Electromechanical Switching Device Utilizing Contacts on Aluminum Conductors and Method of Adhesion
AssigneeSafran Electrical & Power
InventorsDavid Michael Geier, Olivier Maka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrical switching device and related methods, for use in aerospace applications include a first static contact assembly, a second static contact assembly, a movable contact assembly for making an electrical connection between the first and second static contact assemblies. The first contact assembly, the second contact assembly and the movable contact assembly each include a silver contact that is percussion welded to the aluminum substrate. Before percussion welding, the silver contact includes a projection for focusing an arc during percussion welding.
Claims20
An electrical switching device, comprising:
- a first static contact assembly,
- a second static contact assembly arranged relative to the first static contact assembly such that first and second contact assemblies are separated by a gap,
- a movable contact assembly for making an electrical connection between the first and second static contact assemblies,
- an activator that when actuated, moves the movable contact assembly to make the electrical connection between the first and second static contact assemblies, and
- a spring biasing the movable contact assembly in a direction away from at least one of the first and second static contact assemblies to break the electrical connection between the first and second static contact assemblies when the activator is not actuated,
- wherein at least one of the first contact assembly, the second contact assembly, and the movable contact assembly include a substrate with a contact that is percussion welded thereto,
- wherein the substrate comprises aluminum and the contact comprises silver, and
- wherein the contact, prior to being percussion welded to the substrate, includes a projection for focusing an arc when the contact is percussion welded to the substrate.
The electrical switching device according to claim wherein the substrate includes a cladding comprising nickel and silver.
A method of making an electrical switching device, comprising:
- percussion welding a first contact to a first substrate to form a first static contact assembly,
- percussion welding a second contact to second substrate to form a second static contact assembly, and
- percussion welding third and fourth contacts, to a third substrate to form a movable contact assembly,
- arranging the first and second static contact assemblies relative to each other such that the first static contact assembly is separated by a gap from the second contact assembly,
- arranging the movable contact assembly such that the movable contact assembly is movable between an engaged position where the movable contact assembly makes an electrical connection between the first static contact assembly and the second static contact assembly, and a disengaged position where the movable contact assembly does not make the electrical connection between the first static contact assembly and the second static contact assembly,
- connecting the movable contact assembly to an activator that when actuated, moves the movable contact assembly to the engaged position, and
- connecting the movable contact assembly to a spring that moves the movable contact assembly to the disengaged position when the activator is not actuated,
- wherein the first contact, the second contact, the third contact, and the fourth contact each comprise silver,
- wherein the first substrate, the second substrate, and the third substrate each comprise aluminum, and
- wherein the first contact, the second contact, the third contact, and the fourth contact each include, prior to the percussion welding, a projection that focuses an arc during the percussion welding.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.