Many
factors can contribute to the loosening of terminal screws. These include:
• Rough handling that frequently
occurs in routine use
• Vibration due to nearby and/or
connected equipment
• Thermal cycling due to the
intermittent current passage
• The settling and yielding of
multi-strand conductor that occurs after tightening
• The normal yielding of solid
copper conductors that results from the pressure of the
terminal screw
Simple terminal screws, as are used on many competitive
devices, cannot overcome all of these potential problems. In fact, the unintended
loosening of terminal screws is one of the main causes
of failure for standard
plugs and receptacles.
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Meltric has solved this problem with its patented spring-assisted terminals. |
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Meltric's
unique design uses a split terminal body that is surrounded by a spring ring
to ensure that a constant force is applied to the conductor. The pressure generated
as the screw is tightened against the conductor causes the split terminal body
to open. In-turn, this causes the spring ring surrounding the terminal body to elastically deform
into an elliptical shape.
The natural tendency of the ring to want to spring back to its original shape
maintains the screw pressure against the conductor and effectively compensates
for the loosening effects of conductor yield, thermal cycling, vibration and
rough handling.
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In addition,
several other features were also incorporated into the design to further improve
the integrity of the connection:
• The diameter of the screw
head is similar in size to the threaded hole. This helps ensure
that the conductor
can be securely captivated.
• The split terminal body has
an offset design to maximize the number of threads engaged
on the
screw.
Together, these features contribute to making a lasting (but reusable) connection
that does not have to be checked regularly. The user can tighten it and forget
it.
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