Solderless Electrical Connections for High Temperature Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical connections fail to provide reliable and compact connections in high temperature, high vibration environments, such as industrial gas turbine engines, due to weaknesses in solder joints and sensitivity to thermal and mechanical stresses.
Innovation Solution
A friction-based electrical arrangement using a flexible intermediate conductor with a dimpling structure, such as a mesh, that slides to accommodate relative movement and diffusion bonds with conductors, eliminating the need for solder and allowing for field assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If solder connections are used to establish electrical connections, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates in high temperature and high vibration environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal bonding process (soldering) with a mechanical friction-based compression system. The compression connector applies continuous mechanical pressure to maintain electrical contact, eliminating the need for heat-affected solder joints that fail under thermal and vibrational stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the bonding mechanism from thermal (solder melting and solidifying) to mechanical (friction and compression). This parameter change allows the connection to withstand temperature cycles and vibrations without the weaknesses inherent in solder joints.
2Temperature
If higher temperature solders are used to withstand higher operating temperatures, then temperature resistance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases and field implementation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex high-temperature soldering processes with a simple mechanical compression connector that requires no specialized equipment or expertise, enabling field implementation without furnaces or controlled environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The compression connector uses readily available, inexpensive materials that can be easily replaced if needed, rather than requiring expensive high-temperature solder materials and specialized application equipment.
3Temperature
If silver brazing is used to achieve high temperature resistance, then temperature resistance is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to furnace requirements and sensitivity to thermal stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal brazing processes with a mechanical friction-based compression system that eliminates the need for furnaces, flux, and controlled thermal environments, dramatically simplifying the manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the connection from the thermal field entirely, using mechanical compression rather than thermal bonding, thereby eliminating the need for high-temperature processing equipment and the associated manufacturing complexity.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional wire splices using compression and friction are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to sensitivity to vibration and thermal stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The compression connector applies preliminary and continuous compression force to the conductors before and during operation, ensuring that friction and contact pressure are maintained at levels that prevent movement and maintain reliability under vibration and thermal stress.
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 provides a secure, durable electrical connection that withstands extreme temperatures and vibrations, maintaining structural integrity and reducing resistance, with no heat required for bonding and allowing for easy maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
the plural contact points may diffusion bond to the conductors, thereby establishing an even more secure electrical connection
Implementation Method 2
The flexibility permits the conductor to flex to accommodate relative movement between the two conductors that occur as a result of the wide range of operating temperatures
Implementation Method 3
The arrangement relies on friction to hold a flexible intermediate conductor against the contacting surface
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical arrangement (10), including: a first conductor (12) having a first generally planar contact area (34); a second conductor (12) having a second generally planar contact area (40); an intermediate conductor (44) having a first faying area (84) overlying the first contact area and a second faying area (86) overlying the second contact area; a compression arrangement configured to compress the first faying area and the first contact area toward each other and to compress the second faying area and the second contact area toward each other; and a dimpling structure (46) effective to create plural contact points (74) between the first faying area and the first contact area and between the second faying area and the second contact area when the first and the second faying areas and the first and second contact areas are compressed toward each other by the compression arrangement.