Composites for electrical contact applications

Materials for use in electrical engineering and electronics are often required to have combinations of properties which are not generally found in pure metals or alloys. For many years metallic composites have been used for electric-contact applications. The paper discusses the physical properties of composites in terms of 'combination properties' (sum properties and product properties) and structural properties (determined by geometry and size of phases). Applications of composite materials for electric contacts are discussed relative to particle composite materials, fiber composite materials, infiltrated composite materials, and laminated composite materials. Apart from the often described structural-mechanical capabilities, composite materials exhibit enhanced or new properties in various fields of electrical engineering, especially in electric contact technology.