Separable insulated connector loadbreak testing. I. The switching characteristic and its implications

To facilitate assessments of in-service switching reliability, a second-generation switching characteristic has been developed for use during laboratory loadbreak tests. This switching characteristic is one step toward a realistic reliability assessment of separable connector switching. First-generation switching characteristics are compared to the newly developed characteristic to demonstrate that the latter stresses separable connectors more realistically. A laboratory test protocol using the switching characteristic is proposed