Northern Connectors Souriau UTL Series Push-Pull Connectors - Manual (Page 41)

41 © 2012 – SOURIAU
UTL Series
Technical information
Rated current & working voltage
The current carrying capacity of a connector is limited by the thermal properties of materials used in it's construction. The amount of current
that can be handled depends on the size of cable used, the ambient temperature and the heat that is generated inside the connector. Part 3
of the IEC 60512 standard determines through a derating curve, the maximum current permissible. Wire size plays an important role since
they help to dissipate heat and avoid overheating (Fig 1 and Fig 2).
Please note that the curve should be adjusted when dealing with potential hot spots, which can occur as a result of unequal loading of current
across a number of contacts. As a general rule, it is best to avoid locating power handling contacts in the middle of the connector; try to locate
them towards the edge where heat can be dissipated more effectively. Eventually you should fi nd a level which represents the permissible
operating range:
The rated current is defi ned as uninterrupted continuous current that a connector can take when all contacts are energized simultaneously
without exceeding the maximum limit of temperature. The earth contact is never loaded.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
0
3
5
8
10
13
15
18
20
23
25
28
30
Current (A)
Ambient Operating Temperature (°C)
Fig.1: UTL – 1.5mm² wires
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
0
3
5
8
10
15
18
23
25
28
30
33
35
Current (A)
Ambient Operating Temperature (°C)
Fig.2: UTL – 2.5mm² wires
Current use Limited use Not recommended use
Current carrying capacity
Solar radiation affects all materials, but plastics can be
susceptible to extreme degradation over time.
The choice of materials for the UTL series was therefore
a critical consideration.
All over the world we are not exposed to the same
amount of energy given by the sun. The chart shown
here clearly illustrates this.
So Souriau has chosen a polymeric material able to wit-
hstand sunlight over a long period of time. For that we
carefully followed the UL 746C and fi nally picked up a
"f1" material. As a consequence our connector has been
approved for outdoor use.
Yearly mean of daily irradiation in UV (280-400 nm)
on horizontal plane (J/cm²) (1990-2004)
90°
60°
30°
0°
- 30°
- 90°
- 60°
90° 60° 30° 0° - 30° - 90° - 60° 180° 150° 120° - 180° - 150° - 120°
J/cm²
0 10 20 30 50 60 70 80 90
100 11
0
12
0
13
0
15
0
160 17
0
180 190
40 14
0
UV resistance
20
13
T
echnical information