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Bus bar shape will be affected by termination locations, enclosure constraints, operating envirnoment, and mounted components. When determining overall dimensions for a laminated bus bar, allow for sufficient insulation extension beyond the conductor. The exact amount of extension depends on insulating material used, overall thickness of the bus bar, operating environment, operating voltage and method of sealing. Ultimately the final shape of the bus bar is a trade off between application requirements, manufacturing capability and cost.
Basic shapes:
• Planar conductors - square, rectangle, circular, or zigzag
• On-edge conductors - straight, "L", "U", "S", "T", and zigzag
• Formed conductors - flat or on-edge
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Temperature and vibration are a couple stresses to consider that could affect the performance and reliability of the bus bar. Also note that for some applications, the bus bar can act as a reinforcement member or stiffening component for the assembled system. |
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In some applications, termination options are fixes, such as for IGBT's. For other methods, consider the type of environment the connection will need to withstand. Ease of assembly and field service accessibility are issues to consider as well. |
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The mounting method used can depend on a number of factors that include the weight, size, ease of assembly, termination locations, enclosure constraint and accessibility to other system components. In most cases the bus bar is secured using fasteners through the bus bar body or by the terminations. Since holes through a conductor reduce the local cross sectional area, the designer must compensate for any reduction in current carrying capabilities. |
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Manufacturing capability and cost must be considered when specifying tolerances. |
