Finite element analysis of three-hole socket with a shutter

Abstract

Socket is an important low voltage electrical component, which is the key link of obtaining electric power as a daily necessity. The security of sockets is al-ways focused on when being used. Traditional sockets have the biggest security risks of electric shock, imperfect contact and ablation. The preservability against electric shock is one of the important indexes of socket security performance.Three-hole socket with a shutter is mainly com-posed of a shutter, a spring, a bolt and a sleeve, whose structure is added with a shutter design on the basis of three-hole socket so as to increase the security perform-ance. So it is of importance to research on the three-hole socket with a shutter by means of finite element analysis. In this paper, firstly the structure and operation principles of three-hole socket with a shutter are described.Secondly, the structure of three-hole socket with a shutter is simplified out of finite element analysis necessity. Thirdly, the FE model of three-hole socket with a shutter is developed. Relatively complex components are selected for detailed discussion about mesh partition in this paper including the ram, the spring and the socket. The finite element dynamic simulation results show the stress con-centration zero during the whole plugging procedure. Fourthly, the forces acting on the shutter are analyzed and the spring thrust and the force plugging into the sleeve are calculated. Finally the factors affecting the thrust and the plugging force are analyzed. The simulation and calculated results show that the design conforms to the national stan-dard and the analysis can provide design references for designers.