Vibration-induced micro-discharge at suspension clamp-conductor interfaces under short circuit conditions

The conductor at the suspension clamp is always the weak point of the overhead line due to its unique contact structure. When a short circuit occurs, the discharge generated inside the suspension clamp may cause damage to the conductor and lead to serious safety accidents. This article conducted multi contact vibration discharge experiments at the clamp-conductor interfaces. For the first time, microsecond-level observation of vibration discharge inside the clamp has been achieved. Experiments have shown that spark discharge occurs at the clamp-conductor interfaces during dynamic contact separation. Besides, the resistance between contact points is a key factor affecting discharge energy. The energy reduction exceeded 98% for contact discharge and 99% for separation discharge when the resistance between contact points rose from 1.61 mΩ to 8.07 mΩ. The research results of this paper supplement the damage mechanism of conductor at suspension clamps under short circuit current. It provides experimental support for vibration discharge suppression and online monitoring technology inside the clamp.