Abstract
Abstract
The use of more and more sensors and calculators embedded in cars needs an increasing of the power on the electrical supply network of the vehicle. This requires amplifying either the current or the voltage. Two solutions are considered. First of all, increase the current with the actual 14V voltage, but with the consequence of using large cables and connectors. The other solution newly considered consists in raise the voltage to 42V, the problem being of having to change a great part of electrical components. Nevertheless, this power must necessarily pass by electric connectors which are likely to beings disconnected under load. The consequence of this hot disconnection is the ignition of an electrical arc which damages the connector. Thus, the reliability of future power connectors is related to their behaviour when they are submitted to an electrical arc. In this paper, we propose to study the effects of these arcs on standard automotive connectors for the two considered voltage levels, i.e. 14V and 42V. Several arc parameters are studied, the arc duration, the temperature reached by the connectors and the additional insertion force after the arc.