Degradation of electromechanical switches submitted to mechanical vibration: Bounce time detection through an automatic measurement system

The kinetic behavior of the switching contacts of electromechanical components with removable parts can be a cause of transient phenomena which affect the function of electronic circuits where they are employed. It is to be expected that these transients will grow if switching contacts are subjected to mechanical stresses. The authors characterize the degradation phenomena which occur when the switches are stressed in a cyclic manner. Bounce time and contact resistance measurements were carried out as the number of stress cycles increased. The growth of closing bounce time with cumulative vibration cycles was experimentally observed and the most significative parameters of this relation were selected. This characteristic can be considered as a suitable indicator of the degradation phenomena which occurs in electromechanical switches subjected to mechanical stress