Laminated busbar optimization concerning physical aspects, materials, and structural modifications

Laminated bus bars have better stray parameters such as lower stray inductance, in comparison with conventional cabling systems or wiring harnesses. Laminated busbars also provide better packaging of components in a system, making them more efficient in electric vehicle applications since they include size and mass constraints too. The work focuses on the optimization of a laminated bus bar structure with regard to physical aspects, materials, and structural modifications for better stray parameters. A laminated bus bar used in electric vehicles with a width of 305 mm, length of 203 mm, conductor thickness of 2 mm, and insulator thickness of 0.5 mm is considered. Optimization of the laminated busbar structure is commenced by varying the shape and position of the terminals over several topologies for better stray inductance. Material variations in the laminated bus bar and its impact on the stray capacitance are also studied. Furthermore, structural modifications such as cavities, radiused corners, edges, and overlapping terminals are implemented on the laminated busbar structure for improved overall stray parameters. The development of 3D models and analyses are performed using FEM software, Ansys Q3D extractor.