How can you extend the lifespan of electromechanical relays?

The biggest problem we see is the selection of the wrong relay or contactor. It is critical that, when choosing the relay, you check the entire system, application and location that the relay needs to perform in.

I think the most important factor is cyclic rate of use. If an electromechanical relay is being switched on and off, in short cycles, causes much more damage to relays than the normal mechanic will realize. In short cycling applications, I like to oversize my relays to compensate for the amount of arcing it may encounter. This leads to a little longer life, with simple cleaning of the contacts. Another important factor, in these cases, is making sure that a capacitor is in place to protect the coil. Surging on and off can do bad things to a coil. Making sure a capacitor to help dampen the surge can increase the life of the contact coil.

A aplica??o correta de cada componente e bem plausível para uma durabilidade mais eficiente buscado sempre o custo e o modo de trabalho correto no projeto

En primera estancia es verificar las condiciones del fabricante así mismo los planos del mismo ya que al final cada fabricante maneja diferentes rangos o especificaciones

Relays, circuit breakers, and AC contactors are commonly used together. Selecting suitable supporting products is also crucial for extending the relay's lifespan. Besides, we can ask the supplier to provide testing report of NTC

When choosing a relay for your application, you should consult with the supplier/producer of the relay first. Companies like Mors Smitt for railway relays have a lot of knowledge and experience to guide you towards the best solution.

Consider duty cycles and whether changing NO/NC contacts could reduce powered coil cycles and the associated heat. The use of heatsinks will help to extend the serviceable life also.

Para garantir a boa funcionalidade dos reles é importante que seja realizado a escolha correta do rele para tal aplica??o (escolhendo sempre reles de 1a linha). Porém devemos sempre procurar um profissional qualidade para dar-nos esse suporte sobre qual rele utilizar, prote??o da bobina, substitui??o correta e manuten??es preventivas.

No que tange a bobina do relé (eletromecanico), deve-se se considerar usar para aumentar confiabilidade sinais NAMUR, barreiras intrisecas, solu??es validas também para o relé do tipo SSR

Maintain cleanliness: Keep the relays and their surroundings clean to prevent the accumulation of dust, dirt, or debris. This reduces the chances of contact contamination and improves performance

When the relay is used for heating circuits, make sure the controllers on/off cycle times are longer but appropriate for the ramp/cycle being run. For example, a temperature profiler type of controller may switch on and off an electric heater circuit 1 time a second but on for 30 second on off for 30 will not cause temperature fluctuations and will increase the life of the contactor by 30x.

One way to protect the relay contact is to make sure that the wires are screwed in tight so as to avoid arcing which damages the internal contacts of the relay

Protegerlos es parte fundamental ya que pude producir oxidación o perder aislamiento del mismo así se protege el contacto como relé en lo cual es muy importante su revisión periódica del mismo para un buen funcionamiento así como el cambiarlo periódicamente

It's also good to add an analog switch, so the relay with run at a lower voltage. When the there's loadshedding involved in the scenario, and high voltage spikes happen, the analog switch will protect your relay.

Adequate ventilation: Provide sufficient ventilation to the relay, especially if it generates heat during operation. Excessive heat can cause premature aging and failure of internal components.

Contacts should be regularly cleaned with proper cleaning agent and avoiding unnecessary engagement during operation however you should consider loading, don't overload relays.

If we look at railway you can use the relay that is fit for the suroundings. For example in places like India or Egypt there is typically a lot of dust, by using a dust cover you can extend the lifetime of the relay. Same for high or low temperature places. You should always avoid opening the relays to clean contacts etc. This will take away any warranty and increases the risk on operating failures. Always contact the supplier if there is a failure...especially in railway signaling relays!

On DC circuits if you hear unusual relay chatter, even the slightest Means you have a problem! (Don’t just ignore it)with the relay or the circuit many times I have found shorted diode(s) in the Rectifier this allows AC leakage in your DC circuit, causing the chatter… easiest way I found to test for this put your meter on AC. See if you have any AC voltage Bleeding through your DC circuit

Avoid overloading: Do not overload the relay by exceeding its maximum switching capacity. If the relay is continuously subjected to heavy loads, it can lead to increased wear and tear, reducing its lifespan.

Replace the relay when there is a failure. This should always be the first step. Also, determine a maintenance timeline by using the MTBF values of the supplier. Typical Railway relays, such as Mors Smitt can work for 20 years if the system is designed correctly.

Creo que este se tiene que cambiar aún determinado tiempo ya sea que sea necesario o no cambiar es llevar un rol de cambio, ya que por uso o tiempo se tiene que cambiar por seguridad del personal e instalación

Consider solid-state alternatives: If feasible, consider using solid-state relays (SSRs) as they have no moving parts and generally have longer lifespans compared to electromechanical relays.

Something to watch out for when doing preventative, maintenance or working on DC power relays is watch out for the core becoming magnetized it won’t matter what precautions you may implement, after a certain amount of time in service the core or contact plate will become magnetized, especially on power and run circuits. This will cause the contacts to remain closed even after the circuit is denergized, potentially causing a hazardous situation if relays are in a safety circuit, With the circuit denergized manually push relay in slowly, letting it fall out be sure there’s no residual magnetism if so, change core and plate or entire coil if Complete unit

Considere muito importante o tipo de carga a ser acionada pelo relé, por exemplo, cargas indutivas e potencialmente capacitivas como bobinas e filtros RCL, devem ser acionados por eletromecanicos. Caso forem pulsos de controle de carga resistiva ou mesmo de sinais de registro deve-se optar por relés de estado sólido

I have added cooling fans to boxes helping to keep them cool. Routinely torque connections. Keep boxes clean and free of bugs and dust