Current Performance of Spring Contactors in the Terminal Drainage Device of Power Generation Vehicles

The electrical contact mechanism serves as the essential element within high-current connectors, such as those used in the terminal drainage devices of power generation vehicles. Its operational efficiency fundamentally limits the maximum transmission power and overall connector performance. This study introduces a finite element approach tailored for a novel high-performance spring-based electrical contact configuration. It examines how critical spring parameters—number of coils, wire diameter, and mean coil diameter—influence contact resistance during continuous current operation. The findings reveal that augmenting either the number of coils or the wire diameter considerably lowers both contact resistance and the associated temperature rise. Nonetheless, the beneficial impact on contact resistance diminishes once these parameters surpass specific thresholds. The mean coil diameter exhibits a minimal effect on contact resistance.