ABSTRACT
The field experience has shown that a wide variety of connector designs have served well over several years, but the factors contributing to their success and to their failure elsewhere could not be determined with any degree of certainty. To meet the mechanical and electrical requirements and also assure reliable performance of a connector during its expected service life, various designs have been developed and used in the field with varying degree of success. In a properly assembled bolted joint, the stresses developed increase very rapidly with increase in bolt diameter and also with the yield strength of the bolt material. Therefore, the use of bolts of too small a diameter is insufficient to provide adequate contact area that will lead to unsatisfactory joint performance. Flexible connectors often referred to as expansion joints, jumpers, braids, braided shunts are widely used in power generating stations and substations.
