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Switchgear mfgr asks resistance of gold chromate on busbar

2003

Our vertical busbars in our switchboards are manufactured from an aluminum extrusion which can carry 2500A at 415V. In order to prevent corrosion on these busbars we normally have them plated with Alochrom 1000 but due to the fact that it's hard to distinguish between unplated and plated we have decided to change the plating to Alochrom 1200 which has a light gold finish. Is there any noticeable difference in conductivity between Alochrom 1000 and Alochrom 1200?

Many Thanks,

Duncan Wood
Low Voltage Switchgear - Newcastle, Tyne + Wear, UK

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The supplier of this proprietary process should have the numbers you are looking for, Duncan, but the overall rule is that the clear chromate is more conductive than the colored because it is thinner. This is reflected in such specs as MIL-C-5541, where the clear coatings are defined as class 3 for best conductivity and the colored coating are class 1a for best corrosion resistance.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
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