Studies on mechanical contact devices for bolted Bus-Bar connections

There are several factors influencing the performance of an electrical connector. Such as design, environmental conditions, applied force, electrical loads, and installation procedures. As the performance demands on electrical networks and plants in general, and electrical connectors in particular, constantly increase, the need for more reliable rules for design and testing of electrical connectors becomes necessary. As for the bolted bus-bar design factor, a number of more or less important design parameters can be identified, including: contact force, overlapping, etc. The initial joint resistance of overlapped bolted is assessed experimentally, The parameters influencing the initial joint resistance such as overlap distance, Holes diameter, tighten torque and bolt size are investigated. A computer simulation based upon the finite element method was introduced to calculate the ideal joint resistance and compared with that obtained experimentally.