Open AccessMetal composite T-junction terminals for MW-class aerospace electric power distribution
Author(s) -
C. Kovacs,
Timothy J. Haugan,
M. D. Sumption
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of physics. conference series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1742-6596
pISSN - 1742-6588
DOI - 10.1088/1742-6596/1975/1/012036
Subject(s) - materials science , electrical engineering , terminal (telecommunication) , joule heating , power transmission , power cable , composite number , composite material , power (physics) , engineering , telecommunications , physics , layer (electronics) , quantum mechanics
There is a recent surge in activity to develop high power electric (or hybrid electric) aircraft. Part of this development effort is the creation of lightweight and small volume high-performance motors and airborne power transmission cables. As part of the power transmission of a distributed propulsion aircraft will be T-terminals to extract power to individual motors from a “main” power cable. In this research, a standard pressed plate high purity Cu T-terminal, with cylindrical high-temperature superconducting cables (main cable current of 20 kA, branch cable current of 2.5 kA), were investigated using Multiphysics simulations. Then, a more geometrically optimized high purity Al-Cu composite T-terminal was simulated under similar conditions. Discussed are the influence of T-junction geometry, operating temperature (30 to 50 K), contact resistance, and magnetoresistance on joule losses of terminals with different masses. It is shown the Al-Cu terminal can greatly reduce joule losses/mass of the T-terminal while also having an intrinsic clamping force from thermal expansion of the Al shell of the composite structure.