The Influence of Particulate Contaminants on Vibration-Induced Fretting Degradation in Electrical Connectors

Fretting degradation has long been recognized as a major failure mechanism for electrical connector systems. In certain circumstances, such as for vehicle applications, connectors are exposed to exterior environments and could easily be infiltrated by dust and other particulate contaminants through the housing or during the mating process. The presence of particulate contaminants during vibration can aggravate abrasion and fretting of the connector interface, resulting in a dramatic increase in electrical resistance and failure of the connector contacts. In this work, the basic aggravation mechanisms of particulate contaminants has been experimentally studied and analyzed. A finite element model is developed in ABAQUS for a particular connector pair. A series of simulations were performed in order to evaluate the threshold vibration levels as a function of excitation frequency. Corresponding experiments were then conducted to validate and test the simulation.