Computation of the Electrical Resistance of a Low Current Multi-Spot Contact
In high complexity electrical systems such as those used in the automotive industries, electric connectors play an important role. The automotive industry is gradually shifting its attention to electric cars, which means more electrical connectors for sensors and data collection. A fault in connecto...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Materials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/6/2056 |
| _version_ | 1797445736136179712 |
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| author | Gideon Gwanzuwang Dankat Laurentiu Marius Dumitran |
| author_facet | Gideon Gwanzuwang Dankat Laurentiu Marius Dumitran |
| author_sort | Gideon Gwanzuwang Dankat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In high complexity electrical systems such as those used in the automotive industries, electric connectors play an important role. The automotive industry is gradually shifting its attention to electric cars, which means more electrical connectors for sensors and data collection. A fault in connectors for sensors used in a vehicle can cause drastic damage to capital equipment and, in the worst case, the loss of life. The studies of faults or degradation of electrical contacts are essential for safety in vehicles and various industries. Although such faults can be due to numerous factors (such as dust, humidity, mechanical vibration, etc.) and some yet to be discovered, high contact resistance is the main factor causing erratic behavior of electrical contacts. This paper presents a study on the computation of electrical contact resistance of two metal conductors (in the form of a disk) with analytical relations and a numerical computation model based on the finite element method (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics. The contact spots were considered to have a higher electrical resistivity value (ρ<sub>cs</sub>) than those of the two metal conductors (ρ<sub>Cu</sub>). Studies such as the one in view that is carried out on a microscopic level are often difficult to investigate experimentally. Therefore, with the help of a simplified numerical model, the consequences of the degradation of electrical contacts are investigated. To validate the FEM model, the numerical results were compared to those obtained from analytical models. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:30:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5b51d532ad8c4361b9ab1e0dd4ac0399 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:30:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-5b51d532ad8c4361b9ab1e0dd4ac03992023-11-30T21:18:59ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-03-01156205610.3390/ma15062056Computation of the Electrical Resistance of a Low Current Multi-Spot ContactGideon Gwanzuwang Dankat0Laurentiu Marius Dumitran1Laboratory of Electrical Materials, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 313, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaLaboratory of Electrical Materials, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 313, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaIn high complexity electrical systems such as those used in the automotive industries, electric connectors play an important role. The automotive industry is gradually shifting its attention to electric cars, which means more electrical connectors for sensors and data collection. A fault in connectors for sensors used in a vehicle can cause drastic damage to capital equipment and, in the worst case, the loss of life. The studies of faults or degradation of electrical contacts are essential for safety in vehicles and various industries. Although such faults can be due to numerous factors (such as dust, humidity, mechanical vibration, etc.) and some yet to be discovered, high contact resistance is the main factor causing erratic behavior of electrical contacts. This paper presents a study on the computation of electrical contact resistance of two metal conductors (in the form of a disk) with analytical relations and a numerical computation model based on the finite element method (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics. The contact spots were considered to have a higher electrical resistivity value (ρ<sub>cs</sub>) than those of the two metal conductors (ρ<sub>Cu</sub>). Studies such as the one in view that is carried out on a microscopic level are often difficult to investigate experimentally. Therefore, with the help of a simplified numerical model, the consequences of the degradation of electrical contacts are investigated. To validate the FEM model, the numerical results were compared to those obtained from analytical models.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/6/2056electrical contactcontact resistanceelectrical connectornumerical analysisFEMCOMSOL Multiphysics |
| spellingShingle | Gideon Gwanzuwang Dankat Laurentiu Marius Dumitran Computation of the Electrical Resistance of a Low Current Multi-Spot Contact Materials electrical contact contact resistance electrical connector numerical analysis FEM COMSOL Multiphysics |
| title | Computation of the Electrical Resistance of a Low Current Multi-Spot Contact |
| title_full | Computation of the Electrical Resistance of a Low Current Multi-Spot Contact |
| title_fullStr | Computation of the Electrical Resistance of a Low Current Multi-Spot Contact |
| title_full_unstemmed | Computation of the Electrical Resistance of a Low Current Multi-Spot Contact |
| title_short | Computation of the Electrical Resistance of a Low Current Multi-Spot Contact |
| title_sort | computation of the electrical resistance of a low current multi spot contact |
| topic | electrical contact contact resistance electrical connector numerical analysis FEM COMSOL Multiphysics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/6/2056 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gideongwanzuwangdankat computationoftheelectricalresistanceofalowcurrentmultispotcontact AT laurentiumariusdumitran computationoftheelectricalresistanceofalowcurrentmultispotcontact |