3 solutions to mechanical wear in electrical components

"Lubricants for electrical components"

Mechanical wear represents the progressive and continuous loss of material from solid surfaces, in mutual movement and contact.

All mechanical devices, whether simple or complex, over time undergo these losses if not properly lubricated. “Properly” means you need to know which are the best lubricants for electrical components. Let's see what characteristics they must have.

There are several ways in which mechanical wear acts, some of which can work synergistically, creating devastating effects on your components:

• Abrasion, surface grooves are formed due to the difference in hardness of the frictional partners;
• Adhesion, removal of surface material due to the tendency of two materials to stick together, it can be superficial or deep;
• Surface fatigue, loss of material and deformation of surfaces due to repeated mechanical stress;
• Erosion, surface furrows are created caused by the collision of solid particles contained in colliding fluids at high speed;
• Rubbing, localized wear on the surfaces in contact due to the reciprocal sliding effect caused by vibrations;
• Corrosion, loss of oxidized material from the friction surfaces;
• Electro-corrosion, removal of materials due to the dissolution of a corrosive liquid favored by electric current;
• Electric discharge, loss of material caused by molten metal parts altered by electrical discharges.

Mechanical wear is a natural and inevitable phenomenon, but with good preventive actions and constant and accurate lubrication, it can be delayed to the benefit of the components.

What's the benefit?

• If your company manufactures electrical components, the right lubricant guarantees you to drastically reduce the risk of returns for malfunctions.
• If your company works with machines that have electrical components, the right lubricant allows you to maintain optimal productivity.

Mechanical wear and electrical components

Checking the mechanical wear right from the design stage, through an in-depth study and the choice of the correct lubricant, can really extend the operation at high levels of your electrical components for long time.

 There is a huge number of common actions that brings to electrical contacts wear. Let's think, for example to the stresses that an electric command undergoes when the current is interrupted or activated: the approach of the two conductive surfaces is a crucial moment, and even a correct design cannot avoid the formation of the so-called electric arc.

This is because the electrical components are subjected to very short stresses at temperatures that are too high, incompatible with any material, lasting fractions of a second, which produce continuous micro damage to the conductive surfaces carrying the current.

It is therefore easy to understand how much the electrical components can be damaged during life component, for days, weeks, months, years, creating malfunctions, especially in the transmission of low intensity signals.

Effects of lubricants on mechanical wear

As we have just seen, mechanical wear in electrical components depends on multiple factors, which is why it is essential to have a functional lubricant for your needs, created specifically for your project.

Using the right lubricant yields multiple advantages:

• Considerably reduces friction and wear;
• Avoids excessive heating from friction or caused by external sources;
• Protects from aggressive products that can form during exercise;
• It guarantees performance at the highest level for the entire life of the component.

Do you want to understand how to properly lubricate separable electrical connectors?