Vacuum Greases Used on Electrical Contacts
Be sure to consider the trade offs between the different kinds of grease for
this application
Great care must be taken to ensure that the correct lubricant is used in an
electrical contact application. Temperature of course is the first
consideration, so be sure the grease selected is "rated" for operation at
the temperatures expected for the contacts to be lubricated.
Beyond that, there are some general rules of thumb we believe to be valid,
but there are exceptions to ever rule, and we would expect that there too
would be exceptions to our "rules" as well:
Rule #1:
Silicone greases, generally speaking, are generally not a good choice for
this type of application. Relative to other options, they are not good
lubricants and in the event of contact arcing, adherent, insulating Silica
can be deposited on the contact surface leading to electrical failure. This
seems to be particularly true for low voltage contacts.
Rule #2:
Fluorocarbon based greases are the grease of choice when operating
temperatures are expected at temperatures above that where hydrocarbon type
greases could operate. And of course when extreme environments are involved
, the fluorocarbon based greases have the greatest leve of chemical
inertness. However, in the presence of electrical arcing, there could
possibly be liberation of fluorine from the base oils or polymer, which
could lead to the creation of HF. And this certainly would be undesireable.
So when the operating temperature demands it, then grease like some of the
Braycote® products
would be recommended.
Rule #3:
If the operating temperatures permit, then the Apiezon® greases represent, we
believe the best choice for the electrical contact application. At the high
end of the range, the Santovac® 5 GB grease
might be an alternative.
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Tuesday May 13, 2008
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