Electrical Contact Element With Material Recesses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical contact parts face a conflict between achieving high contact forces and low insertion/pull-out forces within a small installation space, leading to high tension forces and potential plastic deformation under electrical and thermal loads, which reduces contact force over time.
Innovation Solution
An electrical contact part with a box-shaped base body and a spring element on one flat side, combined with material cutouts on narrower sides that allow elastic deformation during insertion and withdrawal, ensuring a homogeneous stress distribution and reducing stress on the contacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high contact forces are achieved in a small installation space, then contact reliability is improved, but tension forces increase causing plastic deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The base body is segmented by introducing material cutouts that divide the structure into multiple regions. This segmentation allows localized deformation in specific areas (where cutouts are positioned) while maintaining overall structural integrity, thereby reducing tension forces and preventing plastic deformation throughout the entire component.
Solution Approach 2:
The material cutouts change the mechanical parameters of the base body by creating regions of reduced stiffness. This allows the structure to flex and absorb stress in controlled ways, transforming the rigid structure into one that can accommodate deformation without failing, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining strength and reducing stress concentrations.
2Reliability
If high contact forces are achieved, then contact reliability is improved, but insertion and pull-out forces increase
Solution Approach 1:
The material cutouts enable the base body to dynamically adapt its stiffness during the insertion and withdrawal processes. During insertion, the cutout regions allow controlled deformation that reduces resistance. During operation, the structure maintains rigidity for high contact force. During withdrawal, the deformation capability again reduces resistance, thereby achieving high contact reliability without proportionally high insertion and pull-out forces.
3Reliability
If contact force is maintained over service life, then reliability is improved, but stress concentrations cause plastic deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The material cutouts intentionally introduce controlled weak points that would normally be considered structural deficiencies. However, these cutouts convert the harmful effect of stress concentration into a beneficial deformation mechanism. The cutout regions act as stress relief zones that allow the structure to flex and redistribute loads, preventing the development of harmful plastic deformations while maintaining stable contact force over the service life.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design achieves high contact forces with low insertion and withdrawal forces while minimizing stress and plastic deformation, resulting in a longer service life and more even stress distribution.
Implementation Method 1
the contact part has at least one material recess, which is arranged on at least one side of the base body that is narrower than the flat side. The material recess allows springing, springing together with the mating contact, deflection when force is applied by the mating contact or, in general, elastic deformation of the base body
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
Proposed is an electrical contact part (10) comprising a box-shaped base body (12) which forms a receiving space (14) for inserting a mating contact in an insertion direction (A), at least one spring element (16) which is arranged on at least one flat side of the base body (12) and is directed at least sectionally into the receiving space to apply a spring force, and at least one material recess (18) which is arranged on at least one side of the base body (12) which is narrower relative to the flat side.