A Study on Hybrid Modeling of Electrical Phenomena in Contacts

The effect of microcontacts (size of the microcontact interface, space angle of the microcontact, etc.) on the potential and joule heat generation rate distribution of the contact device was analyzed and discussed by using a hybrid finite element model. In this model, the analytical solution of constriction resistance for single line contacts was adopted to consider the effect of microcontacts for calculating the potential distribution of the contact device using the finite element method. The microcontact was treated as a one-dimensional element, which has only a resistance characteristic. The results of calculations revealed that the effect of microcontact on the potential and joule heat generation rate distribution in the conducting bodies is substantial and consequently should be considered to simulate the thermal response of contact devices.