ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information for arcing contact design and information on methods used for attachment of contacts. It explores technical information useful for the contact user. The chapter also focuses on materials and contact designs used for non-arcing separable, dry circuit, and contact applications. It further discusses gold contact alloys which are used in clad or electroplated composite structures for mainly non-arcing separable contact applications. Regardless of the contact silver alloy or the specific discrete contact design some degree of curling is normally present from the melting and solidification cycling from endurance testing and this will vary with contact electrical load level. For larger contact assemblies consisting of silver-based contact materials and predominantly copper alloy support carriers, brazing is employed as a traditional method of attachment. The brazing processes discussed below all use silver based brazing alloys, sometimes also termed silver solders, as filler metals between the copper alloy carriers and the silver-based contact.
