Aluminum-to-copper transition member for aluminum wound motors and aluminum wound motor equipped with the same

An aluminum wound motor equipped to accommodate electrical connection thereto comprising in combination:

• an aluminum wound motor,
• a multi-strand aluminum conductor electrically connected to said motor,
• an electrical transition member electrically connected to the distal end of said multi-strand aluminum conductor and
• an electrically conductive metal ferrule forming part of the connection between said multi-strand aluminum conductor and said transition member,
• said transition member consisting of a single longitudinally-extending copper conductor and a single longitudinally-extending aluminum conductor in overlapping relationship, the cross-sectional areas of said conductors being so related in size as to provide closely matched electrical current carrying capacities,
• said conductors being joined together by a single cold weld joint in which a portion of said copper conductor has been displaced into said aluminum conductor resulting in a cup-shaped configuration having an inside surface of copper and being of generally rectangular shape,
• said cup-shaped configuration having an inside width approximately equal to the total of the thicknesses of said conductors and an inside length approximately equal to three times said total of conductor thicknesses,
• the thickness of the base of said cup-shaped configuration being in the range of from 18 to 26 percent of said total of conductor thicknesses and
• said cold weld joint as formed, and the material of said conductors in the vicinity thereof, being substantially free of copper-aluminum intermetallic compounds and voids,
• said distal end of said multi-strand aluminum conductor and the end of said single aluminum conductor of said transition member being positioned in said ferrule in an overlapping arrangement, said overlapped ends being compressed within a portion of said ferrule so as to deform the multistrand aluminum conductor and substantially eliminate voids between individual strands, and between the multi-strand conductor and said single aluminum conductor at this location,
• said overlapped ends and said ferrule portion being joined by a fusion weld.