C h a p t e r 2
RUGGED RELIABILITY AT
EVERY CONNECTION
When a hurricane flooded Manhattan's
financial district, most building systems
failed within hours—except for one
trading floor that maintained power
throughout the crisis. Industrial-grade
connectors rated for conditions far
harsher than any hurricane continued
carrying 120 amps of critical power while
competitors' connections corroded
and failed in the saltwater environment,
keeping millions of dollars in transactions
flowing. The difference between business
continuity and catastrophic failure often
comes down to understanding why single
connections fail under stress.
The Physics of Power
Connection Failure
Understanding how high-current
connections fail under building conditions
reveals why traditional approaches cannot
meet modern automation demands.
Contact heating through I²R losses
creates the primary failure mode when
current concentration occurs at single
contact points. As resistance increases
from wear or contamination, localized
heating accelerates oxidation and further
increases resistance, creating destructive
feedback loops.
Bhavin Makwana
Product Manager, Harsh, Amphenol ACPA
Our IP67-rated connectors with
operating range from -40°C to
105°C are built to handle real-world
building conditions—ensuring
uninterrupted performance for
automation systems that can't
afford downtime."
10
Industrial-Grade Building Automation: Rugged, Reliable, Smart
