The Analysis of Failure Mechanisms of Electrical Connectors in Long-term Use Field Vehicles

The function and reliability of electrical connectors in automotive applications is crucial for vehicle safety, especially with regard to E-mobility and autonomous driving. For this reason, electrical connectors are being developed for long-term use applications. However, a small amount of function failures are still being observed in long-term use field vehicles. In this study all electrical connectors of five long-term driven vehicles from various car manufacturers are disassembled and analyzed. The same analysis procedure is followed for every vehicle and the electrical resistance of the connectors is measured to determine electrical failures. The contacts of failed connectors are further analyzed using optical microscopy, XRF spectroscopy, EDS and detailed contact resistance mapping. By comparing the connectors with electrical failures to the same types of connectors with a proper electrical resistance, failure mechanisms can be detected and analyzed. The frequency of various failure mechanisms is statistically evaluated. The results of the analysis provide valuable indications with respect to improvement of the reliability of connectors.