The surface characterisation of arc erosion on a structured surface designed to reduce contact bounce

A Ag/Ni electrical contact surface has been re-evaluated for volumetric contact erosion where a new improved method is developed to describe the wear distribution. The new method satisfies the requirement that there is near zero mass loss from the anode and cathode combined surfaces for the low DC voltage and current levels investigated, (14 V, 10.4 A).The Ag/Ni contact material is processed to create a highly structured surface designed to reduce contact bounce. It is shown that the bounce time is reduced significantly. The surfaces are measured for volumetric wear using X-Ray CT and conventional optical surface profiling. A methodology is adopted to determine the wear on a structured cathode surface by measurement of a reference anode surface.