Specifying gap conductance for electrical contact property options

You can specify gap conductance between closely adjacent or contacting surfaces. The conductance is proportional to the difference in electric potentials across the interface. The conduction is a function of the clearance (separation) between the surfaces and can be a function of the contact pressure. For more information, see Electrical Contact Properties.

  1. From the main menu bar, select InteractionPropertyCreate.
  2. In the Create Interaction Property dialog box that appears, do the following:

  3. Click Continue to close the Create Interaction Property dialog box.
  4. From the menu bar in the contact property editor, select ElectricalElectrical Conductance.

    The Edit Contact Property dialog box appears.

  5. In the editor that appears, click the arrow to the right of the Definition field, and select an option for defining electrical conductance:

    • Select Tabular to enter data relating electrical conductance to the separation between the contact surfaces.

    • Select User-defined to define the conductance in user subroutine GAPELECTR. If you select this option, skip to Step 9.

  6. Indicate whether you want to define electrical conductance as a function of the clearance between the surfaces, the contact pressure between the surfaces, or both.
  7. If you want to define electrical conductance as a function of clearance, display the Clearance Dependency tabbed page, and do the following:
    1. Toggle on Use temperature-dependent data if the data are dependent on temperature.
    2. Click the arrows to the right of the Number of field variables field to specify the number of field variables on which the data depend.
    3. In the data table, define electrical conductance as a function of gap clearance.

      The tabular data must start at zero clearance (closed gap) and define electrical conductance as clearance increases. You must provide at least two pairs of points. The value of electrical conductance drops to zero immediately after the last data point, so there is no conductance when the clearance is greater than the value corresponding to the last data point. If conductance is not also defined as a function of contact pressure, it will remain constant at the zero clearance value for all pressures.

  8. If you want to define electrical conductance as a function of contact pressure, display the Pressure Dependency tabbed page, and do the following:
    1. Toggle on Use temperature-dependent data if the data are dependent on temperature.
    2. Click the arrows to the right of the Number of field variables field to specify the number of field variables on which the data depend.
    3. In the data table, define electrical conductance as a function of contact pressure at the interface.

      The tabular data must start at zero contact pressure (or, in the case of contact that can support a tensile force, the data point with the most negative pressure) and define electrical conductance as pressure increases. The value of electrical conductance remains constant for contact pressures outside of the interval defined by the data points. If conductance is not also defined as a function of clearance, it is zero for all positive values of clearance and discontinuous at zero clearance

  9. Click OK to create the contact property and to exit the Edit Contact Property dialog box. Alternatively, you can select another contact property option to define from the menus in the Edit Contact Property dialog box.