May 12, 2015
Contact Design Considerations For Long-Term Reliability
For those critical electrical contact applications where the consequences of failure are severe and long-term reliability is paramount, reliance is customarily placed on noble metal finishes. Gold is by far the noble metal finish of choice. Gold, of the proper thickness and with an appropriate underplate, will form little or no tarnish film. This note will discuss reliability with respect to the ability of a contact system to operate successfully in spite of external contamination factors – the presence of/ entrapment of non-conducting material at the contact interface.
http://www.connectorsupplier.com/contact-design-considerations-for-long-term-reliability/