To investigate the effect of the initial surface roughness on the performance at the initial stage of the current-carrying friction of an elastic friction pair, experiments were conducted using a self-made current-carrying friction and wear tester. The results indicate that under the experimental conditions, the lifespan of the friction pair decreases as the surface roughness and load decrease. When the surface roughness is Ra 0.2 μm and the load is 0.025 N, the lifespan is the longest, reaching 320 cycles, with an average contact resistance of 0.045 Ω and a standard deviation of 0.009 Ω. During the normal service period of the friction pair, the main wear mechanism is furrowing. As adhesion and tearing occur, the electrical contact performance begins to degrade. The impact of arc erosion on the wear surface is far greater than that of mechanical wear. This provides a reference for the design and manufacture of current-carrying friction pairs represented by connectors.

In response to the need to optimize the performance of copper–graphite current-carrying friction materials, spark plasma sintering (SPS) technology was used to prepare copper–graphite composite materials with different graphite orientations. A self-made current-carrying friction testing machine was used to study the effect of graphite orientation on the current-carrying friction performance of copper–graphite composites. The results showed that as the graphite orientation increased, the current-carrying friction performance of the copper–graphite composites initially improved and then deteriorated. The performance was optimal when the graphite orientation of the 7.5 wt% graphite–copper composite was 90°, primarily constrained by the wear rate. The main wear mechanism was furrowing, and graphite enrichment occurred on the worn surface, where the graphite content on the wear surface was higher than that in the bulk material. The degree of enrichment varied under different wear mechanisms. The graphite content near the entry region of the friction surface was significantly lower than that near the exit region.

Given the significant impact of the initial surface layer of materials on their tribological performance, this study uses a wire–plate reciprocating friction pair to investigate the effects of surface mechanical rolling process on the elastic current-carrying friction performance. The plate specimens were subjected to rolling processing with varying feed rates under different load conditions, using a self-designed current-carrying friction and wear testing machine. The results show that as the feed rate and load increase, the contact resistance varies within the range of 0.0065 Ω to 0.0310 Ω, with a standard deviation ranging from 0.01 Ω to 0.07 Ω, indicating good electrical conductivity. As the feed rate of the surface mechanical rolling increases, the wear rate of the material significantly decreases. Under all test conditions, the material wear marks exhibit plowing wear, and with the increase in surface mechanical rolling feed rate, the occurrence and intensification of adhesive wear are delayed. When the feed rate is 100 μm and the load is 0.025 N, the material wear rate is the lowest, reduced by 63.1% compared to the untreated condition.

To improve the performance of elastic current-carrying friction pairs, this study employs a wire–plate friction pair and investigates the effect of surface texture orientation on current-carrying friction performance using a self-made micro-sliding current-carrying friction wear tester. The following conclusions were drawn: The angle between texture orientation and friction direction primarily influences the friction pair’s lifespan. At 0°, the lifespan is the longest, exceeding 500 cycles, followed by 90° with a lifespan of 394 cycles, and the shortest lifespan is observed with multi-directional textures. The primary wear mechanisms during the lifespan are furrowing, adhesive tearing, arc erosion, oxidation, and material transfer. At 0°, the width of mechanical damage is confined to the furrows, and the arc erosion is minimal. At 90°, the mechanical damage width and arc erosion are moderate, while at 45°, 135°, and multi-directional orientations, the mechanical wear width and arc erosion are more severe, with the multi-directional texture having the widest mechanical wear. The texture orientation has a significant impact on the performance and running process of current-carrying friction pairs. An appropriate texture orientation can suppress wear, thereby enhance performance and extending service life.