Stress Relaxation in Press-Fitted Joints

When contact pins, wire wrap posts, etc., are press fitted into printed circuit boards, the contact force at the interface of a post and plate relaxes with time. Much of the relaxation of the contact force occurs immediately after the connection has been made. Theoretical estimates on the reduction in contact force until a steady state (a steady state is assumed to be reached when the stress rates become 1 percent of their initial values) is reached are presented. Since most of the relaxation of the radial stress component occurs in the vicinity of the hole, the effect of adjacent joints on the relaxation characteristics of a joint are neglected. And, therefore, only an idealized geometry of a thin circular plate with a single press-fitted hole is considered.