EDITORIAL & OPINION — NEW HORIZONS — Stopping a car with gold

Twenty-eight million cars and light trucks built over the past four years in North America have factory-installed, life-saving anti-lock braking systems (ABS). Of all the materials available in the world, only gold contacts can help achieve the minimum 10-year or 150,000-mile design standard for these safety systems, owing to gold’s unique resistance to extreme weather conditions.

In the standard 25-position anti-lock brake system, sensors at each wheel monitor motion and conduct their signals through 21 gold-plated contacts to an on-board computer programmed to integrate brake-pedal pressure and wheel rotation. When the anti-lock brake system is activated, the computer signals the driver by rapidly fluctuating the hydraulic pressure and producing a pulsating effect on the brake pedal. This signals the motorist that the car is on the verge of skidding so that the motorist can take appropriate action.

The mechanical environment of the automobiles places great demands on equipment and monitoring systems. Automotive electrical contacts and connectors are subject to extremes of atmospheric contamination, humidity, temperature, vibration and wear, all of which degrade performance. These effects must be overcome throughout the life of the system or the motorist will be at risk. In the engine compartment, for example, control systems rely on 160 gold-coated contacts. In wheel assemblies, each set of 21 gold-plated contacts must monitor wheel action through every conceivable environment.

A series of tests published by Popular Science magazine showed that under a wide variety of conditions, the ABS system employing gold shortened braking distances in straight-line situation in four out of nine test procedures.

— The preceding is an excerpt of an article that appeared in Gold News, published by Washington, D.C.-based Gold Institute.