Female Electrical Terminal with Segmented Base and Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
In high current applications, copper electrical terminals become difficult to bend due to increased thickness, requiring specialized tools and making the carrier strip rigid, which complicates handling and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A female electrical terminal design featuring a base member made of a copper-based alloy for high conductivity and a cover member made of stainless steel for clamping, allowing for easier formation and handling, with a biasing member to ensure electrical and frictional contact without needing bending operations for the current-carrying portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If copper terminal thickness is increased for high current carrying capability, then current carrying capability is improved, but the terminal becomes difficult to bend and requires specialized tools
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal is divided into two separate members: a base member that provides current carrying capability and a cover member that provides clamping force. This segmentation allows each member to be optimized independently - the base member can be thin-walled for ease of forming while the cover member provides the necessary mechanical strength and current carrying capability through its structure rather than material thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal uses a composite structure combining a copper-based alloy base member with a stainless steel cover member. This composite approach allows the copper base to provide excellent electrical conductivity while the stainless steel cover provides mechanical strength and clamping force, eliminating the need for thick copper walls that would be required if the entire terminal were made of copper.
2Quantity of substance
If copper terminal thickness is increased for high current carrying capability, then current carrying capability is improved, but specialized tools and increased manufacturing costs are required
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the terminal into base and cover members made from different materials, the invention enables standard forming tools to be used for both components. The thin-walled base member can be formed with conventional equipment, and the cover member can be separately formed and then attached, eliminating the need for specialized high-tonnage pressing equipment that would be required for thick-walled copper terminals.
3Quantity of substance
If copper terminal thickness is increased for high current carrying capability, then current carrying capability is improved, but the carrier strip becomes too rigid to bend onto spools
Solution Approach 1:
The separation of the terminal into base member and cover member allows the carrier strip to remain attached to only the thin-walled base member during forming operations. This enables the carrier strip to maintain its flexibility for spooling and handling, while the terminal itself achieves high current carrying capability through the composite structure of the base and cover members.
4Quantity of substance
If copper terminal thickness is increased for high current carrying capability, then current carrying capability is improved, but the tools needed to separate the carrier strip from the terminal increase in cost
Solution Approach 1:
By attaching the carrier strip to only the thin-walled base member rather than a thick copper terminal, the invention enables the use of standard, cost-effective separation tools. The base member's reduced thickness and altered mechanical properties allow for simpler cutting or separation operations compared to the high-cost tools required for thick-walled copper terminals.
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
The solution enables the production of terminals capable of carrying high currents with simplified tooling and reduced manufacturing costs, allowing for easier handling and assembly, while maintaining effective electrical contact.
Implementation Method 1
The biasing member is configured to bias the male electrical terminal into electrical and frictional contact with the connection portion of the base member of the female electrical terminal
Data Source
AI summary
A female electrical terminal includes a generally planar base member formed of a first conductive material. The base member includes a connection portion configured to electrically and mechanically contact with a corresponding male electrical terminal. The base member further includes an attachment portion configured to be attached to a wire cable. The female electrical terminal also includes a cover member that is formed of a second conductive material. The cover member longitudinally encircles the connection portion and defines a biasing member depending from the cover member and into a cavity formed by the cover member. The biasing member is configured to bias the male electrical terminal into electrical and frictional contact with the connection portion of the base member of the female electrical terminal. A method of producing such female terminal assemblies wherein the cover members are interconnected by a carrier strip is also provided.