Wear and Corrosion of Electrical Connectors Caused by Mechanical Operations in High Temperature Environment

Pins and jacks play a crucial role in the transmission capability and reliability of electrical connectors. Their surface coating is especially vulnerable under mechanical friction or varying temperature condition. In this work, the repetitive mechanical insertion and withdrawal experiments are carried out by using our designed test rig. The wear and corrosion behaviors of circular electrical connectors are experimentally investigated under mechanical operations at temperature ranging from 25°C to 125°C. The variations in contact resistance and force during the mating process are recorded and interpreted explicitly. The effect of temperature on the insertion characteristic curve are compared and analyzed. Based on the change in contact resistance and force, surface morphology and element analysis, the degradation mechanisms of connectors under different temperatures are proposed. The study reveals that temperature has a significant effect on the wear and corrosion characteristics of contact interface.