Analysis and parameter optimization of contact bounce of vacuum circuit breaker

A mathematical vibration model of the contact system is established during the closing process, considering the nonlinear insulating pull rod force and the contact force of the contact collision. The contacting rules and influencing parameters of the contact bounce are obtained by using MATLAB. The genetic algorithm is introduced to optimize the circuit breaker contact system. The results show that there are two obvious bounces during the closing process of the contact, and bounce rules are obtained. The vibration amplitude and period are determined by the contact quality, system damping and spring stiffness. After algorithm optimization, the closing time and the total bounce time are reduced to 37.90 ms and 0.901 ms. The maximum amplitude is reduced to 0.061 mm. The contact bounce time and maximum amplitude are reduced by 61.4% and 82.8%. Finally, the dynamic and characteristical tester of circuit breaker is used to conduct experiments, and the calculated results are compared with the measured results. They are highly consistent, which verifies the accuracy of the mathematical vibration model and theoretical calculations.