Steady state contact pressures in electrical contacts

摘要

The development of a numerical analysis is outlined for the thermoelastic effects in stationary electrical contacts. The steady-state pressure distribution at the contact, the change of contact area, and the separation of the contacting bodies are calculated. The temperature field obtained by Y.G. Yune and M.D. Bryant (ibid., vol.11, no.1, p.91-100, 1988) was used for computations. The real contact area was found to be dominated by the current density and the contact force.