Experimental Analysis of Electro-Thermal Contact Resistance of Al and Cu Surfaces

Present research work is focused to develop a methodology to predict real contact area and interface temperature for various type of metal surfaces with respect to applied force and surface roughness. Electro-Thermal characterization for aluminum and copper samples are performed experimentally to understand the electrical contact phenomenon, happening at macroscopic level, at the interface. Dependence of electrical contact resistance and temperature on surface roughness and contact load are analyzed using DOE. FEM analysis is performed using COMSOL (TM), as a simulation tool, for validation of interface temperature. Electrical Constriction conductance, obtained from FEM analysis, predicted actual contact area for low voltage electrical connectors. Moreover, empirical relations are developed in Minitab (TM) to calculate the mechanical contact area and interface temperature based on given load, average surface roughness of the interface and electrical contact resistance.