Silver-iron material for electrical contacts

US4859238A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Degussa AG · DE

Inventors

• Wolfgang Weise · Frankfurt, DE
• Roger Wolmer · Gelnhausen, DE
• Peter Braumann · Alzenau, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 3, 1988
• Grant date: Aug 22, 1989
• Expiry date: Jun 3, 2008

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01H1/023
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Electrical contacts are formed from a silver-iron material which contains 3 to 30% by weight of iron and one or more of the components manganese, copper, zinc, antimony, bismuth oxide, molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide or chromium nitride in amount totalling 0.05 to 5 weight percent, the balance being silver. These materials are suitable for forming electrical contacts of a wide variety. Tantalum is an optional component which may also be utilized particularly when 0.2 percent to 2 percent zinc is present.