Quantitative and Qualitative Characterization of Coatings Added to Low Voltage Switches

Authors

  • Leila Troudi Université de Tunis El Manar, Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tunis, LR11ES15 Laboratoire des Systèmes Électriques, Tunisia
  • Khaled Jelassi Université de Tunis El Manar, Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tunis, LR11ES15 Laboratoire des Systèmes Électriques, Tunisia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46604/aiti.2022.8971

Keywords:

electroplating, switches, scattering parameters, vector network analyzer, coatings

Abstract

Electroplating is one of the most important processes in the manufacturing of switches. Coating the conductive parts of switches improves their appearance and increases their durability, even in severe environments. This study proposes a non-destructive testing method to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize coatings added to the conductive parts of low voltage switches (contacts and terminals). The method is based on the injection of a high-frequency signal into a switch using the vector network analyzer (VNA). An in-depth analysis of the reflected signal is conducted to characterize the coatings. For the quantitative characterization, a comparison is made between switches that are plated with different coating thicknesses. As for the qualitative characterization, a comparison is made between switches that are manufactured with different types of metals. The results show that each switch type has an electromagnetic signature that varies according to the conductivity and the thickness of the metals used for coating.

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Published

2022-05-13

How to Cite

[1]
L. Troudi and K. Jelassi, “Quantitative and Qualitative Characterization of Coatings Added to Low Voltage Switches”, Adv. technol. innov., vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 206–215, May 2022.

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Articles