Numerical study of electric diffusion effect due to imperfect electrical contacts

The objective of this paper is to investigate the extent to which imperfect electric contacts (ImPEC) affect the solution of electromagnetic (EM) diffusion into a conductor. In this study, models for a pair of conducting members with rectangular type contact spots are analyzed. Three parameters, i.e., the spot thickness, the contact area ratio, and the uniform spot density, are used to describe the various degrees of imperfection in the ImPEC. The simulations for various combinations of these parameters are performed for both stationary and sliding cases. It is concluded that the electric diffusion effect due to the ImPEC is not critical to evaluate current density distribution within the contact members.