Lifetime of cold-sprayed electrical contacts

This work shows the feasibility of cold spray for the achievement of industrial electrical contacts to be used in contactors and circuit breakers. Cold spray was demonstrated to be a very promising process to substitute for usual powder metallurgy (P/M) routes. Prototype parts were processed by cold spray then tested in industrial testing facilities using industrial conditions. Material loss due to erosion was determined periodically during series of interrupted tests. The results were compared to those obtained for conventional commercial P/M contacts. Damage mechanisms of cold-sprayed contacts were studied using both optical and scanning electron microscopy. From the related damage study, cold-sprayed contacts were shown to compare more than well with those processed with the conventional P/M method despite adhesion, which has to be improved. This does open an innovative and cost-attractive production route for electrical contacts.