Electrical Connection Element with Localized Contact Resistance Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connection elements, such as outlets, face challenges in reducing heating during electrical current passage while maintaining cost-effectiveness, as high-cost materials like tinned brass are often required to minimize contact resistance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a contact element made of a material with lower contact resistance than the rest of the connection element, such as tin or gold, within the connection element to reduce heating and manufacturing costs, while using a leaf spring to press the stripped core of the electric wire against these contact elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the body is made entirely of tinned brass to reduce contact resistance and heating, then the contact resistance with the stripped core is reduced, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies a coating of low-contact-resistance material (tin, silver, or gold) only to specific contact surfaces (base wall and side walls) rather than the entire body. This localized coating approach reduces contact resistance at critical interfaces while minimizing material usage and manufacturing cost compared to fully coated brass.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection element combines different materials strategically: the body is made of brass (cost-effective base material) while specific contact surfaces are coated with materials having lower contact resistance (tin, silver, or gold). This composite structure optimizes both electrical performance and manufacturing cost.
2Loss of energy
If the contact resistance is reduced by using coated brass, then the heating during current passage is reduced, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coating is applied only to surfaces that directly contact electrical conductors (base wall and side walls), not the entire body. This localized approach reduces contact resistance and associated heating at critical interfaces while minimizing the amount of expensive coating material required, thus controlling manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a cost-effective strategy by applying thin coating layers only where necessary, rather than using expensive fully coated brass throughout. This selective coating approach achieves the necessary electrical performance at lower manufacturing cost.
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 approach effectively limits the heating of the connection element during current passage by reducing contact resistance and lowers manufacturing costs, achieving comparable performance to fully tinned brass connections with reduced material usage and recyclability challenges.
Implementation Method 1
the heating of the connection element increases with the electrical resistance introduced by the latter into the electrical circuit
Implementation Method 2
The electrical resistance of the connection element is related to various parameters, in particular to the volume resistance of the material (related to its conductivity) and to the contact resistance between the stripped core of the electric wire and the connection element
Data Source
Figure 1~4
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AI summary
The invention concerns an electrical connection element (1) comprising a conductive metal body (100) made from a first material and housing a spring leaf (200), the spring leaf being capable of pressing, against an inner face of a wall (103) of the body, the stripped core (4) of a conductive wire (2) inserted in said connection element. According to the invention, this inner face of the wall (103) of the body is equipped with a contact element (115) made from a second material, different from the first material, against which the spring leaf (200) is capable of pressing said stripped core of the conductive wire when it is inserted in the connection element, said second material having a contact resistance with the stripped core of the electrical wire that is less than the contact resistance between the first material and this stripped core of the electrical wire.