Power Contacts and Connectors Part 1 – Power

Distribution
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Dr. Bob Mroczkowski August 17,

2010

Power Contacts and Connectors

Part 1: Power Distribution

Today, there are three different approaches to power distribution in connectors,
particularly, on current distribution. They include individual high-current contacts,
multiple low-current contacts in parallel, and hybrids, which use both approaches in the
same housing. Each approach has its advantages and limitations. Let’s begin with high-
current contacts, or contacts capable of carrying multiple-tens of amperes.

The advantage of dedicated high-current contacts is that one contact is used and the
rated current capacity for that contact is on the data sheet. (Recall that the test program
and qualification criteria must be the same for all contacts being considered to ensure
the rated currents are equivalent.) No allowance for thermal interactions among multiple
signal contacts in parallel is necessary (we’ll address that condition in the next article).

Dedicated high-current contacts are limited by contact size and termination methods.
The size consideration comes from the need to reduce the contact bulk resistance. Recall
that there are three sources of resistance in a connector, the resistance of the
permanent connections, the bulk resistance of the contacts themselves, and the contact
interface resistance. In a signal or low-current connector, the bulk resistance is generally
the dominant contribution to contact resistance. The message, then, is that a high-
current contact requires that the bulk resistance be reduced significantly. The reason for
that is Joule, or I2R, heating, which of course, is more pronounced at high currents and
drives many of the design and materials decisions for power contacts and connectors.

The bulk resistance depends on two factors: the conductivity and geometry of the
contact spring members. With respect to contact geometry, increasing the cross-
sectional area of the contact will reduce the contact resistance, which is why high-current
contacts tend to be larger than signal contacts. The conductors to which the contacts will
be terminated will, of course, also be larger, for the same reason. This increase in size is
a limitation of dedicated high-current contacts.

The bulk resistance also depends inversely on the conductivity. A change to a higher
conductivity spring material will reduce the bulk resistance. For example, a change from
cartridge brass (CDA 26000 with conductivity at 26 percent IACS) to copper (CDA 11000
with conductivity at 101 percent IACS) will reduce the bulk resistance by a factor of four.

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Permanent connection resistances will also be reduced because of the increase in
contact and conductor size and the accompanying increase in contact area. However, it is
important to ensure that the contacts themselves are properly sized for the conductors.
If the contacts are to be used in a range of wire or bus bar sizes, they should be capable
of carrying the current of the maximum conductor size in the range. The termination
method may also be more problematic, as contact and conductor sizes increase and
require higher termination forces, e.g. crimped connections, or bolted components,
which is also a limitation of dedicated high-current contacts.

Contact interface resistance performance can be improved in two ways by increasing the
contact force. First, by increasing the contact area, and therefore, reducing the
magnitude of contact resistance, as schematically shown in Figure 1; and second, by
increasing the stability of the contact resistance due to enhanced friction forces at the
contact interface. These benefits are compromised, however. The decrease in resistance
becomes incremental at high contact forces, as shown in Figure 1. Also, enhanced friction
forces will increase mating forces, and increase the wear on the contact interface during
mating. These negative factors can be reduced by using multiple contact beams.

The following example is highly simplified, but does represent real performance
improvements that can be realized by multiple contact beams compared to a single high
force contact beam. Consider a single cantilever contact beam with a contact force of 600
grams. For the purposes of this discussion, assume that an extrapolation of the data
from Figure 1 to 600 grams indicates a contact resistance of 0.5 milliohms. Assume that
the single 600 gram contact force beam is replaced by four 150 gram contact force
beams. From Figure 1, the contact resistance at 150 grams is taken as 0.8 milliohms.

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Because the four beams are electrically in parallel, the resistance of the new contact
configuration will be 0.2 milliohms—a significant reduction in contact resistance. But
there are additional benefits.

With the reduction in normal force, the wear mechanism of the contact interface will
probably change from adhesive to burnishing wear, a change that will also result in a
reduction in the coefficient of friction. The change in wear mechanism will increase the
mating durability of the contact interfaces. The change in the coefficient of friction will
reduce the mating force. Thus, the four-beam contact system will have reduced contact
resistance, reduced mating force, and improved mating durability.

What about the stability of contact resistance? The electrical redundancy of four contact
beams compared to one provides enhanced contact resistance stability. Certainly the
mechanical stability of any one of the reduced force beams is less than that of the high
force beam. But contact redundancy outweighs the loss in mechanical stability. Consider
two cases. First, two of the four beams could go open and the contact resistance of the
system would go from 0.2 to 0.4 milliohms, still below the 0.5 of the single beam system.
Second, consider uniform degradation of the four contact beams. If each beam
increased in contact resistance by an order of magnitude, from 0.2 to 2 milliohms, a
significant degree of degradation, the contact resistance of the four-beam system would
be 0.5 milliohms, the same as the original resistance of the single beam system. This is
the power of contact redundancy.

For completeness, it is worth noting that redundancy is also the source of the resistance
stability of the contact interface itself. Figure 1 shows multiple contact spots due to the
microscale roughness of the surfaces of the plug and receptacle contacts. Loss or
degradation of a number of these individual contact points will not significantly affect the
resistance of the contact interface, as long as it remains mechanically stable. Motion of
the contact interface due to mechanical or thermally generated stresses is the driving
force for contact resistance degradation.

This discussion explains the reason that most high-current contacts use multiple
redundant contact beams. The high-current bus bar connector shown in Figure 2
provides a good example. The separable connection contact system consists of six
independent contact beams, three on each side of the bus bar. These beams, of course,
provide all the benefits of redundancy discussed above. There are three permanent
connections in the system, the crimped connection between the conductor and the ring
contact, the bolted connection between the ring contact and the bus bar connector, and
a dual redundant bolted connection between the bus bar connector and the bus bar. The
thickness of the contact beams, given that contact force depends on the thickness
cubed, indicates that each contact beam has a significant contact force. Notice, too, the
enhanced mechanical stability provided to the contact system by the anti-rotation
beams. Finally, and not visible in Figure 2, is the silver contact plating, a preferred choice
in power contacts, as discussed in previous articles in this series.

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In summary, the design of high-current contacts, several tens of amperes, requires
reduction in contact bulk resistance and enhanced contact resistance stability. The
reduction in bulk resistance is generally accomplished by using larger contact cross
sections, and, in many cases, higher conductivity contact materials. The enhanced
mechanical stability can be provided in two ways, by very high contact force systems, and
by multiple redundant contact beam systems where contact redundancy reduces the
magnitude of the contact resistance as well as enhancing contact resistance stability.

In many cases, multiple high-current contacts with lower current capacities and a few
tens of amperes are used in parallel to provide higher current capacity. In such cases,
the considerations that will be discussed in the next article, “Power Distribution II – Signal
Contacts in Parallel,” will apply.

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