Corrosive gas environmental testing for electrical contacts

Corrosive gas environmental tests are used to predict the reliability of electrical connectors used in data system products under conditions found in business office environments. A corrosive gaseous environmental acceleration test called G1(T) is evaluated through variations in testing conditions, in particular for those which differ from outside testing standards used in the connector industry. An investigation of those features of various acceleration tests which could be recommended for adoption into an industry-wide testing standard are reported. These studies could be important for gaining a consensus for support of an acceleration testing practice to predict corrosion reliability during the life of a product. Copper, nickel, and porous gold coupons (electroplated gold over nickel over copper) are used to determine the effects of each corrosive gas test environment. The corrosion of copper is quantified by coulometric reduction, while nickel is evaluated by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis. The porous gold coupons are visually examined for the presence of pore and creep corrosion, which makes it possible to determine the degree of environmental exposure quickly.<>