Changes

For applications at low switching loads , contact layers with thicknesses in the range of just a few micrometers are widely used. For testing such thin layers , the actual coating properties must be distinguished from the functional properties. Coating properties include, besides others, porosity, hardness, and ductility. Depending on the application, the most important function properties are for example frictional wear, contact resistance, material transfer, or contact welding behavior. Besides these , other technological properties such as adhesion strength, and solderability, maybe may also be of importance for special applications like those for electronic components.

The following descriptions are mainly applicable to electroplated contact coatings , which are of the most economical importance in contact applications. They also apply however in similar form to surface layers , which have been created by mechanical cladding or by sputtering.