This section of IEC 60947 is applicable to separable contacts employed within the specific utilization area under consideration, including switching elements for control circuits.
The standard addresses two categories of rated voltage areas:
a) Above (and including) 10 V (usually 24 V), where contacts are utilized for switching loads that may experience electrical erosion, such as inputs for programmable controllers;
b) Below 10 V (typically 5 V), where electrical erosion is insignificant, such as in electronic circuits.
It does not cover contacts used in the extremely low-energy measurement area, such as sensor or thermocouple systems.
The aim of this standard is to propose a methodology for evaluating the performance of low-energy contacts, which includes:
- Providing useful definitions;
- Establishing general principles for test methods that monitor and record the behavior of contacts during each operation;
- Defining functional bases for the general testing equipment;
- Specifying preferred test values;
- Outlining specific conditions for testing contacts designed for particular applications (e.g., switching PC inputs);
- Detailing the information to be included in the test report;
- Offering guidance on the interpretation and presentation of the test results.
