performance loss and heat development, or due to
space problems or too high of a weight, using the
ISA-CON®450 alloy is a worthwhile alternative.
With current-carrying components, the electrical
resistance, both in the material as well as at the
contact transition, is reduced compared to steel. This
reduces the loss in performance significantly and the
weight and diameter of components can be reduced
too. The direct connection, for example as a bridging
of a distance between two bus bars with a supporting
function instead of a steel bolt or pin for a plug
contact, is a promising application.
Heat reduction by 50 percent
The requirements for the bolt application were a
significantly reduced electrical resistance and thus
a significantly reduced heat development of the bolt
itself. Direct use here means that the entire current
is conducted directly via the ISA-CON®450 bolt,
which connects a shunt resistor with a plug. Thanks
to the high conductivity of the alloy, there is only low
electrical resistance with correspondingly reduced
heat development in the contact bolt. In addition,
the heat development, which usually occurs in the
shunt resistor, is dissipated better and is thus overall
reduced by 50 percent compared to a component
with a steel contact.
Measuring setup: Two bolts (silver plated ISA-
CON®450 bolts), terminated to a shunt resistor, are
used as a current conducting joining element.
Another plus: ISA-CON®450, like ISA-CON®414, is
also heat-resistant, which means the bolt retains
its mechanical strength in applications with higher
ambient temperatures.
Current-carrying components made of steel that
take quite a bit of effort to cool or that have to
be significantly oversized to ensure sufficient
conductivity can simply be replaced with ISA-
CON®450. Mechanically-supportive fasteners made
of copperalso often have to be oversized in order to
comply with mechanical loads. Cross-sections can
be reduced while maintaining the same level of
»
(Lateral View) Comparison of heat generation in a resistor by using ISA-CON®450
bolts (left) and steel bolts (right) with load of 300 A as infrared image.
WIRE NEWS March 2019
5