The Lubrication and Environmental Protection of Alternatives to Gold for Electronic Connectors

A study was made of the ability of various lubricants to provide adequate protection for non-noble metal coatings in hostile environments. These include high humidity, salt spray, and industrial air pollutants. Platings included various types and thicknesses of tin, tin-lead, silver, and gold. The results have shown that specific lubricants can provide a high degree of environmental protection and give performance equal to or exceeding that of gold. An optimum type of lubricant appears to be one containing both a liquid or mobile constituent and a semi-solid or immobile constituent