Stress relaxation in an electrical connector

It is noted that the relaxation stress greatly affects the reliability of electrical connectors. For proper functioning, adequate normal force must be maintained. Insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) promise increased economy over conventional electrical connectors; therefore, a high-reliability IDC has great potential in sophisticated office and business products. The authors describe an investigation of the stress relaxation of a few commercially available IDCs. Solid and stranded flat cables were studied experimentally and analytically. Dependences on temperature were also checked in 1000 h tests. Solid wires were found to yield less relaxation than stranded wires. While differences in performance due to size were slight, elevated temperature led to accelerated stress relaxation. When the connectors and wire combinations were used as tested, sufficient stress remained at end of life to maintain a gas-tight seal.<>