Degussa Aktiengesellschaft

Umicore Ag & Co Kg

Tyco Electronics Amp Gmbh

Te Connectivity Germany Gmbh

Andreas Koffler

Roger Wolmer

Peter Braumann

Wolfgang Weise

Willi Malikowski

Bernd Kempf

Ralf Hoffmann

Dan V Goia

Peter Sandeck

Jens Heinrich

Werner Roth

Martin Wieberger

Allen Molvar

Carsten Boehme

Inge Fallheier

The present invention relates to a method for producing an electric contact element from a semifinished product and to the electric contact element and the corresponding semifinished product. The method for producing an electric contact element (), which can be electrically contacted by a mating contact, comprises the following steps: producing a wire () from a first electrically conductive material (); coating the wire surface with a sheath () made of a second electrically conductive material; partially removing the sheath () in a direction along a longitudinal wire axis (); forming at least one cylindrical semifinished product () by dividing the wire in a direction transverse to the longitudinal wire axis; fixing the semifinished product on a contact carrier () such that the second electrically conductive material is connected to the contact carrier; and reshaping the welded semifinished product so as to form the contact element (), wherein a contact area (), which is accessible for a mating contact, is formed by the first electrically conductive material.

Electric contact element and method for producing an electric contact element

The invention relates to a process for producing a material based on silver-carbon, that involves the steps of: (i) providing a suspension of carbon particles; and (ii) supplying a solution of a silver compound and of a reducing agent, such that a silver-containing precipitate is deposited onto the carbon particles, where the carbon particles have a mean diameter of 200 nm or greater. The invention further relates to a material obtainable by this process and to the use of the material in circuit breakers for low-voltage power engineering.

Silver/carbon-based material and method for producing the same for contact material

The present invention relates to a method for manufacture of silver-based composite powders for electrical contact materials. The invention relates also to electrical contact materials made from such composite powders. The process comprises a high energy dispersing process of wet silver oxide (AgO) with additional second oxide components in aqueous suspension. The high energy dispersing process can be conducted by high shear mixing or by high energy milling. Preferably high speed dispersing units working at rotating speeds in the range of 5,000 to 30,000 rpm or high energy mills such as attritor mills are used. The new process is versatile, economical and offers access to a broad spectrum of contact materials. The silver-based composite powders made according to the new process yield contact materials with a highly dispersed microstructures and superior material characteristics.

Process for manufacture of silver-based composite powders for electrical contact materials and composite powders so produced

Sintered silver-iron material for electrical contacts, with properties comparable with those of silver-nickel materials, is obtained by using iron powder having more than 0.25% carbon by weight and microhardness higher than 200 HV 0.025 and sintering in a hydrogen-free protective gas.

Sintered silver-iron material for electrical contacts and process for

Silver-iron materials for electrical switching contacts with properties which come very close to those of silver-nickel materials formed of 0.5 to 4.5% by weight iron and 0.05 to 2% by weight of one or more of the oxides magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, cerium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide, chromium oxide, manganese oxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, indium oxide, silicon oxide, and tin oxide, the balance being silver.

Silver-iron material for electrical switching contacts (I)

Silver-iron materials for electrical switching contacts with properties which come very close to those of silver-nickel materials formed of 4.6 to 15% by weight iron and 0.05 to 5% by weight of one or more of the oxides magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, cerium oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide, aluminum oxide, indium oxide, silicon oxide, and tin oxide, the balance being silver.

Silver-iron material for electrical switching contacts (II)

Silver-iron materials for electrical switching contacts with properties which come very close to those of silver-nickel materials formed of 0.5 to 20% by weight iron 0.5 to 5% by one or more of the elements rhenium, iridium, and ruthenium, and 0.05 to 2% by weight of one or more of the oxides magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, yttrium oxide, lanthanum oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, cerium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide, chromium oxide, manganese oxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide, copper oxide, aluminum oxide, indium oxide, silicon oxide, and tin oxide, the balance being silver.

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Nidderau, Germany

Andreas Koffler