BOLTED ALUMINIUM TERMINAL CONNECTORS FOR SUBSTATIONS Applicable standard:IS 5561-1970 Connector design concepts: 1.

0 The temperature rise of the connector shall not exceed the temperature rise of the conductor with which it is intended to be used. The temperature rise of an electrical connector which connects conductors of different sizes shall not exceed the temperature rise of the conductor having the highest temperature rise. All the temperatures are based on conductor being rated at 30 degree rise above a 40 degree ambient,indoors, in still but unconfined air. 2.0 Connector sections should be heavy enough to carry electrical loads and to withstand forces applied during installation as well as during service life or short circuit, expansion and contraction due to temperature variations, vibration etc. Actually, the greatest mechanical stress that a connector is subjected to occurs during the installation and if the connector is properly designed to withstand this stress, it will be normally capable of withstanding any other force to which it is subjected to. 3.0 Connector should be easy to install. This would reduce installation time and ensure that it will be properly installed. 4.0 Connector should be able to withstand the environmental corrosion, particularly in case of proximity to marine, industrial and chemical environments. 5.0 The current path in the conductor should be as short and direct as possible. 6.0 Conductor design should avoid crevices to prevent retention of water. 7.0 Pressure applied through bolts shall be well distributed over the clamping surface. 8.0 In case of copper-aluminium connectors, the aluminium member should never be positioned in such a way that would allow water to drain from the copper connector over (or onto) the aluminium connection point. Copper salts affect aluminium but not vice versa. In other words, aluminium should always be placed above copper and not vice versa. Material of castings: LM6 LM25 Aluminium alloy 356 (with 7% Si and 0.3% Mg ) is not susceptible to stress corrosion and season cracking and is heat treated to T6 condition Filler Rod: Aluminium Alloy of dia Shielding gas: Argon Welding apparatus:TIG/MIG A 400A machine with reverse polarity Production and testing facilities; Design software: Autocad,CAD/CAM to integrate product design/Finite Element Analysis/Surface Modeling Pattern shop Tool Room with fixtures,jigs,dies and production tools Aluminium melting furnace with continuous temperature recording facility Multiple moulding stations for flexibility of operation and optimum cast quality Metallurgical laboratory for Microtructure

Spectrometer for chemical analysis of aluminium and SQC for regulating metal chemistry Tensile and Hardness Tester for physical properties of aluminium alloy Sand laboratory for properties measurement Gas Porosity check for molten aluminium Machine shop with drill presses, lathes, milling machines,CNC turning machines Vibratory finishing to remove flash and produce a smooth burr-free surface Bench assembly stations Heavy duty storage racks for Raw material and finished goods Temperaure Rise test facility Tensile /Pull Test facility Digital micro-ohm meter for Low resistance measurement Galvanising Test facility with running water basin for Preece Test Elcometer for measurement of zinc coating Hammer for adhesion test Vernier calipers,scales,measuring tape Welders Qualification: Welder shall be qualified to perform TIG/MIG welding.Men with experience in metal welding shall be trained for aluminium welding for a miimum peiod of one week. The important points to be considered are a) type of welding equipment, whether watercooled or not.If welding currents of more than 125A are required,watercooling is to be provided to the electrode holder and the welding gun. b) Position of the weld c) Operators skill level d) Use of proper shields: The arc in TIG/MIG welding is approximately twice as strong as standard AC welding arc.Extreme care is to be taken for protection of eyes. Preparation of aluminium members for welding: It is of utmost importance to remove oil, grease, water and oxide from the surfaces to be welded.All the surfaces to be welded should be wirebrushed with stainless steel wire brush prior to welding.The stainless steel brushes are specified because stainless steel has less of a tendency to pick up particles of aluminium oxides.If more than one weld pass is required, then original weld is to be wirebrushed before applying additional weld. Preheating of the surfaces to 220 degrees C before welding is optional, but it helps the operator to weld easily and faster. Need for only TIG/MIG welding for aluminium connectors: Pure aluminium melts at 1220 degrees F whereas aluminium alloys melt in the range of 1020 degrees F.When aluminium alloys are heated there is no colour change.Hence, it is difficult, if not impossible to tell if the temperature is near the welding temperature. The everpresent surface oxide film on aluminium has a melting point of 3600 degrees F.The parent aluminium alloy can therefore be melted without fusing the surface oxides.Unless the film is removed,cleanliness of the molten filler material and parent metal cannot be complete and both strength and conductivity will be sacrificed.Therfore, it is of paramount importance to remove aluminium oxides from aluminium ally before

welding is started,In the shielded arc welding method, the shielding gas has a tendency to clean the material as welding progresses. TIG welding:The inert gas shielded tungsten arc welding is widely used for welding aluminium bus fittings.In this process, the arc is established between a non-consumable tungsten electrode and the section to be welded.Inert gas envelopes the arc to prevent oxidation. Hence, no flux is required.A bare filler rod supplies filler material to weld area.To initiate the arc the tungsten electrode is placed in contact ith the component and withdrawn to establish an arc length of about 5mm.The arc is given a circular motion until the base metal liquefies and a weld puddle is established.Filler material is added by hand as required.If more than one pass is required for sufficient weld the weld hould be wirebrushed between passesto remove any surface dirt or oxides which has accumulated from the previous pass.Since no flux is used, finished flux does not need any cleaning.In this process, the heat of tungsten arc is concentrated in a small area.Hence welding is faster and distortion of the weld is also negligible.If thickness of more than 12mm is to be welded, preheating of parts before welding increases welding speed. TIG WELDING PARAMETERS IPS Wall Amp. Gas size/Flat thickness cup bar dia. thickness Tungsten dia Argon flow rate Preheat No.of Filler passes rod size

MIG welding: MIG welding combines the advantages of TIG welding with increased speed of welding.Welding can be done in any position, in either manual/automatic mode.In bare filler rod is supplied as a coil of bare wire.In some commercial models, the wire is added to the weld at a predetermined rate by a motor-driven feed based on the magnitude of welding current.Either helium, or Argon or a mixture of these gases is used for shielding.Pure Argon is used for sections less than 18mm thick.On sections over 18mm thick,the gases are mixed to combine the hotter arc characteristics of helium with the stabilizing effect of Argon.If exceptionally hot arc characteristics are needed,pure helium can be substituted for the gas mixture.However, precaution is to be exercised as it is very easy to burn through the items that are to be welded in a helium atmosphere. TIG WELDING PARAMETERS IPS Wall Amp. Filler size thickness Rod wire Argon flow rate Preheat Wire speed No. of passes

Choice of Hardware The hardware material that is generally supplied with bolted connectors is in keeping with the concept of avoidance of dissimilar metals to reduce electrolytic and other corrosion.The standard hardware on aluminium alloy connectors is anodized aluminium hardware.However, stainless steel/Galvanised steel hardware is used for aluminium alloy connectors.In case stainless steel hardware is used, anti-seize lubricant is to be applied. Hardware for joining like or unlike metals

A BAR B BAR Recommended Series of hardware

Copper Copper Silicon Bronze SS GS

Aluminium Copper SS GS

Aluminium Aluminium Al SS GS

Galv.Steel Copper Silicon Bronze SS GS

Galv.steel Aluminium Al SS GS

Steps for assembly of bolted aluminium connectors: a) All contact surfaces of the connector shall be vigorously cleaned with a stiff stainless steel brush to remove oxides.A typically bright aluminium surface is to be obtained.Bimetallic plates are not to be wirebrushed,However, scotchbrite may be used to clean them. b) Immediately, a liberal amount of sealant is to applied to the contact areas. c) Connecor is to be assembled with bolts finger tight.If a generous bead of sealant does not appear, open the assembly and add more sealant. d) The bolts are to be tightened alternately(criss-cross)and evenly with a torque wrench to the recommended torque as given in the table below. e) Excess sealant squeezed out of joint can be left as is or can be lightly smoothed along the contact line. f) All excess sealant must be removed from EHV connectors due to corona problem. Bolt tightening Torques: Sl.no 1 2 3 Bolt diameter M 10 M12 M16 Torque 27.17N-m 54.44N-m 74.75N-m

Galvaniccorrosiondueto joiningof dissimilarmetals When a condition causing electrolysis exists, one of the two dissimilar metals becomes the anode and the other becomes the cathode. To determine which metal will become the anode and which will become the cathode refer to the Galvanic Series table in this section. The metal listed with the most relatively positive voltage is the cathode and the metal with the relatively more negative voltage is the anode. When electrolysis is taking place the anode gives off some of its molecules to the cathode. After the period of time that this action has taken place the anode eventually has no more molecules to give off. This is sometimes called galvanic corrosion. When this occurs with an electrical connector, failure eventually results. By understanding how various factors can influence electrolysis on electrical connections made with dissimilar metals, its corrosive effects can be minimized. Electrolysis Factors

1. Voltage The higher the relative voltage difference of the two different metals the faster the anode will deteriorate or corrode. By keeping the relative voltage between the two metals on the Galvanic Series table to a minimum, corrosion of the anode slows down. Using the Galvanic Series table for example we find that copper has a relative voltage of -0.20 volts. On the same table aluminum has a relative voltage of -0.80. Therefore the relative voltage between the two metals is the difference between copper and aluminum, or about -0.60 volts (difference between -0.20 and -0.80). Notice that tinplate has a relative voltage of -0.50 volts. By plating one of the metals the relative voltage can be reduced to -0.30 volts. 2. Anode size Relative physical size of the anode to that of the cathode in an electrical connection can contribute to the life expectancy of the connection. Since the anode will be giving off molecules to the cathode it stands to reason that when the mass of the anode is significantly greater than that of the cathode its life expectancy of the connection is improved. 3. Environment The Galvanic Series table uses salt water. A change in the environment that the two metals used in making the electrical connection can also change the effects of galvanic corrosion. www.sbiconnect.es 35

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