ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses ways to make model switches better so the information is more useful in commercial devices. It explores the important parameters that need to be controlled for testing arcing contact materials. The voltage measurement leads should be connected as close as possible to the contact spot. A large number of contact measurements on virgin spots can be executed along each straight line of the specimen rod to investigate its surface as manufactured or after exposure to any atmosphere. The voltage limit between the boiling voltage and the minimum arc voltage of the contact material has to be chosen as the “open” criterion of the contact to allow for arcing during the bounce time. The chapter discusses designing a model switch is complex and involves much more than the variables. The testing of electrical contacts involves many variables which make evaluations and comparisons very difficult.
