mivey
Senior Member
With temperature swings, it will eventually be a problem, but if it shows up in our career lives, or within the life of the installation, would be hard to predict. I can only tell you that this connection is not as reliable as one made with a Belleville washer. If this were in a high load current environment (relative to the connector rating) and one with frequent temperature or high load changes and elevated temperatures, I would guess it would fail within the installation's useful life.jayrad1122 said:
The ambient temperature could stay constant but the connector temperature change with higher currents. Ambient temperature swings will also stress the connection.
A reduced current will certainly extend the life of the connection. Other factors that lead to failure include the quality of the original connection, number of thermal stress cycles, stress levels, temperature extremes, corrosion, fretting, current cycles, creep, etc.
One of the biggest problems with an aluminum connection is stress caused when it expands and contracts. Using Belleville washers helps reduce one of the big failure mechanisms associated with these type connections. Of course, using bolts with similar expansion coefficients is another solution.
As for predicting failure, there are many means to monitor a connection. One of the most commonly used is temperature monitoring. Others include resistance, pressure, and ultrasonic monitoring.
