Arc erosion of AgSnO_2 electrical contacts at different stages of a break operation

Arc erosion studies are conducted on AgSnO2 contact materials at different stages in the break operation. A resistive load arrangement is used with up to 42 V DC at 24 A and a constant contact opening velocity. The arc current is terminated at different stages as the arc is drawn between the contacts enabling a study of the arcing phenomena up to that point. Surface profiling of the contacts is conducted to determine the extent of erosion at the different stages as the arc is drawn. Spectral analysis is also conducted on the arc and then related to the extent of erosion. The results show that particular features occur at different stages as the arc is drawn. As the arc is initially established, it goes through an ＂Arc Generation＂ regime where the arc roots are small and immobile on both the anode and the cathode. Material transfer occurs mainly from anode to cathode. The spectral analysis indicates that Sn and O species dominate the arc followed by the Ag species. As the arc is drawn further and enters the ＂Arc Degeneration＂ regime, the anode undergoes significantly larger erosion than the cathode. Also, both contacts indicate that multiple arc roots have formed, which are highly mobile in the later stages of the discharge. The spectral analysis indicates that Ag and N species are in high concentrations compared to other species. The mechanisms of erosion and deposition are discussed in relation to the species within the arc discharge. For the complete break operation, it is found that the anode undergoes major erosion, and it is thought that the gaseous ions species do not dominate the arc under these conditions of short arcs and voltage 〈42 V to cause cathode erosion.

Preparation and microstructure characterization of a nano-sized Ti^(4+)-doped AgSnO_2 electrical contact material

A Ti^4＋-doped nano-structured AgSnO2 material was prepared using sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results show that Ti^4＋ cations are successfully doped into the crystal lattice of SnO2, and thus significantly improve the electrical conductivity of the sample. Furthermore, the coating of Ag on Ti^4＋-doped SnO2 nano-sized particles enhances the surface wettability and enables the resulting AgSnO2 material to have better mechanical properties.

Experiment and finite element method analysis mass erosion and transfer of Ag/La_2NiO_4-based electrical contacts during operation

A uniform transient temperature field model of electrical contacts operation was found by analyzing the process of closing arc constriction resistance Joule heat ~ breaking arc. Essential parameters of Ag/La2NiO4 electrical contact material for transient temperature field calculation were obtained through tests of electrical contact experimental instrument under 18 V DC in different cur- rents, other correlation experiments, and calculation anal- ysis. The finite element method was applied to solve the transient temperature field, and the features and distribution of the transient temperature field were obtained. The condition of material erosion and mass transfer can be forecasted by those calculation results. It is beneficial to research about the lifetime of Ag/La2NiO4 electrical material.

Effects of silver powder particle size on the microstructure and properties of Ag-Yb_2O_3 electrical contact materials prepared by spark plasma sintering

mg-Yb203 electrical contact materials were fabricated by spark plasma sintefing （SPS）. The effects of silver powder particle size on the microstructure and properties of the samples were investigated. The surface morphologies of the sintered samples were examined by optical microscope （OM）, and the fracture morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The physical and mechanical properties such as density, electrical resistivity, microhardness, and tensile strength were also tested. The results show that the silver powder particle size has evident effects on the sintered materials. Comparing with coarse silver powder （5 ktm）, homogeneous and fme microstmcture was obtained by fine silver powder （_〈0.5-1am）. At the same time, the electrical conductivity, microhardness, and tensile strength of the sin- tered samples with fine silver powder were higher than those of the samples with coarse silver powder. However, silver powder particle size has little influence on the relative densities, which of all samples （both by free and coarse silver powders） is more than 95%. The fracture characteristics are ductile.

Morphology and electrical contact properties of electrical connection materials in corrosive atmosphere

The impact mechanism of environmental fac tors, such as corrosive atmosphere, on connector materials was investigated, and the porosity of gold plating was tested. Series of inspections and analytical research meth ods were introduced in this article. The surface morphology of specimens after corrosion was observed by stereoscopic microscope and scanning electron microscope. Chemical constitution was examined by Xray energy spectrum. The contact resistances were measured by fourpoint method. The experiment results show that after exposure to certain environment, the corrosion products, such as Cu20, Cu（NO3）2.3H20, and NiO, are observed on the surface of the specimens without gold coatings, whereas the corrosion products appear to have circleshaped spots on goldplating surface after corrosion test, which indicate that the gold plating has good corrosion protection. The porosity is increased with the increase of corrosion time for every kind of specimens gold plated, and the corrosion degree of gold plating specimens is decreased with the increase of the thickness of gold coatings. The static contact resistances of circleshaped spots appear higher contact resistance than normal value, which can reach to 2,000 mr2 nearly. It is found that the high and unstable contact resistance of the pore and products is more likely to cause contact failure.

Evolution of the electrical contact of dynamic pantograph–catenary system

A good contact between the pantograph and catenary is critically important for the working reliability of electric trains, while the basic understanding on the electrical contact evolution during the pantograph--catenary system working is still ambiguous so far. In this paper, the evolution of electric contact was studied in respects of the contact resistance, temperature rise, and microstructure variation, based on a home-made pantograph-catenary simulation system. Pure carbon strips and copper alloy contact wires were used, and the experimental electrical current, sliding speed, and normal force were set as 80 A, 30 km/h, and 80 N, respectively. The contact resistance presented a fluctuation without obvious regularity, concentrating in the region of 25 and 50 mf~. Temperature rise of the contact point experienced a fast increase at the first several minutes and finally reached a steady state. The surface damage of carbon trips in microstructure analysis revealed a complicated interaction of the sliding friction, joule heating, and arc erosion.

Electrical Conductivity of Spark Plasma Sintered W-Cu and Mo-Cu Composites for Electrical Contact Applications

Tungsten copper and molybdenum copper composites, with weight percent copper in the range of 20% - 40%, have been produced using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. Other specimens having similar compositions were also developed using the conventional techniques of Liquid Phase Sintering (LPS) and Infiltration. Electrical conductivity measurements showed that the specimens produced by the SPS process had substantially higher levels of electrical conductivity than those produced by the other methods. Relative density measurements showed that the SPS specimens achieved very high densification, with relative densities in the range of 99.1% - 100%. On the other hand, the specimens produced by LPS and infiltration had relative densities in the range of 88% - 92% and 96% - 98% respectively. The superior conductivity of the SPS specimens has been attributed to the virtually full densification achieved by the process. The effect of porosity on electrical conductivity has been discussed and three standard models were assessed using results from porous sintered skeletons of pure tungsten and pure molybdenum.

Improving the Electrical Contact Property of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Arrays by Electrodeposition

A parallel method for the fabrication of metal contacts on single-walled carbon nanotube(SWNT)arrays was presented and the electrical contact property was evaluated by a SWNT-field effect transistor structure. Copper and gold contacts were fabricated on both semiconducting SWNTs and metallic SWNTs by using a maskless electrodeposition process. The SWNT array remained a p-type semiconductor after the electrodeposition. The contact resistance between SWNT array and microelectrodes was reduced more than 50% by the established copper contacts. The source-drain current of the carbon nanotube field-effect transistor(CNT-FET)structure can be further increased from 7.9 μA to 9.2 μA when the copper contacts were replaced by gold ones,which is probably due to the better contact property to SWNT of gold contacts with fine grain size.

Equilibrium Composition of a Plasma in the Low Voltage Air Circuit Breaker Contaminated by the Vapor of AgSnO2 Alloy Electrical Contacts

When the circuit breaker cuts the electric current, an electric arc is created between its electrodes. The success or failure of breaking the electric current by the circuit breaker depends strongly on the physico-chemical properties of the electric arc created, such as the composition of which depends on the material of the electrical contacts. In this work, we determine the equilibrium composition of the electric arc in the low voltage air circuit breaker with silver tin dioxide alloy contacts, in a temperature range from 500 K to 15,000 K and at atmospheric pressure. We use the Gibbs free energy minimization method and develop a computer code to determine the equilibrium composition of the created plasma. The analysis of the results obtained shows that O2 particles with a dissociation energy of 5.114 eV, NO with a dissociation energy of 6.503 eV, and N2 dissociation 9.756 eV dissociate around 3500 K, 5000 K, and 7500 K, respectively. We note that the electro-neutrality is established between the electrons and the cations: Ag+ and NO+, for temperatures lower than 6500 K. For temperatures higher than 6500 K, the electro-neutrality is established between the electrons and the cations: N+, O+, and Ag+. The numerical density of the electrons increases when the proportion of the vapor of the electrical contacts increases in the mixture, in particular for temperatures lower than 11,000 K.

Processing, Properties and Microstructures of Ag-ZnO Electrical Contact Composites

New powder metallurgy processing routes were designed to manufacture Ag ZnO electrical contact composites. Their physical properties, electrical contact properties and microstructures were investigated. By modelling tests, it is shown that the requirements of commercial use were met. It is proved that Ag ZnO composites could be used to substitute toxic Ag CdO on large load electrical contactors.

Oxidation Properties of Silver Alloy Powders and Microstructures of Oxidized Powders for Making Electrical Contact Composites

The oxidation properties of silver alloy powders and microstructures of oxidized powders have been investigated by thermo gravity analysis(TGA), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and wave dispersive X ray spectroscopy(WDEX). Ag Sn RE alloy powders have been oxidized completely at 610 ℃ within 60 min, with an external pure silver scale forming around each oxidized particle. It is useful to produce electrical contact composites. The excellent oxidation properties of Ag Sn RE alloy powders are attributed to the ideal microstructure of the oxidized powders.

Effect of Metal Contact and Rapid Thermal Annealing on Electrical Characteristics of Graphene Matrix

Development of graphene field effect transistors （GFETs） faces a serious challenge of graphene interface to the dielectric material. A single layer of intrinsic graphene has an average sheet resistance of the order of 1-5 kΩ/□. The intrinsic nature of graphene leads to higher contact resistance yielding into the outstanding properties of the material. We design a graphene matrix with minimized sheet resistance of 0.185 kΩ/□ with Ag contacts. The developed matrices on silicon substrates provide a variety of transistor design options for subsequent fabrication. The graphene layer is developed over 400 nm nickel in such a way as to analyze hypersensitive electrical properties of the interface for exfoliation. This work identifies potential of the design in the applicability of few-layer GFETs with less process steps with the help of analyzing the effect of metal contact and post-process anneMing on its electrical fabrication.

Failure characteristics of Ag-SnO_2 contact material in AC level

The failure characteristics of the contact material Ag-SnO2 were investigated by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDS）.Phase analysis showed that there were Ag,SnO2,and Sn on the contact surfaces at the time of failure under the load condition of 30 A and 220 V（AC）,which means that SnO2 decomposed in service.When the contacts were tested under airproof ambient condition,half-spherical bulges came into being on the contact surfaces,which resulted in early failure and dispersive characteristics.But half-spherical bulges were not found when the contacts were tested under open ambient condition.The temperature change of the contacts during the life testing under airproof ambient condition was different from that under open ambient condition.

Prediction of contact resistance of electrical contact wear using different machine learning algorithms

H62 brass material is one of the important materials in the process of electrical energy transmission and signal transmission,and has excellent performance in all aspects.Since the wear behavior of electrical contact pairs is particularly complex when they are in service,we evaluated the effects of load,sliding velocity,displacement amplitude,current intensity,and surface roughness on the changes in contact resistance.Machine learning(ML)algorithms were used to predict the electrical contact performance of different factors after wear to determine the correlation between different factors and contact resistance.Random forest(RF),support vector regression(SVR)and BP neural network(BPNN)algorithms were used to establish RF,SVR and BPNN models,respectively,and the experimental data were trained and tested.It was proved that BP neural network model could better predict the stable mean resistance of H62 brass alloy after wear.Characteristic analysis shows that the load and current have great influence on the predicted electrical contact properties.The wear behavior of electrical contacts is influenced by factors such as load,sliding speed,displacement amplitude,current intensity,and surface roughness during operation.Machine learning algorithms can predict the electrical contact performance after wear caused by these factors.Experimental results indicate that an increase in load,current,and surface roughness leads to a decrease in stable mean resistance,while an increase in displacement amplitude and frequency results in an increase in stable mean resistance,leading to a decline in electrical contact performance.To reduce testing time and costs and quickly obtain the electrical contact performance of H62 brass alloy after wear caused by different factors,three algorithms(random forest(RF),support vector regression(SVR),and BP neural network(BPNN))were used to train and test experimental results,resulting in a machine learning model suitable for predicting the stable mean resistance of H62 brass alloy after wear.The prediction results showed that the BPNN model performed better in predicting the electrical contact performance compared to the RF and SVR models.

A generalized Norde plot for reverse biased Schottky contacts

When a metal makes intimate contact with a semiconductor material, a Schottky barrier may be created. The Schottky contact has many important applications in the integrated circuit （IC） electronics field. The parameters of such contacts can be determined from their current-voltage （I-V） characteristics. The literature contains many proposals for extracting the contact parameters using graphical methods. However, such methods are generally applicable only to contacts with a forward bias, whereas many Schottky contacts actually operate un- der a reverse bias. Accordingly, the present study proposed a generalized reverse current-voltage （I-V） plot which enables the series resis- tance, barrier height, and ideality factor of a reverse biased Schottky contact to be extracted from a single set of I-V measurements. A theo- retical derivation of the proposed approach was presented and a series of validation tests were then performed. The results show that the pro- posed method is capable of extracting reliable estimates of the contact parameters even in the presence of experimental noise.

Effects of Rare Earths on Electrical Conductivity, Melting-Welding and Corrosion Resistance by Electric Arc of Copper-Based Alloys

The effects of rare earths on electric conductivity fusion welding-resistance and erosion-resistance by electric arc of copper-based compound material by adding different amount of rare earths to copper base to get copper based compound materials were studied. Rare earths improve active ability among interfaces and optimize organizational structures. The conductivity of samples with rare earths is obviously better than that of materials without them. Moreover, wear ability and oxidization resistance of materials with rare earths can be improved greatly. For copper contact head with rare earths, electric arc corrosion resistance and welding-melting resistance are improved. Such alloys also decrease resistance change with increasing temperature. But the adding quantity of rare earths should be appropriate and formed handicraft should be properly regulated.

Research on dynamic characteristics of arc under electrode relative motion

The relative motion of the electrodes is a typical feature of sliding electrical contact systems.The system fault caused by the arc is the key problem that restricts the service life of the sliding electrical contact system.In this paper,an arcing experimental platform that can accurately control the relative speed and distance of electrodes is built,and the influence of different electrode speeds and electrode distances on arc motion characteristics is explored.It is found that there are three different modes of arc root motion:single arc root motion mode,single and double arc roots alternating motion mode,and multiple arc roots motion mode.The physical process and influence mechanism of different arc root motion modes are further studied,and the corresponding relationship between arc root motion modes and electrode speed is revealed.In addition,to further explore the distribution characteristics of arc temperature and its influencing factors,an arc magnetohydrodynamic model under the relative motion of electrodes is established,and the variation law of arc temperature under the effect of different electrode speeds and electrode distances is summarized.Finally,the influence mechanism of electrode speed and electrode distance on arc temperature,arc root distance,and arc root speed is clarified.The research results enrich the research system of arc dynamic characteristics in the field of sliding electrical contact,and provide theoretical support for restraining arc erosion and improving the service life of the sliding electrical contact system.

Conformal Human–Machine Integration Using Highly Bending‑Insensitive,Unpixelated,and Waterproof Epidermal Electronics Toward Metaverse

Efficient and flexible interactions require precisely converting human intentions into computer-recognizable signals,which is critical to the breakthrough development of metaverse.Interactive electronics face common dilemmas,which realize highprecision and stable touch detection but are rigid,bulky,and thick or achieve high flexibility to wear but lose precision.Here,we construct highly bending-insensitive,unpixelated,and waterproof epidermal interfaces(BUW epidermal interfaces)and demonstrate their interactive applications of conformal human–machine integration.The BUW epidermal interface based on the addressable electrical contact structure exhibits high-precision and stable touch detection,high flexibility,rapid response time,excellent stability,and versatile“cut-and-paste”character.Regardless of whether being flat or bent,the BUW epidermal interface can be conformally attached to the human skin for real-time,comfortable,and unrestrained interactions.This research provides promising insight into the functional composite and structural design strategies for developing epidermal electronics,which offers a new technology route and may further broaden human–machine interactions toward metaverse.

High-speed imaging observation on molten bridges of AgNi10 electrical contact material

The electrical contact-high-speed imaging experimental system was developed to investigate the molten bridge phenomena of AgNi10 electrical contact material.The dimension of molten bridges was measured along with the measurement of waveforms in the contact voltage under the load of direct current(DC) 6 V(8-20 A)and breaking speed of 50.0 mm·s^(-1).A part of the observed results was presented as well as surface morphology of the contacts after electrical contact behavior,which shows some interesting and new phenomena.Molten bridges and arc could exist simultaneously.The stable molten bridge looks like cylindrical shape and then becomes needle tip at its rupture,the diameter and length of molten bridges both increase with the increase in current and the growth gradient of the diameter is larger than that of the length.The morphology and elemental distribution of the contact surface are changed by the behavior of electrical contact.

Intermittent failure mechanism and stabilization of microscale electrical contact

The stability and lifetime of electrical contact pose a major challenge to the performance of microelectro-mechanical systems(MEMS),such as MEMS switches.The microscopic failure mechanism of electrical contact still remains largely unclear.Here conductive atomic force microscopy with hot switching mode was adopted to simulate the asperity-level contact condition in a MEMS switch.Strong variation and fluctuation of current and adhesion force were observed during 10,000 repetitive cycles,exhibiting an“intermittent failure”characteristic.This fluctuation of electrical contact properties was attributed to insulative carbonaceous contaminants repetitively formed and removed at the contact spot,corresponding to degradation and reestablishment of electrical contact.When contaminant film was formed,the contact interface became“metal/carbonaceous adsorbates/metal”instead of direct metal/metal contact,leading to degradation of the electrical contact state.Furthermore,a system of iridium/graphene on ruthenium(Ir/GrRu)was proposed to avoid direct metal/metal contact,which stabilized the current fluctuation and decreased interfacial adhesion significantly.The existence of graphene enabled less adsorption of carbonaceous contaminants in ambient air and enhanced mechanical protection against the repetitive hot switching actions.This work opens an avenue for design and fabrication of microscale electrical contact system,especially by utilizing two-dimensional materials.