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Abstract-The automotive environment is particularly demanding on connector performance, and is characterized by large temperature changes, high humidity and corrosive atmospheres. This paper presents an initial study of connector performance in terms of temperature profiles taken from road vehicles. The temperature profiles are then simulated using empirical relationships to allow prediction of connector performance.Wire harnesses have been investigated to seek evidence of the connector degradation predicted from the temperature data. Initial indications are that the wire harness shows the type of fretting behavior associated with the temperature changes. Evidence of fretting corrosion was found at the contact interface on tin plated terminals from sealed and unsealed connectors.

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Abstract-Fretting is known to be a major cause of contact deterioration and failure, particularly in tin-plated contacts. During fretting the contact resistance generally increases slowly with time. Superimposed on this slow increase in contact resistance are rapid changes in contact resistance within fractions of a second, called intermittences or short duration discontinuities. Although intermittences have been reported by several authors, they are frequently overlooked in traditional fretting experiments and not much is known about their origin. The present study aims at filling this gap.A test apparatus has been built to measure the contact voltage-drop profile during an intermittence and fretting experiments on tin-plated copper contacts have been carried out. The results lead to a set of requirements for a model to explain intermittency phenomena.