Degradation Phenomenon of Electrical Contacts by using a Micro-Sliding Mechanism

A Micro-Sliding Mechanism on Trial

Abstract

Authors have developed the mechanism which gives real vibration to electrical contacts by a hammering oscillating mechanism and a micro-sliding mechanism. They have studied the influence of micro-oscillation on contacts by using the mechanisms. The former generates periodical impulsive force to objects in the vertical direction and the latter generates reciprocal micro-sliding to objects. To input more real oscillation to objects the authors have improve the latter mechanism. They have designed and developed a new mechanism which is made of a piezo-electric actuator instead of a magneto-strictive one and elastic hinges instead of parallel leaf springs. It is suggested that the mechanism has performances enough to analyze the degradation phenomenon of electrical contacts between male-pins and female-pins of a connector by basic sliding performances of the mechanism and by measurements concerning with the phenomenon.