Comparison of switching behavior of miniaturization relay with single and twin contacts

It is expected that relays and switches with twin contacts can obtain a higher reliability and longer life. In order to verify this consideration, the experiments were performed with the relays, which have single and twin contacts respectively. The results demonstrated that main failure is sticking for the contacts tested under less than dc 500 mA/5 V. Because of the difference in structure, the twin contacts is easier to stick than the single. On the other hand, the resistance of the twin contact is low and stable than that of the single, and the average contact resistance becomes smaller along with increasing in load current.