Table of Contents

Contact Interface Conduction. Electrical Contact Resistance: Fundamental Principles. Introduction to Contact Tarnishing and Corrosion. Gas Corrosion. Effect of Dust Contamination on Electrical Contacts. Nonarcing Contacts. Power Connectors. Low-Power Commercial, Automotive, and Appliance Connections. Tribology of Electronic Connectors: Contact Sliding Wear, Fretting, and Lubrication. Materials, Coatings, and Platings. The Electric Arc and Switching Device Technology. The Arc and Interruption. The Consequences of Arcing. Reed Switches. Low Current and High Frequency Miniature Switches: Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Metal Contact Switches. Low Current Switching. Medium to High Current Switching: Low Voltage Contractors and Circuit Breakers, and Vacuum Interrupters. Arc Faults and Electrical Safety. Arcing Contact Materials. Arcing Contact Materials. Contact Design and Attachment. Electrical Contact Material Testing Design and Measurement. Arc Interactions with Contaminants. Sliding Electrical Contacts. Sliding Electrical Contacts (Graphitic Type Lubrication). Illustrative Modern Brush Applications. Sliding Contacts for Instrumentation and Control. Metal Fiber Brushes. Contact Data. Useful Electric Contact Information.

About the Author

Paul G. Slade began his studies in the fascinating world of electrical contacts as a graduate student at the University of Wales, Cardiff, UK in the mid-1960s. Since that time, he has been involved with electrical contacts both as a research scientist and as a developer of switching components. Currently retired, he ended his five decades of experience in electrical contact research first at the Westinghouse R &D Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and then at the Eaton Corporation’s Vacuum Interrupter Factory, Horseheads, New York, USA.

Reviews

"This is the book you want to own if you design or test electrical connectors or develop devices using switching or arcing contacts. … It provides the most comprehensive coverage of electrical contact theory, material selection, and switch design of any book on the market today, covering almost all electrical contacts below 1,000 V and some vacuum interrupter technology operating above 1,000 V."
—John J. Shea, Eaton Corporation, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, USA, from IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine, May/June 2015