testing, since once the tribofilm was built up, the contact resistance approached that of self mated silver-graphite, 40mΩ. Experiments showed that the load and the current can be optimized to minimize wear of the silver-graphite which in turn would allow for lower maintenance costs.