Effects of Spring Arm Length on Mechanical Properties and Contact Resistance of Duckbill Terminals after Multiple Insertion-Extraction Cycles
WANG Xuezhen
ZHAO Pingtang
WANG Wujun
WANG Zhiguang
LI Qiang
JI Jiangtao
Abstract：Duckbill terminals often degrade after multiple mating cycles.Key issues include significant wear,enlarged blade gap,higher contact resistance,and elevated temperature rise.This study combines theoretical analysis with indoor single-factor tests to examine how terminal spring arm(TSA)length(L)affects mechanical and electrical performance over multiple mating cycles.Results show that reducing the L amplifies changes in plug force,minimum gap of the spring arm,and surface roughness under different cycles.However,it also significantly reduces contact resistance(p<0.05).Terminals with L≤3.3 mm showed a noticeable resistance increase after 100 cycles.Still,their resistance remained much lower than those with L≥4.3 mm.After 500 cycles,terminals with L≥3.8 mm exhibited increased contact resistance.A longer TSA led to a slower rise in resistance over cycles.Although longer TSAs reduced wear and spring arm gap,contact resistance was higher.This indicates that TSA length affects contact resistance more than spring arm gap or surface roughness.To enhance plug force and maintain low contact resistance after multiple mating cycles of duckbill terminals,it is advisable to use a shorter TSA length—preferably L≤3.3 mm.
Keywords：duckbill terminalspring arm lengthmultiple mating cyclesmechanical propertiescontact resistance
Publication Date：2025-12-25
Online Publishing Date：2026-01-05(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 20-26 )