Electrical contact bounce in medium duty contacts

Abstract

The basic phenomena of electrical contact bounce with the passage of current, in the medium duty range (1 to 30 A AC and DC), are investigated. Experimental results presented show that by considering individual impacts, an understanding of how current affects contact bounce is achieved. An automated test system is used to evaluate contact bounce. The surface degradation is evaluated by endurance testing, allowing the development of empirical relations between mechanical and electrical bounce. With this understanding it is shown how arc energy dissipation can be reduced by the designed reduction of impact kinetic energy, leading to prolonged contact life.<>