Effect of structural design of hyperbolic wire spring connector on reliability of electrical contacts

Hyperbolic wire spring connectors have been widely used in some systems with high reliability requirements. The contact force is a key point to keep reliable electric contact. In this paper, firstly the range of contact force of existing hyperbolic wire spring connector was calculated by both the theory of mechanics of materials and finite element analysis. Then the allowed extreme contact forces which fulfills the requirements of contact resistance and deformation performance of the hyperbolic wire spring connector was also calculated. Finally, the contact reliability of the hyperbolic wire spring connectors was assessed by the contact force of existing connector and the allowed extreme contact force.