Research on Burning and Damage of Kitchen Sockets in Electric Multiple Units

Given the burning problem of the kitchen socket in an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) vehicle, a general survey was carried out. Results show that the proportion of burning damage was not high, and the form was consistent. However, the fire safety hazard was large. Moreover, the contact surface between the hard wire and the socket terminal was small, and no tightening torque requirement was found. The nonstandard installation or long-term vehicle vibration leads to the loosening of the hold-down screw. This phenomenon further leads to excessive contact resistance, insufficient current carrying capacity, temperature increase, and burning of the surrounding insulating plastic. Accordingly, a solution was formulated. Moreover, suggestions for the selection and use of EMU sockets were proposed. Physical test verification, rectification, and loading were performed to solve the problem of socket burning effectively.