Effect of substrate temperature on microstructure and properties of the CuCr25 alloys produced by electron beam cladding

The microstructure and properties of the contact CuCr alloy produced by electron-beam cladding have been investigated. The effect of the electron beam cladding parameters and preheating temperature of the base metal on the structure and the properties of the coatings has been determined. The bimodal structure of the cladding coating has been established. The short circuit currents tests are made on the Weil-Dobke synthetic circuit simulating operation of a VCB in real electric networks. Test results showed that the cladding contact material has better breakdown strength after current zero than the sintered contact material in mass production. Application of the technology of electron beam cladding in the production of contact material would significantly improve a specific characteristics and the reliability of vacuum switching equipment.