Effect of the Friction Characteristics of Sliding Contacts on Electrical Signal Transmission

A resin bonded copper-graphite brush was investigated to evaluate the characteristics electrical signal transmission through a sliding contact as a function of the relative amount of graphite and copper in the brush. Particular attention was given to the correlation between electrical signal fluctuation and tribological properties in an electrical sliding contact system. A ring-on-block type tribotester was used for this experiment and the ring was made from pure copper. Results showed that a copper-graphite brush at a particular composition range exhibited the most stable frictional behavior with a minimum voltage drop. The amount of voltage drop at the friction interface was affected by the surface roughness, transfer film formation at the friction interface, and the real area of contact. Microscopic observations and the surface analysis showed a good agreement with the results from this experiment. The results also indicated that the electrical signal flunctuation was directly associated with the oscillation of the coefficient of friction during sliding by nanoscale variation of contacts at the friction interface.