Effect of loading current on the arc erosion behavior of in-situ composite fiber-reinforced Ag–Cu–Ni–Ce alloy

To reveal the arc erosion behavior of in-situ composite fiber-reinforced electrical contact materials, arc erosion tests of an Ag–Cu–Ni–Ce alloy with the voltage of 24 V DC and a current ranging from 10 to 20 A were performed and the surface morphology, elemental distribution, and mass variations caused by arc erosion were investigated. The results found that, with the increase of load current, the arc erosion ratio and mass loss of contacts gradually increase. With a load current of 10 A, the contact resistance was lower, approximately one mΩ. The direction of material transfer was from the anode to the cathode, and the erosion mechanism was dominated by splashing and evaporation of the anode metal by short arc action. When the load current increased to 12 A, the contact resistance reached the maximum value of 5 mΩ. Then, it gradually decreased with increasing load current. The direction of material transfer was from the cathode to the anode, and the mechanism of erosion was mainly the bombardment of the cathode by gaseous positive ions by the long arc. At the same time, the results of the comparative analysis demonstrate that the in-situ composite fiber-reinforced Ag–Cu–Ni–Ce alloy has excellent arc erosion resistance.