Vibration-induced dynamic characteristics modeling of electrical contact resistance for connectors

The electrical contact resistance (ECR) of connectors fluctuates periodically under vibration stress. However, a theoretical model used to explain the dynamic characteristics of ECR has not been fully proposed. The dynamic characteristics of ECR are presented after an analysis of the measured results. Moreover, according to the Greenwood-Williamson model for elastic contact and the equivalent spring model for random rough surfaces, the change in the contact pressure of electrical connectors during vibration is studied. On this basis, combining with the Holm electrical contact theory, a dynamic model of ECR under vibration conditions is established. The model can theoretically explain the phenomena of ECR found in the experiments. A good correlation between experimental and predicted ECR fluctuation is achieved.