Vibration analysis of electrical connector under different ambient conditions
Résumé
In automotive field, vehicle vibrations induce movement on hundreds of connectors which are located near the engine or inside the vehicle compartment. These vibrations produce induced-frictions between the male and female parts inside the connector (named pin and clip respectively) and generate electrical failure due to the well-known fretting-corrosion phenomenon. A relative displacement of 5 micrometers between the pin and the clip is sufficient to generate remains at the contact zone and set intermittent conduction at this interface which represents 60 % of electrical failure within a car. For our study, an automotive connector was submitted to vibration tests. The used bench is composed of a piezo-electric actuator which provides a controlled movement between the clip and the pin. A generator provides a stable current through the connector and all the measurement were performed with a voltmeter, a temperature controller and a scope for real-time analysis. The bench is mounted on an anti-vibration table in order to avoid external vibrations. The measurement of electrical behavior was undertaken under two kinds of atmosphere air and nitrogen gas. The use of air atmosphere shows a typical augmentation of the amplitude of the contact voltage whereas the use of nitrogen gas induces a contact voltage decrease. The measurement of this time characteristics provides new information to understand the fretting-corrosion phenomena © Proceedings of the 26th International Congress on Sound and Vibration, ICSV 2019. All rights reserved.