An FEM Study of the Electrothermal Properties of Microelectrical Contacts for Application in the Design of Arcless Switches

This paper discusses the electrothermal characteristics of microelectrical contacts for arcless switching. The 3-D microelectrical contact suitable for dc power-switching application is considered. The important parameters for the design of an arcless microelectrical contact are identified. The ON-state contact resistance and the temperature are calculated and simulated using an Finite Element Method (FEM) tool. In order to design an arcless switching contact, the simulation-based steady-state and transient temperature distributions are estimated. The OFF-state capacitance and the electric field distribution are calculated and simulated for the arcless microelectrical contact. The analysis is carried out for the materials Al, Cu, Au, and Pt. The power ratings of the arcless microelectrical contact are identified. These results can be considered while designing an arcless electrical contact for microswitches, relays, and circuit breakers.