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Snake oil?

I think we're talking physics here,not electrical engineering with parameters ranging from surface finish of mating components,resistivity & conductivity of all component materials ,friction values & dimensions said from a perspective of a qualified Physicist & Mechanical Engineer.
However seems we're guilding the lily a little, Tref,as whatever you use there seems to be mainly brass
and/or brass plated material ,some air here & there with minimal film of a conductive coating so whether it's a fraction of a penny's worth of petroleum jelly or some extravagantly more expensive special coating,a good mechanical joint should give those tiny electrons a free party??
 
We live in an age where the sciences are blurring... Soon I am going to want bio-based assemblers to track down and restore electrical connections for me, but in the meantime...!
Whilst I am a mech-eng, I spent a disgusting amount of time a couple of years ago looking very closely (scanning electron microscope closely!) at a certain connector with a view to improving its performance. Using some form of gunge was one possibility I wasn't allowed to investigate, and it has always been nagging in the back of my mind. I have now forgotten most of what I learned as a result of that exercise, but I can remember that the most significant improvement is usually by increasing the contact pressure, and that some of the connectors frequently used in automoive applications have a very limited number of make/break cycles before their performance is seriously compromised. Like about 16. Before I found that out I was probably making and breaking some connections more than that just trying to track a fault down. Turns out I was quite likely exasperating it. Yes, indeed, it may well be gilding a lily, however, I can't help thinking that lilys aren't particularly conductive, and that the gilding probably is! It's just one of those things I've just got to investigate!

Happy New Year all!
 
Well ideally,connectors could be gold plated,so no oxidation-however I don't think gilding(I spelt it incorrectly) would be suitable as usually entails applying the gold onto a tacky size which wouldn't necessarily be conductive.
For me ,the future entails dressing up in rubber clothing,wearing wellys & rubber gloves & that's probably just to check any transmission oil in a 800Volt driveline[:D] after satisfying Lily:ROFLMAO:
 
Oooh another gunge to compare! If I can fund some...

Materials, and the reason for using one type or another, is one of the things I have forgotten... Gold is indeed an excellent surface finish, so long as it isn't subject to fretting, from vibration for example, as I recall... Hence not used more often for Automotive applications - it's not just a money thing. I know when I looked into it there was a "lightbulb" moment, and the materials and finishes made a lot more sense... Likewise crimping rather than soldering.
Agree in the rubber cossie... And have you seen how those batteries go if you drive something spikey through them? They're going to be a wow in an accident! Can we have some overhead cables instead please?
 
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