Cd-free silver alloy for sliding contact

A new silver alloy containing Li and La(ALL alloy) was developed for use as a sliding contact material. This alloy can replace the silver alloy containing 1% of Cd (AgCd1) for light duty sliding contacts because of its high performance. An investigation was conducted on the fretting test to evaluate the required characteristic properties of the sliding contact. Ag-La-In-Ni, Ag-La-In-Sb, Ag-Li-In, and Ag-Li-La alloys were selected for the primary sample test. The Ag-Li-La alloy was found to be the most promising. The ALL alloy exhibits low contact resistance, abrasion resistance and arc resistance compared to AgCd1. The test results of this alloy on a light duty relay tester prove its suitability for relay contact use.<
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