Abstract
The tribological behavior of electrical contacts, especially separable type electrical connectors at low contact loads, are considered. The reliability of these connectors has been a major concern due to the fretting phenomenon that can lead to an unacceptable increase in contact resistance. This study analyzes various aspects of the fretting mechanism from a tribological perspective where friction and wear are the primary cause of degradation in electrical components. With the use of precise tribological equipment (high data acquisition rate of 5000 Hz), the electrical contact resistance and coefficient of friction at the contact interface are measured. The measurements were made in-situ for a simulated fretting environment under various constant loading conditions. It was observed that low contact loads (1 N) and low fretting frequency (1 Hz) leads to a high degree of fluctuation in the coefficient of friction. However, for the same conditions, the lowest wear rate and electrical contact resistance were observed. The reason behind this could be due to the lack of continuous electrical contact and a high degree of fretting frequency under low contact loads, ultimately leading to extended periods of an open circuit. Experimental analysis indicates the existence of an optimum loading condition at which the fretting wear effect is at its minimum. Detailed analysis of post fretting surface roughness, coating wear, and wear debris is conducted, as well as transfer film formations to explain the mechanism of fretting observed.
Highlights
Electrical connectors are components that provide a separable connection between two elements of an electronic circuit, ideally without any signal distortion or power loss
Connectors typically degrade by a combination of a few mechanisms—corrosion, wear, and reduction in contact force
The corrosion and wear mechanisms depend on the contact surfaces and their material properties, whereas the decrease in contact force depends on the spring material and design
Summary
Electrical connectors are components that provide a separable connection between two elements of an electronic circuit, ideally without any signal distortion or power loss. Understanding the effect of fretting in low voltage and low power applications is essential since this phenomenon is inherent in all contact involving noble and non-noble metal contacts This is because fretting is a time-related process and results in failure due to the accumulation of wear and oxide debris over time. Further investigations concerning the degradation of these coatings, especially for that of gold [12,13] and tin-plated connectors [14,15], have been conducted with similar assumptions for both dry and lubricated conditions Some of these considerations involve contact geometry as a cylinder on a fixed flat rigid surface, wherein the most common type of electrical contacts in practical use are cylinder on cylinder type. TloihnaedsccuohnrermethnaettiscftouFrdimgyuaartiieom1ns[oa1ft8a]w.neTaahlyrezdcineubgrrrtiehsneat nesfftduedectxyaoamfifmirnesettsaitnthganefarwelyqezuaiernnglciftyehaeonfedfcfoleoacattedodfonnfroethbttleienf-gomrfemrteaaqlt.uioTennhcoeyfswatuneddayr dalleosbaordiasiomannstdhatexafnaomarmlyinazetiinsogtnhteohfewwweeaeararrlidftereabocrfkiscaoanandtdemdeexncaohmbalinen-iemssmetthoaefl.twhTehaewr seltiauferdooybfascelosraovteaeddim. nsoabtlea-nmaelytazli.nTghtehestwudeyar traalcsok ainmdsmatecahnanlyiszmingofththeewweaerartroabcksearnvdedm. echanism of the wear observed
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