Conductive corners for surge survival

A composite electrical component having a finite resistance to current flow comprising a first electrically conductive material having two terminations, said first conductive material being electrically continuous between said two terminations, said first conductive material having first relatively localized regions therein prone to failure or causing second relatively localized regions of said composite electrical component to fail during the application of large surges of electrical energy between said two terminations, the improvement comprising second electrically conductive material located adjacent to and substantially electrically connected throughout said first relatively localized regions and electrically connected to said first conductive material to shunt current from said first conductive material through said second conductive material and returning said current to said first conductive material while not disrupting the electrical continuity of said first conductive material between said two terminations, said second conductive composition limited in size and placement substantially to said first and said second relatively localized regions thereby reducing the quantity of electrical energy passing through said first conductive material in said localized regions while not significantly altering the amount of current flowing between said two terminations.

A film type resistor formed as a first layer primarily upon an electrically insulating substrate and having two terminations electrically connected to said resistor, said resistor carrying a first current introduced at a first of said terminations to a second of said terminations, said resistor having a relatively localized region prone to electro-thermally induced failure upon passage of said first current, the improvement comprising a second resistor formed as a second layer adjacent only to said localized region and forming a laminate with said first layer in said region, said second resistor electrically interconnected to said first resistor substantially throughout a surface of said second layer, a portion of said current passing through said localized region shunted to said second resistor, said first and said second resistor thereby carrying said first current between said terminations without said electro-thermally induced failure.