Effect of electric field on electrical breakdown arc behavior of micro contact gaps: A 3D approach

This paper presents the electric breakdown arc behavior of micro electrical contact with respect to electric field across contact gap. The breakdown electric field characteristics of Al, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Pt are reported. The 3D plane-plane micro electrical contact has been considered and maximum electric field is analyzed mathematically. Also the considered electrode has been simulated using COMSOL FEA tool for the contact gap from 1 to 30μm. The influence of contact gap and contact size has been simulated and results are compared with the numerical results. The arc behavior of the micro electrical contact for various voltages and contact size are simulated and results are presented. It is found that increasing the size of micro electrical contact reduces the electric field considerably and it can switch higher voltage without arcing. The effect of thickness on electric field and off-state isolation of micro electrical contact is reported. These results can be considered while designing arc-less micro electrical switches, micro relays and micro circuit breakers which can be applicable to the future DC electric power distribution and protection systems.