| Pure gold has complete resistance to atmospheric tarnish and oxidation. It does not contribute to polymer formations like platinum and palladium alloys. Wrought gold metal is very soft and prone to welding and has very few contact applications. Electroplated coatings of gold on silver and other base metals are used in dry circuit application and to provide long shelf life reliability. Gold is alloyed with other metals to improve hardness, contact performance, and reduce cost. ELKONIUM® 72 is the trademark used by CMW for a gold-silver-platinum alloy that is harder and more resistant to mechanical wear than ELKONIUM 70 alloy. It is completely resistant to atmospheric corrosion at normal temperatures, and is widely used in telephone relays and other sensitive switching devices. It offers good wear resistant and a low contact resistance when used as a brush contact and operated against other noble metal surfaces in sliding contact applications. Information provided by NAECO, LLC. |
