A Study of Current Chopping Characteristics in Metal-Carbide Composite Contact Materials

To clarify the effect of carbides on current chopping characteristics the chopping current was evaluated for various metal–carbide contact materials. It was found that the chopping current of metal–carbide contacts was related to the vapor pressure of the metals and the work function of the carbides. It was also found that the chopping current was reduced by heat treatment when the melting point of contacts was lower than the temperature of heat treatment. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 179(1): 15–20, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.21236