• DocumentCode
    1625034
  • Title

    Glowing Connection Experiments with Alternating Currents below 1 Arms

  • Author

    Urbas, Joe

  • Author_Institution
    Dept. of Eng. Technol., Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
  • fYear
    2008
  • Firstpage
    212
  • Lastpage
    217
  • Abstract
    It was experimentally proven that a glowing connection can develop in an electrical switch at a terminal connection comprising of a connector that utilizes a spring action against a conductor to provide electrical contact in household electrical appliances where vibration exists. This can happen at a current flow such as 0.6 Arms at 120 V. Further, the glow can provide sufficient heat to degrade plastic in contact with the terminal components. Violent arcing involving intense gasification can then develop on nearby plastic areas, sometimes accompanied by intensely glowing areas inside the plastic. Sometimes the intense glowing areas inside plastic develop without the violent arcing. The intense arcing or the glow inside plastic often develops into flaming, which can be of sufficient intensity and duration to ignite combustible materials near the connection.
  • Keywords
    arcs (electric); electric connectors; electrical contacts; glow discharges; switches; alternating currents; electrical connector; electrical contact; electrical switch; glowing connection; household electrical appliances; intense gasification; terminal connection; violent arcing; Arm; Conductors; Contacts; Copper; Fires; Home appliances; Ignition; Plastics; Springs; Switches;
  • fLanguage
    English
  • Publisher
    ieee
  • Conference_Titel
    Electrical Contacts, 2008. Proceedings of the 54th IEEE Holm Conference on
  • Conference_Location
    Orlando, FL
  • Print_ISBN
    978-1-4244-1901-2
  • Electronic_ISBN
    978-1-4244-1902-9
  • Type

    conf

  • DOI
    10.1109/HOLM.2008.ECP.46
  • Filename
    4694947