Last week I posted a blog about a paper on Interconnect Susceptibility To Galvanic Corrosion. The paper was prepared David Scopelliti, a longtime friend of Samtec. As I mentioned there, Dave has a wealth of test, application, industry, and processing knowledge, and is well-respected and well-known in the industry. That’s a polite way of saying he knows a lot and has been around forever (think Moses in a lab coat). See a picture of Dave to the right. He’s either holding the Ten Commandments, or a Hebrew version of his paper on fretting corrosion.
Another frequently-read paper that Dave prepared is about fretting corrosion in electronic interconnects. Fretting is a micro-motion issue with movement typically less than .005″ (.127 mm). Just about any material that oxidizes is in danger of fretting corrosion under the right circumstances.
This paper is a good overview of what fretting corrosion is, the problems it causes, its source, and steps you can take to minimize its impact. Among other topics covered, this paper discusses:
- Fretting corrosion’s impact on digital signals
- Fretting corrosion’s impact on analog signals
- Fretting corrosion’s impact on power (an increase in resistance / temperature)
- The most common cause of fretting corrosion – mechanically unstable systems
- The second most common cause — repeated thermal excursions
- Other causes of fretting corrosion
- Six techniques that can be used to mitigate fretting corrosion
- Connector design considerations to reduce the likelihood of fretting corrosion
- Testing that can be performed to evaluate susceptibility to fretting corrosion
Here’s a link to the paper. Other links that may be of interest include:
- Dissimilar Metals And The Risk Of Galvanic Corrosion in Mating Connectors
- Interconnect Susceptibility To Galvanic Corrosion
- Interconnect Test Report Frequently Asked Questions
- Advice On Selecting and Processing Connectors
- Guidelines To Ensure Electromagnetic Immunity In Connectors
- Guidelines For Paste-In-Hole Reflow Processing
- The Facts Of (Extended) Life
- Best Practices For Connector Models
- FAQ Interconnect Test Reports
- Interconnect Processing Handbook
- Interconnect Processing Page
- FAQ About Interconnect Processing
- Effects of Lubrication On Connector Processing
- Calculating Mating and Un-Mating Forces For Samtec Connectors
- Selecting The Right Contact For Your Board-to-Board Interconnect System
- New High Speed Connector Rating That Accounts For The Entire System