Contact protection

Contact protection methods are designed to mitigate the wear and degradation occurring during the
normal use of contacts within an electromechanical switch, relay or contactor and thus avoid an excessive
increase in contact resistance or switch failure.

Contents
Contact wear
Protection
See also
References

Contact wear
Every time the contacts of an electromechanical
switch, relay or contactor are opened or closed, there
is a certain amount of contact wear. The sources of the
wear are high current densities in microscopic areas,
and the electric arc. Contact wear includes material
transfer between contacts, loss of contact material due
to splattering and evaporation, and oxidation or
corrosion of the contacts due to high temperatures and
atmospheric influences. From left to right:

While a pair of contacts is closed, only a small part of 1. Pristine contacts from a relay
the contacts are in intimate contact due to asperities 2. The nearly destroyed contacts from a
and low-conductivity films. Because of the relay operated under power for nearly
constriction of the current to a very small area, the 100,000 cycles
current density frequently becomes so high that it
melts a microscopic portion of the contact.[1] During
the close-to-open (break) transition, a microscopic molten bridge forms and eventually ruptures
asymmetrically, transferring contact material between contacts and increasing the surface roughness. This
can also occur during the open-to-close (make) transition due to contact bounce.

The electric arc occurs between the contact points (electrodes) both during the transition from closed to
open (break) and from open to closed (make) when the contact gap is small and the voltage is high enough.
Heating due to arcing and high current density can melt the contact surface temporarily. If some of the
melting material solidifies while the contacts are closed, the contact may stick closed due to a micro-weld,
similar to spot welding.

The arc caused during the contact break (break arc) is similar to arc welding, as the break arc is typically
more energetic and more destructive.[2] The arc can cause material transfer between contacts.[3] The arc
may also be hot enough to evaporate metal from the contact surface.
The high temperatures can also cause the contact metals to more rapidly oxidize and corrode.

Contacts reach end of life for one of two reasons. Either the contacts fail to break because they are stuck
(welded) closed, or the contacts fail to make (high resistance) because of contact corrosion or because
excessive material is lost from one or both contacts. These conditions are the result of cumulative material
transfer during successive switching operations, and of material loss due to evaporation and splattering.[4]

There are additional mechanisms for stuck closed failures, such as mechanical interlocking of rough contact
surfaces due to contact wear.

Protection
The degradation of the contacts can be limited by including various contact protection methods.

One method is to add electronic components such as: capacitors, snubbers, diodes, Zener diodes, transient
voltage suppressors (TVS), resistors, varistors or in-rush current limiters (PTC and NTC resistors).[5]
However, this is the least effective method as these neither significantly influence the creation of nor
suppress the arc between the contacts of electromechanical power switches, relays and contactors.[6]

A slightly more effective method is to make the contacts themselves larger, i.e., a contactor.[7]

A similar method to increasing contact size is to make the contacts out of more durable metals or metal
alloys such as tungsten.[4]

The most effective methods are to employ arc suppression circuitry including arc suppressors, solid state
relays, hybrid power relays, mercury displacement relays and hybrid power contactors.[8][9][10][11]

See also
Arc suppression
Contact resistance
Wetting current
Wetting voltage

References
1. Stress-Dependent Electrical Contact Resistance at Fractal Rough Surfaces (https://ascelibra
ry.org/doi/full/10.1061/%28ASCE%29EM.1943-7889.0000967) Journal of Engineering
Mechanics 143
2. Holm, Ragnar (1958). Electric Contacts Handbook (3rd ed.). Springer-Verlag, Berlin /
Göttingen / Heidelberg. pp. 331–342.
3. "Troubleshooting Common Electrical Contact Problems" (http://www.pepbrainin.com/technic
al-resources/troubleshooting-common-electrical-contact-problems/). PEP Brainin. 2013-12-
13. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
4. "Relay Contact Life" (http://www.te.com/usa-en/products/relays-contactors-switches/relays/in
tersection/application-notes.html). Retrieved January 21, 2018.
5. Tyco P&B, Relay Contact Life, Tyco Electronics Corporation – P&B, Winston-Salem, NC,
Application Note 13C3236, pgs. 1-3
 6. "The Snubber Myth" (https://web.archive.org/web/20131204235025/http://www.arcsuppressi
ontechnologies.com/arc-suppression-facts/the-snubber-myth/). Archived from the original (htt
p://www.arcsuppressiontechnologies.com/arc-suppression-facts/the-snubber-myth/) on
December 4, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
7. Terrell Croft and Wilford Summers (ed), American Electricans' Handbook, Eleventh Edition,
McGraw Hill, New York (1987) ISBN 0-07-013932-6 page 7-124
8. "Current solutions" (https://web.archive.org/web/20131204213904/http://www.arcsuppressio
ntechnologies.com/arc-suppression-facts/current-solutions/). Archived from the original (htt
p://www.arcsuppressiontechnologies.com/arc-suppression-facts/current-solutions/) on
December 4, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
9. The National Association of Relay Manufacturers, Engineers’ Relay Handbook, NARM, 8th
Edition, 1980, Chapter 13
10. Reference Patent Application Publication # 20080266742 assigned to Watlow Electric
Manufacturing Company
11. "Arc Suppression" (http://www.electronic-components.com.au/products-services/arc-suppres
sion/). Retrieved December 6, 2013.

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