Electrical Conductivity and Arc Erosion Resistance of New Type Cu/TiBN Electrical Contact Materials

A new type of TiBN powder material was synthesized by boronizing sintering method, which was both ceramic and metallic, with a resistivity of 2.6x10(-3) ohm center dot cm. Cu/TiBN and Cu/TiN electrical contact materials were prepared by powder metallurgy using TiBN and TiN as reinforced phases, respectively. The microstructure and physical properties of electrical contact materials with different contents of TiBN and TiN were investigated. The results demonstrate that compared with TiN reinforced phase, the TiBN reinforced phase can significantly improve the electrical conductivity, oxidation resistance, hardness, and arc erosion resistance of Cu-based electrical contact materials. When the content (mass fraction) of TiBN is 5%, the arc erosion resistance of Cu/TiBN is the best, and the mass loss is only 1.5 mg. During arc erosion, products such as TixOy, B2O3 and N-2 form on the surface of Cu/TiBN. These products can significantly improve the arc erosion resistance of Cu/TiBN electrical contact materials. The newly developed Cu/TiBN electrical contact materials have excellent mechanical properties and resistance to arc erosion, and have a broad application prospect in the electrical contact industry.