Electrical connections have a normal operational temperature range. A high resistance, such as a poor connection, in an electrical circuit has been reported to cause a temperature increase exceeding normal operational range at the connection.
This study measures the temperature increase in a typical automotive bolted battery cable connection with low to zero torque values and simulated high resistance under different load conditions. The torque is changed from maximum design value to 0 Nm and the temperature increase at the connection is measured. The high resistance connections, manually created by adjusting the contacts, are tested for several power loss values at the connection. The temperature rise under these conditions at the connection is measured and subsequently recorded.
The maximum temperature increase at the bolted cable connection recorded at low torque values including 0 Nm torque compared to the maximum typical design value of 17 Nm is 10.5 °C. The maximum temperature increase for the high resistance bolted connection is a function of the power loss and the voltage drop at the connection.
