Mechanical and electrical contact properties of wedge-connectors

Author

Schindler, John J. ; Axon, R.T. ; Timsi, Roland S.

Author_Institution

AMP of Canada Ltd., Markham, Ont., Canada

Volume

19

Issue

3

fYear

1996

fDate

9/1/1996 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

287

Lastpage

294

Abstract

The paper describes the mechanical and electrical contact properties of a typical fired wedge-connector. The measured forces and displacements in the connector components are compared with the predictions of a finite element analysis (FEA) of a wedge-connector interfaced with solid aluminum conductors. The distribution of mechanical stresses resulting from typical applied mechanical loads are evaluated using a nonlinear FEA code. The nonlinear input data for the FEA calculations were obtained from mechanical testing of metal specimens obtained from connectors used in the investigation. Measurements of contact resistance of the electrical interfaces are also reported. The wipe-off of surface oxide films from the electrical interfaces during connector installation is described

Keywords

contact resistance; electric connectors; electrical contacts; finite element analysis; mechanical contact; Al; contact resistance; electrical contact; electrical interface; finite element analysis; mechanical contact; nonlinear FEA code; solid aluminum conductor; stress distribution; surface oxide film; wedge connector; wipe-off; Aluminum; Conductors; Connectors; Contacts; Displacement measurement; Finite element methods; Force measurement; Mechanical factors; Solids; Stress;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology, Part A, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1070-9886

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/95.536829

Filename

536829