Improvement of the mechanical response of an electrical component

Abstract

The electrical component under analysis does not fulfil the mechanical performance required by the standard (a minimum force of 400 gf during the extraction of a 3.8 mm diameter pin after the introduction of a 5.1 mm pin). A numerical study using the finite element method was developed to understand the limited response of the component and to study the effect of changing material and geometry. Experimental tests were performed to obtain the elastic-plastic behaviour of the material and friction coefficient. The poor performance was explained by the exaggerated plastic deformation. The best solution was found to be the use of a new material (extra-hard brass) since the geometrical changes allowed have a limited effect.