brass bolts - electrical connection
brass bolts - electrical connection
(OP)
Dear all,
we have brass bolts that should ensure proper electrical contact with a tinned ring clamped in between the bolts. The bolts are somewhat shielded from the outside environment with a cap but can nevertheless become wet by rain/condense etc.
Is this construction safe for electrical contact (10 years) or should we opt for another solution?
thanks
Johan
we have brass bolts that should ensure proper electrical contact with a tinned ring clamped in between the bolts. The bolts are somewhat shielded from the outside environment with a cap but can nevertheless become wet by rain/condense etc.
Is this construction safe for electrical contact (10 years) or should we opt for another solution?
thanks
Johan





RE: brass bolts - electrical connection
What voltage/power lever are you working with?
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RE: brass bolts - electrical connection
Best is to tin-plate the brass fasteners. Hot-dipped tin is preferable to electroplated.* Galvanic compatibility is shown in Table VI of (US) MIL-F-14072D FINISHES FOR GROUND BASED ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT. For copper & copper-based alloys, Table III gives Finish M317, a tin coating >17.8 microns thick per MIL-T-10727, Type II (hot dipped). Probably, fasteners must be machined & coated by the mfr. to avoid thread tolerance problems.
(US) MIL-STD-889B DISSIMILAR METALS gives similar info but is more tedious to understand. To alleviate galvanic incompatibility, it recommends plating with the other metal of the couple.
*hot-dipped tin-coated brass fasteners may be difficult to find, so may use electroplated tin. Use a thicker grade, such as ASTM B545, Class D (15 microns).