Evaluation of Electrical Contacts Using an X-Ray CT 3D Visualisation Technique

X-Ray CT visualisation is a powerful tool for characterising the condition of electrical contacts and associated degradation mechanisms. The main advantage is the ability to acquire 3-dimensional views of samples without dismantling the component parts and thus destroying any features of interest. Material presented in this paper highlights the study underway to develop this technique to characterise electrical contacts. A brief review of the visualisation technique is given compared to other methods, highlighting the developments in the technology and comparing to mathematical surface modelling. Experimental data of a contact system is presented to demonstrate the advantages of the technique. The extent of the contacting interface is shown which includes asperities of different shapes and voids. The paper concludes by highlighting the types of questions in contact physics which can be answered with this technique and the developments necessary to get those answers.