Influence of imperfect joints and geometrical tolerances on a circuit breaker dynamics

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand the influence of clearance in the kinematic joints, dimensional and geometrical tolerances associated with the parts on the performance of a circuit breaker mechanism in the trip operation. Operating mechanism and trip unit are the essential components of a miniature circuit breaker. The operating and trip mechanism are made of ten parts with revolute and cylindrical joints with clearance and five unilateral contacts with friction. This mechanism is based on quick-make and quick-break principle. The Moreau-Jean nonsmooth contact dynamics (NSCD) numerical method is used to perform the simulations. The numerical results are validated by careful comparisons with experimental data.