Interaction of tungsten in dry sliding against steel under high density electric current

The possibility of creating a wear-resistant dry sliding electrical contact tungsten/steel was studied. It was shown that tungsten caused severe wear of the quenched steel counterbody due to unlimited plastic flow of its surface layer at a current density up to 150 A/cm2 . This indicated the impossibility of achieving satisfactory characteristics of such a contact. Low electrical conductivity and wear resistance of the contact tungsten/steel were presented in comparison with the known high copper/steel contact characteristics under the same conditions. X-ray phase analysis data of the steel sliding surfaces made it possible to state that the cause of the unsatisfactory sliding of tungsten was the absence of the necessary concentration of FeO oxide on the sliding surface of the steel.