View Presentation

View Recorded Presentation

Abstract

Lubricants are widely used to mitigate wear and corrosion in electrical contacts. Factors influencing the performance of electrical contact lubricants include their chemical stability and compatibility with contact materials; their viscosity; the expected number of contact cyles; environmental, mechanical and electrical usage conditions; and the lubricant application process. In this presentation, methods for assessing electrical contact lubricants will be discussed.  Experimental test results for a variety of electrical contact lubricants will be presented. Finally, guidelines for lubricant selection will be proposed based on the properties and chemistry of the lubricant, as well as the evolution of contact resistance and friction with fretting cycles for gold-on-gold contacts.

About the Presenter: Dr. Michael H. Azarian is a research scientist at CALCE and member of the graduate faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park. He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, a Masters degree in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science from Carnegie Mellon, and a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University.

Dr. Azarian is chair of the SAE G-19A Test Laboratory Standards Development Committee which is responsible for the AS6171 family of standards on detection of counterfeit electrical, electronic, and electromechanical parts. He also co-chairs the working group responsible for the IEEE 1624 standard on organizational reliability capability of suppliers of electronic products. He has led other standards groups within IEEE and iNEMI. He has over 150 publications on electronics reliability and packaging, prognostics and health management, and tribology, and holds 5 U.S. patents.