📌 Medical Devices Electrical Connector - Fretting corrosion in sulfur-bearing atmosphere

Industry: Medical Devices · Severity: Critical · Mechanism: Fretting corrosion · Risk: 96/100

🧾 Summary

A electrical connector used in a medical devices application shows fretting corrosion risk after exposure to sulfur-bearing atmosphere. The design review focuses on material pairing, geometry, coating coverage, inspection access, and realistic validation testing.

⚠️ Design Risk

Likely weak points include local electrolyte retention, incompatible material pairing, coating discontinuities, trapped debris, and missing acceptance criteria for corrosion validation.

🛠️ Recommended Controls

Recommended controls: cyclic corrosion validation, lubricant/contact finish change, and coating specification upgrade. Add drawing notes, supplier evidence requirements, and a validation plan that reflects the expected service environment.

🎓 Learning Notes

Learners should identify the corrosion mechanism, estimate severity, and decide whether prevention should come from material change, coating change, geometry change, sealing, isolation, or inspection planning.