Impact of additive thermal loads on the long-term behaviour of current-carrying bolted joints made of tinned and nickel-plated aluminum and copper conductor materials in electrical vehicle

Abstract

Busbars are preferred for power transmission within the electrical components (for example in in the battery) in the vehicle. These are connected with bolts for reasons of interchangeability and reparability. Depending on the conductor and coating materials, the assembly parameters and the load conditions during operation, these current-carrying bolted connections age over time. This increases the connection resistance and the connection temperature. If the application-specific limit temperature is reached at the contact point, the function of the bolted connection can be impaired or failure can occur. In this article, the influences of the types of load depending on the conductor and coating materials and the assembly preload force on the behavior of current-carrying bolted connections are examined and compared. Based on this, the dominant load is derived.