Electrode temperature dependency on arc and erosion in electric contacts

Findings on the relationship between arc and erosion or transfer in switching contact are summarized, with special attention to the role of electrode temperature. In order to apply these findings to design of electric contact, experimental comparison of axisymmetric bar contact and cross bar contact was carried out for Ag, Pd, and their alloy contacts. In this comparison, the similar erosion characteristics at different contact current appeared for each type of contact. The authors suggest that this difference may stem from the difference of thermal flow characteristic between the two types of contacts