Research on Multiphysics Simulation of Arcing During Hot Plugging/Unplugging of Electrical Connector Contacts Made of Cu/Ni/Ag Composite Material

Cu/Ni/Ag composite materials are widely used in the manufacturing of electrical connector contacts due to their excellent electrical conductivity and good wear resistance. During hot plugging and unplugging operations, electrical connectors inevitably generate arc discharge, leading to melting, splashing, and erosion of the contact material, which severely threaten system reliability and service life. To investigate the arc behavior of Cu/Ni/Ag composite electrical connectors during plugging and unplugging, this paper establishes a multiphysics coupling model incorporating electric field, fluid heat transfer, and laminar flow based on the COMSOL simulation software (version 6.2). The model employs a multiphysics coupling approach, incorporating electric field, fluid heat transfer, and laminar flow, to systematically simulate the formation and evolution mechanisms of the arc during plugging and unplugging. The study focuses on analyzing the effects of plugging and unplugging speed, operating voltage, and arc gap distance on the arc, exploring the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics and distribution patterns of arc temperature. The simulation results reveal that the arc temperature follows a radially decreasing gradient, with the core region exceeding 10,000 K. When the operating voltage increases to 1000 V, the arc peak temperature rises to 1.3 × 104 K. As the arc gap distance increases, the arc coverage area expands, and the peak arc temperature increases by approximately 2% to 8%. As the plugging/unplugging speed is increased to 500 mm/s, the peak temperature of the arc increases from 1.19 × 104 K to 1.3 × 104 K. The distribution characteristics of the magnetic field are clearly correlated with the arc temperature field and the electric field intensity distribution and the current density also exhibits typical constriction characteristics. Prolonged arc duration is correlated with an upward trend in peak temperature. Further analysis indicates that the temperature distribution characteristics of the arc are constrained by the competition mechanism of energy deposition and diffusion, while the evolution characteristics of the arc are regulated by the coupling effect of electromagnetic field and mechanical work. The research results provide a theoretical basis and simulation methods for the design of arc-resistant structures in Cu/Ni/Ag composite electrical connectors.