Fretting corrosion of tin-plated separable connectors used in automotive applications

Greater demands are being placed on the separable connector to perform with higher reliability in harsher automotive environments. Corrosion in its various forms is a major mechanism which affects contact reliability and this current work focuses on surface oxidation and the related phenomenon of fretting corrosion, from which hot dipped tin (HDT), a common automotive connector coating, is known to suffer. For an in-depth study of high contact resistance, in both static conditions and when subjected to relative micromovement, an interdisciplinary approach was necessary, drawing on the results of published work carried out in the fields of contact and surface science, corrosion and tribology. [Continues.]