DFG joint project contact resistors

An important aspect for the use of electrically conductive modified plastics is their contacting. In addition to processes that produce a contact subsequently (e.g. clamping or melting contacts), there are also numerous process-integrated methods. Injection molding certainly deserves special mention here, but integration via other common primary molding, forming and joining processes is also conceivable.

The aim of the project is to develop a model for describing the electrical contact resistance at the interface between electrically conductive modified plastics and metallic contacts, as a function of the parameters of the interface transition and the plastic surface layers, to quantify this model and to validate it in the context of realistic production processes. The relevant scientific challenges are:

• Development of a measurement method for indirect determination of local contact resistances in order to avoid the influences of common preparation methods.
• Use of local model parameters describing the interface to ensure applicability of the model for different plastics processing methods
• Consideration of influences due to aging, temperature and functional fatigue

• Institute of Materials Technology - Plastics Technology, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Peter Heim, University of Kassel
• Institute of Propulsion Technology - Vehicle Systems and Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Ludwig Brabetz, University of Kassel

Project duration: 01.10.2020 - 30.09.2022

The joint project is funded by the German Research Foundation.