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→Silver-Palladium Alloys
AgPd alloys are hard, arc erosion resistant, and have a lower tendency towards material transfer under DC loads <xr id="tab:tab2.19"/> (Table 2.19). On the other hand the electrical conductivity is decreased at higher Pd contents. The ternary alloy AgPd30Cu5 has an even higher hardness which makes it suitable for use in sliding contact systems.
AgPd alloys are mostly used in relays for the switching of medium to higher loads (>60V, >2A) as shown in Table 2.20 <xr id="tab:tab2.20"/>(Table 2.20). Because of the high palladium price these formerly solid contacts have been widely replaced by multi-layer designs such as AgNi0.15 or AgNi10 with a thin Au surface layer. A broader field of application for AgPd alloys remains in the wear resistant sliding contact systems.
Fig. 2.66: Phase diagram of silver-palladium
