Mathematical model of thermal phenomena of closure electrical contact with Joule heat source and nonlinear thermal coefficients

Abstract

The mathematical model describing the dynamics of closed contact heating which involves vaporization of the metal when instantaneous explosion of micro-asperity occurs is presented through a Stefan type problem. The temperature field for metallic vaporization zone is introduced as heat resistance that decreases linearity. Temperature fields for liquid and solid phases of the metal described by spherical heat equations with nonlinear thermal coefficients and Joule heat source have to be determined as well as the free boundaries. Joule heating component depends on space and time variable when alternating current is considered. Solution method of the problem based on similarity variable transformation is applied which enables us to reduce the problem to an ordinary differential equations and nonlinear integral equations. Existence and uniqueness of the integral equations are proved by using fixed point theorem in Banach space.