Tungsten Contacts for Electrical Appliances

As far as most electrical appliances are concerned, they all use high-purity tungsten contacts, mainly because the contacts have a high melting point, a slow evaporation rate, and good electrical and thermal conductivity. Compared with traditional contacts, the contacts made of metal tungsten have a longer cycle life and at the same time ensure good contact with the circuit board.

At present, common control electrical products such as AC contactors, electromagnetic relays, electrical switches, and air switches all contain electrical contacts, and contacts are one of the most important components of these products.

The reliability and service life of the product depends to a large extent on the contact performance, and the contact performance is affected by factors such as contact material, load type, contact pressure, operating frequency, and use environment. When these factors cannot meet the working requirements, problems such as electrochemical corrosion of contacts, welding between contacts, contact wear, and increase of contact resistance will occur, which will lead to unreliable operation, functional failure, and even potential safety hazards.

In the energized state, if the current that opens the circuit exceeds a certain limit, or if the voltage on the contact gap exceeds a certain limit after the opening, the contact gap will appear. Under the action of a strong electric field, the gas between the contacts will discharge. Sparks and strong light will be generated and emitted with the increase of the temperature. The arc will corrode the metal surface of the contact, shorten the service life of the electrical appliance, extend the breaking time of the circuit, and cause the contact failure of the contact. In severe cases, it can also cause fire accidents.

Nowadays, in order to further improve the overall quality of electrical equipment contact points, most manufacturers use metal tungsten to make electrical contacts.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you have a better understanding of the tungsten contacts for electrical appliances. If you want to learn more about metal tungsten or other types of refractory metals and alloys, we would like to advise you to visit Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) for more information.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, California, USA, Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) is a leading manufacturer & supplier of refractory metals & alloys across the world. It provides customers with high-quality refractory metals & alloys such as niobium, molybdenum, tantalum, rhenium, tungsten, titanium, and zirconium at a very competitive price.