Development of fuses and terminals for high-temperature applications

COMPONENTS TO BE developed under the Hotelec program include fuses, terminals, and splices. The most significant new requirement of this program as it affects these components is the extension of the temperature level to 850 F (degrees Fahrenheit) for terminals and splices, and to 600 F for fuses; these are ambient temperatures with conductor temperatures reaching 1,000 F. Other significant requirements are for the devices to withstand vibration to 20 g (gravitational acceleration) at a frequency of 80 to 2,500 cps (cycles per second); acoustic noise of 150 decibels, as well as shock of 50 g for 11 milliseconds. The altitude of 80,000 feet demands resistance to ozone, and requires consideration of the effects of corona. Similarly, the significant increase of temperature makes it necessary to limit thermal voltages at junctions to 0.1 millivolt.