Ageing of Aluminum Power Connectors Based on Current Cycle Test

Abstract

The effect of current cycle on the behavior of contact resistance of clamped connectors was investigated experimentally to characterize the thermal behavior of the used clamped connector and optimizing the installation procedure in order to reduce contact resistance and ensure a lower temperature during normal operating conditions. The thermal network method is used for calculating the temperature rise of the connector when loaded by a current. The method is based on substitution of the connector geometry by a circuit consisting of thermal resistances, capacitance and heat sources. The temperature rise is determined using the network simulation program PSPICE with the corresponding thermal model libraries. The validity of the obtained results has been checked by comparing the computed values with those measured experimentally. The agreement was found satisfactory