Thermal modeling of electrical contacts in switches and relays

Author

Leung, Chi H. ; Lee, Anthony ; Wang, Bor-Jenq

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. & Electron., GM R&D Centre, Warren, MI, USA

Volume

19

Issue

3

fYear

1996

fDate

9/1/1996 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

346

Lastpage

352

Abstract

A thermal modeling procedure has been developed to calculate the temperature distribution of components in complex three-dimensional (3-D) switches and relays. The methods developed for dissecting the components, treating of thermal interaction among the components, and calculating of interface thermal resistance are reported. In particular, the knowledge of electrical “a-spot” is used to estimate solid-solid contact area and void area. The void areas do not contribute to electrical conductivity but do contribute to thermal conductivity. The method is used to more accurately estimate the interface thermal resistance which is very important in any thermal analysis program. Actual switches and relays were modeled using finite difference thermal analysis, and the results matched well with measured temperatures

Keywords

electrical contacts; finite difference methods; relays; switches; temperature distribution; thermal analysis; thermal resistance; T-SNAP program; a-spot; electrical conductivity; electrical contact; finite difference thermal analysis; interface thermal resistance; relay; solid-solid contact area; switch; temperature distribution; thermal conductivity; thermal model; three-dimensional component; void area; Contacts; Electric resistance; Electrical resistance measurement; Finite difference methods; Relays; Switches; Temperature distribution; Temperature measurement; Thermal conductivity; Thermal resistance;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology, Part A, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1070-9886

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/95.536836

Filename

536836