Cable and Connectors

Cable and connectors with optional fault modeling

Since R2024b

• 

Libraries:
Simscape / Electrical / Connectors & References

Description

The Cable and Connectors block models a cable and connectors using resistors and inductors.

For most applications, you can directly connect two or more blocks with physical connection lines. These connection lines are idealized and have no resistance or inductance. If you need a simple physics-based model for an electrical cable or connectors, you can use a combination of Resistor blocks and Inductor blocks. Use the Cable and Connectors block instead if you want to:

• Model multiple conductors in a single cable.

• Analyze cables with open-circuit faults.

• Analyze input or output connectors with short-circuit faults.

• Parameterize the conductors by defining the material and geometry instead of the resistance and inductance.

• Specify the gauge of the conductors using the American wire gauge (AWG) system.

Cable

The Cable and Connectors block models each conductor in the cable as a resistor. You can also choose to include an inductor in series with the resistor by selecting the Model cable inductance parameter. Clear this parameter to prioritize high simulation speeds. Select this parameter to prioritize accurate results.

To model a single conductor, clear the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter. To model multiple conductors, select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter and specify the number of conductors using the Number of independent conductors in cable parameter.

The Cable and Connectors block has two ports that represent the input and output ends of the cable. If you model a single conductor, these In and Out ports are electrical conserving ports. If you model multiple conductors, the In and Out ports are electrical array-of-nodes conserving ports. To connect the electrical array-of-nodes ports to the rest of your network, use an Array Connection block to act as a multiplexor for the Simscape™ electrical domain by concatenating all input array of nodes into a single 1-D array. First, connect the In and Out ports to the RConn ports of separate Array Connection blocks. The RConn port name is not visible in the block icon, but you can see this name if you pause your pointer over the port. Then, set the Domain parameter of the Array Connection block to Electrical Domain. Finally, set the Number of scalar elements parameter of the Array Connection blocks to the same value as the Number of independent conductors in cable parameter of the Cable and Connectors block. This figure shows how to connect a Cable and Connectors block with three independent conductors in the cable to an electrical network.

Equations

The block assumes that the conductors in the cable are round wires and calculates the resistance of each conductor, R, using these equations [1],

$$R=\rho \frac{L}{\pi (r^2-{(r-\delta )}^2)}$$

$$\delta =\{\begin{array}{l}\frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi \mu \sigma f}}\text{ if }r\ge \frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi \mu \sigma f}}\\ r\text{ if }r\le \frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi \mu \sigma f}}\end{array}$$

where:

• ρ is the electrical resistivity of each conductor.

• L is the value of the Length of conductor parameter.

• r is the radius of the conductor.

• δ is the skin depth.

• μ is the magnetic permeability of the conductor.

• σ is the specific conductivity of the conductor.

• f is the rated frequency.

For DC current, there is no skin effect. The current spreads evenly over the cross-section of the conductor, so δ = r. For high-frequency AC current, at full skin effect, current flows only on the surface of the conductor, so δ = 0.

If you clear the Model skin effect parameter, f = 0. If you select the Model skin effect parameter, f is equal to the value of the Rated frequency parameter.

If you select the Model cable inductance parameter, the block calculates the inductance of each conductor L_DC using these equations [2],

$$L_{DC}=\frac{{\mu }_0}{2\pi }L\left(\ln \left(\frac{2L}{r}\right)-Y\right)$$

$$Y=\frac{1}{1+r\sqrt{\frac{\pi }{4}\mu \sigma f}}$$

where:

• μ₀ is the permeability of free space.

• Y is the current distribution constant.

The current distribution constant has a value between 0 and 1. For DC, Y = 1. For high-frequency AC, Y approaches 0.

Connectors

The block models the connectors with resistors. The number of pins in the conductor is equal to the number of independent conductors in the cable. This figure shows the equivalent circuit for a three-pin input connector. The resistors labeled Ri model the contact resistance between each pin and the corresponding socket. The resistors labeled Gij model the inter-pin conductance for each pin pair (i,j).

Specify the resistance of resistors Ri using the Contact resistance between pin and sockets parameter. Specify the conductance of resistors Gij using the Conductance between pins parameter.

You do not always need to model connectors at both ends of the cable. For example:

• If you model a cable soldered directly to a printed circuit board (PCB), then do not model the connector at that end of the cable, for greater accuracy.

• If you model a cable with almost ideal connectors, or if you model an open-circuit fault in the cable, the inter-pin conductance and the contact resistance between the pins and sockets in the connectors have a negligible impact on the simulation results.

You can choose whether to model each connector by using the Model input connector and Model output connector parameters. To increase the simulation speed, do not model the connectors if you do not need to.

Faults

To model a fault in the Cable and Connectors block, in the Faults section, click Add fault next to the fault that you want to model. For more information about fault modeling, see Fault Behavior Modeling and Fault Triggering.

The Cable and Connectors block models electrical faults as an instantaneous change in the conductance of the cable or connectors. You can model an open-circuit fault in the cable or a short-circuit fault in the connectors.

When the cable fails in open circuit, the conductance of the conductors changes to the value of the Open-circuit conductance parameter. If you model multiple conductors in the same cable, you can choose to trigger faults for all conductors or specify which conductors you want to fail.

• To trigger an open-circuit fault for all conductors, set Faultable conductors to Make all conductors faultable.

• To trigger an open-circuit fault for specific conductors, set Faultable conductors to Specify faultable conductors and specify which conductors you want to fail using the Indices of faultable conductors parameter.

When an input or output connector short circuits, the inter-pin conductance of pin pairs changes to the value of the Short-circuit conductance of faulted input connector or Short-circuit conductance of faulted output connector parameter, respectively.

• To trigger a short-circuit fault for all pin pairs, set Faultable pin pairs to Make all pin pairs faultable.

• To trigger a short-circuit fault for specific pin pairs, set Faultable conductors to Specify faultable conductors and specify which conductors you want to fail using the Matrix of faultable pin pairs parameter. Each row of this matrix defines a pair of pins by their indices. For example, to enable a short-circuit fault between pin 1 and pin 2, add the row 1,2; to the matrix.

Fault Triggers

You can specify how and when faults occur by using the Trigger type parameter.

If you set the Trigger type to Behavioral, the Cable and Connectors block triggers fault events when the temperature continuously exceeds the value of the Maximum permissible temperature for a duration longer than the value of the Time to fail when exceeding temperature parameter. The block also triggers:

• Open-circuit faults in the cable when the current continuously exceeds the value of the Maximum permissible current parameter for a duration longer than the value of the Time to fail when exceeding current parameter.

• Short-circuit faults in the connectors when the voltage continuously exceeds the value of the Maximum permissible voltage parameter for a duration longer than the value of the Time to fail when exceeding voltage parameter.

If you set the Trigger type to Conditional, you can choose whether faults in the Cable and Connectors block are reversible (since R2025a). To model irreversible faults, click Open fault properties to open the Property Inspector and select the Trigger stays on once activated parameter. The block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition becomes true for the first time and remains in the faulted state for the rest of the simulation. To model reversible faults, clear the Trigger stays on once activated parameter. The block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition is true and enters the unfaulted state when the trigger condition is false.

For more information about adding faults to blocks and specifying fault triggers, see Introduction to Simscape Faults.

Ports

Conserving

In — Input connector terminal

electrical | electrical array-of-nodes

Electrical conserving port or electrical array-of-nodes conserving port associated with the input connector terminal.

If you clear the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter, this port is an electrical conserving port.

If you select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter, this port is an electrical array-of-nodes conserving port. To connect this port to an electrical network, use an Array Connection block. For more information, see Cable.

Out — Output connector terminal

electrical | electrical array-of-nodes

Electrical conserving port or electrical array-of-nodes conserving port associated with the output connector terminal.

If you clear the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter, this port is an electrical conserving port.

If you select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter, this port is an electrical array-of-nodes conserving port. To connect this port to an electrical network, use an Array Connection block. For more information, see Cable.

H — Thermal mass

thermal

Thermal conserving port associated with the thermal mass.

Dependencies

To enable this port, select the Model thermal effects parameter.

Parameters

To edit block parameters interactively, use the Property Inspector. From the Simulink^® Toolstrip, on the Simulation tab, in the Prepare gallery, select Property Inspector.

Main

Model multiple conductors in cable — Option to model multiple conductors

Off (default) | On

Option to model multiple conductors in the cable.

Number of independent conductors in cable — Number of independent conductors in cable

3 (default) | finite positive scalar

Number of independent conductors in the cable.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

Model input connector — Option to model input connector

On (default) | Off

Option to model an input connector.

Model output connector — Option to model output connector

On (default) | Off

Option to model an output connector.

Cable

Conductor material — Conductor material

Copper (default) | Annealed copper | Aluminum | Silver | Gold | Custom

Conductor material. This parameter determines the electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability of the material. To specify your own values for material properties, set this parameter to Custom.

Electrical conductivity of material — Electrical conductivity of material

5.96e7 S/m (default) | nonnegative scalar

Electrical conductivity of the material.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Conductor material to Custom.

Length of conductor — Length of conductor

1 m (default) | positive scalar

Length of each conductor.

Gauge of each conductor — Gauge of conductor in AWG system

Custom (default) | AWG1 | AWG2 | ...

Gauge of each conductor, specified in the American wire gauge (AWG) system. Choose a value from AWG1 to AWG40.

To specify the gauge in length units, set this parameter to Custom and specify the value for the Conductor diameter parameter.

Conductor diameter — Gauge of each conductor in length units

0.5 mm (default) | positive scalar

Gauge of each conductor, specified in length units.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Gauge of each conductor to Custom.

Model cable inductance — Option to model cable inductance

Off (default) | On

Option to model the inductance of the cable.

Clear this parameter to prioritize high simulation speeds. Select this parameter to prioritize accurate results.

Model skin effect — Option to model skin effect

Off (default) | On

Option to model the skin effect.

Rated frequency — Rated frequency

50 Hz (default) | nonnegative scalar

Rated frequency of the cable.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select the Model skin effect parameter.

Relative magnetic permeability of material — Relative magnetic permeability of material

1 (default) | positive scalar

Relative magnetic permeability of the material.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Conductor material to Custom.

Connectors

Contact resistance between pins and sockets — Contact resistance between pins and sockets

1 Ohm (default) | positive scalar

Contact resistance between the pins and sockets.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select the Model input connector or Model output connector parameter.

Conductance between pins — Conductance between pins

1e-12 S (default) | positive scalar

Conductance between the pins.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model input connector or Model output connector parameter.

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

Thermal

Model thermal effects — Option to model thermal effects

Off (default) | On

Option to model thermal effects. Select this parameter to enable the H port.

Resistance temperature coefficient — Resistance temperature coefficient

1e-6 1/K (default) | nonnegative scalar

Resistance temperature coefficient.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select the Model thermal effects parameter.

Measurement temperature — Measurement temperature

298.15 K (default) | scalar

Measurement temperature. This value is the temperature at which you quote the value for the Resistance temperature coefficient parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select the Model thermal effects parameter.

Thermal mass of each conductor — Thermal mass of each conductor

0.1 J/K (default) | positive scalar

Thermal mass of each conductor.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select the Model thermal effects parameter.

Thermal mass of each connector pin — Thermal mass of each connector pin

0.1 J/K (default) | positive scalar

Thermal mass of each connector pin.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select the Model thermal effects parameter.

Faults

Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault — Option to add inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault

Add fault

Option to add an inter-pin short-circuit fault to the input connector.

To add a fault, click the Add fault hyperlink.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select the Model multiple conductors in cable and Model input connector parameters.

Short-circuit conductance of faulted input connector — Short-circuit conductance of faulted input connector

1e9 S (default) | nonnegative scalar

Short-circuit conductance of the faulted input connector.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault parameter.

Faultable pin pairs — Faultable pin pairs

Make all pin pairs faultable (default) | Specify faultable pin pairs

Option to make all pin pairs faultable or to specify the faultable pin pairs.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault parameter.

Matrix of faultable pin pairs — Faultable pin pairs

[1,2;1,3] (default) | matrix

Faultable pin pairs, specified as an N-by-2 matrix where N is the number of faultable pin pairs and each row defines a pair of pins by their indices. For example, to enable a short-circuit fault between pin 1 and pin 2, add the row 1,2; to the matrix. When a short-circuit fault triggers, the inter-pin conductance changes for only the pin pairs you specify.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault parameter.

• Set Faultable pin pairs to Specify faultable pin pairs.

Trigger type — Trigger type

Always on (default) | Timed | Behavioral | Additional triggers | Conditional | Manual

Trigger type, specified as one of these options:

• Always On — The fault injects at the start of the simulation.

• Timed — The fault injects when the simulation time reaches the value you specify for the Trigger fault at time parameter.

• Behavioral — The fault injects as a result of fault parameter values during simulation. Setting Trigger type to Behavioral enables block parameters that define the failure conditions.

• Additional triggers — The fault injects as a result of additional triggers not available in the block dialog box. Select this option and click the Open fault properties hyperlink to set the Trigger type to one of these values in the Property Inspector:

  • Conditional — The fault injects as a result of a condition that reflects a behavior associated with a signal. Conditionals evaluate the Boolean expression in the Condition parameter at each time step. To model irreversible faults, select the Trigger stays on once activated parameter in the Property Inspector. The block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition becomes true for the first time and remains in the faulted state for the rest of the simulation. To model reversible faults, clear the Trigger stays on once activated parameter. The block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition is true and enters the unfaulted state when the trigger condition is false. To learn more, see Create and Manage Conditionals.

  • Manual — The fault injects or clears when you toggle the status in the Fault Dashboard pane. To learn more, see Manually Trigger Faults in Models.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault parameter.

Trigger fault at time — Time before entering faulted state

0 s (default) | nonnegative scalar

Simulation time at which the block enters the faulted state.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Timed.

Maximum permissible temperature — Upper temperature threshold for fault transition

inf degC (default) | scalar

Upper temperature threshold for a behavioral fault transition. The block enters the faulted state if the temperature continuously exceeds this value for a period longer than the value of the Time to fail when exceeding temperature parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Select the Model thermal effects parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Time to fail when exceeding temperature — Time to fail when exceeding temperature

1 s (default) | positive scalar

Amount of time that the temperature must continuously exceed the maximum permissible temperature before a behavioral fault triggers.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Select the Model thermal effects parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Maximum permissible voltage — Voltage threshold for fault transition

inf V (default) | positive scalar

Voltage threshold for a fault transition. The block enters the faulted state if the voltage continuously exceeds this value for a period longer than the value of the Time to fail when exceeding voltage parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Time to fail when exceeding voltage — Time to fail when exceeding voltage

1 s (default) | positive scalar

Amount of time that the voltage must continuously exceed the maximum permissible voltage before a short-circuit fault triggers.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Trigger configuration — Option to enable additional trigger types

Open fault properties

Option to enable additional trigger types not available in the block dialog box. To set the Trigger type parameter to Conditional or Manual, click the Open fault properties hyperlink and set the Trigger type in the Property Inspector.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in input connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Additional triggers.

Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault — Option to add inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault

Add fault

Option to add an inter-pin short-circuit fault to the output connector.

To add a fault, click the Add fault hyperlink.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select the Model multiple conductors in cable and Model output connector parameters.

Short-circuit conductance of faulted output connector — Short-circuit conductance of faulted output connector

1e9 S (default) | nonnegative scalar

Short-circuit conductance of the faulted output connector.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model output connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

Faultable pin pairs — Faultable pin pairs

Make all pin pairs faultable (default) | Specify faultable pin pairs

Option to make all pin pairs faultable or to specify the faultable pin pairs.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model output connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

Matrix of faultable pin pairs — Faultable pin pairs

[1,2;1,3] (default) | matrix

Faultable pin pairs, specified as an N-by-2 matrix where N is the number of faultable pin pairs and each row defines a pair of pins by their indices. For example, to enable a short-circuit fault between pin 1 and pin 2, add the row 1,2; to the matrix. When a short-circuit fault triggers, the inter-pin conductance changes for only the pin pairs you specify.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model output connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

• Set Faultable pin pairs to Specify faultable pin pairs

Trigger type — Trigger type

Always on (default) | Timed | Behavioral | Additional triggers | Conditional | Manual

Trigger type, specified as one of these options:

• Always On — The fault injects at the start of the simulation.

• Timed — The fault injects when the simulation time reaches the value you specify for the Trigger fault at time parameter.

• Behavioral — The fault injects as a result of fault parameter values during simulation. Setting Trigger type to Behavioral enables block parameters that define the failure conditions.

• Additional triggers — The fault injects as a result of additional triggers not available in the block dialog box. Select this option and click the Open fault properties hyperlink to set the Trigger type to one of these values in the Property Inspector:

  • Conditional — The fault injects as a result of a condition that reflects a behavior associated with a signal. Conditionals evaluate the Boolean expression in the Condition parameter at each time step. To model irreversible faults, select the Trigger stays on once activated parameter in the Property Inspector. The block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition becomes true for the first time and remains in the faulted state for the rest of the simulation. To model reversible faults, clear the Trigger stays on once activated parameter. The block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition is true and enters the unfaulted state when the trigger condition is false. To learn more, see Create and Manage Conditionals.

  • Manual — The fault injects or clears when you toggle the status in the Fault Dashboard pane. To learn more, see Manually Trigger Faults in Models.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

Trigger fault at time — Time before entering faulted state

0 s (default) | nonnegative scalar

Simulation time at which the block enters the faulted state.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Timed.

Maximum permissible temperature — Upper temperature threshold for fault transition

inf degC (default) | scalar

Upper temperature threshold for a behavioral fault transition. The block enters the faulted state if the temperature continuously exceeds this value for a period longer than the value of the Time to fail when exceeding temperature parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Select the Model thermal effects parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Time to fail when exceeding temperature — Time to fail when exceeding temperature

1 s (default) | positive scalar

Amount of time that the temperature must continuously exceed the maximum permissible temperature before a behavioral fault triggers.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Select the Model thermal effects parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Maximum permissible voltage — Voltage threshold for fault transition

inf V (default) | positive scalar

Voltage threshold for a fault transition. The block enters the faulted state if the voltage continuously exceeds this value for a period longer than the value of the Time to fail when exceeding voltage parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Time to fail when exceeding voltage — Time to fail when exceeding voltage

1 s (default) | positive scalar

Amount of time that the voltage must continuously exceed the maximum permissible voltage before a short-circuit fault triggers.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model input connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Trigger configuration — Option to enable additional trigger types

Open fault properties

Option to enable additional trigger types not available in the block dialog box. To set the Trigger type parameter to Conditional or Manual, click the Open fault properties hyperlink and set the Trigger type in the Property Inspector.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Select the Model output connector parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Inter-pin short circuit in output connector fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Additional triggers.

Open-circuit fault — Option to add open-circuit fault

Add fault

Option to add an open-circuit fault to the conductors in the cable.

To add a fault, click the Add fault hyperlink.

Open-circuit conductance — Open circuit conductance

1e-5 S (default) | positive scalar

Open-circuit conductance of a faulted conductor in the cable.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter.

Faultable conductors — Faultable conductors

Make all conductors faultable (default) | Specify faultable conductors

Option to make all conductors faultable or to specify the faultable conductors.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter.

Indices of faultable conductors — Indices of faultable conductors

[1,2] (default) | vector

Indices of faultable conductors. When an open-circuit fault triggers, the conductance changes for only the conductors with the indices that you specify.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model multiple conductors in cable parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter.

• Set Faultable conductors to Specify faultable conductors.

Trigger type — Trigger type

Always on (default) | Timed | Behavioral | Additional triggers | Conditional | Manual

Trigger type, specified as one of these options:

• Always On — The fault injects at the start of the simulation.

• Timed — The fault injects when the simulation time reaches the value you specify for the Trigger fault at time parameter.

• Behavioral — The fault injects as a result of fault parameter values during simulation. Setting Trigger type to Behavioral enables block parameters that define the failure conditions.

• Additional triggers — The fault injects as a result of additional triggers not available in the block dialog box. Select this option and click the Open fault properties hyperlink to set the Trigger type to one of these values in the Property Inspector:

  • Conditional — The fault injects as a result of a condition that reflects a behavior associated with a signal. Conditionals evaluate the Boolean expression in the Condition parameter at each time step. To model irreversible faults, select the Trigger stays on once activated parameter in the Property Inspector. The block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition becomes true for the first time and remains in the faulted state for the rest of the simulation. To model reversible faults, clear the Trigger stays on once activated parameter. The block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition is true and enters the unfaulted state when the trigger condition is false. To learn more, see Create and Manage Conditionals.

  • Manual — The fault injects or clears when you toggle the status in the Fault Dashboard pane. To learn more, see Manually Trigger Faults in Models.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter.

Trigger fault at time — Time before entering faulted state

0 s (default) | nonnegative scalar

Simulation time at which the block enters the faulted state.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter and set Trigger type to Timed.

Maximum permissible current — Current threshold for fault transition

inf A (default) | positive scalar

Current threshold for a fault transition. The block enters the faulted state if the current continuously exceeds this value for a period longer than the value of the Time to fail when exceeding current parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter and set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Maximum permissible temperature — Upper temperature threshold for fault transition

inf degC (default) | scalar

Upper temperature threshold for a behavioral fault transition. The block enters the faulted state if the temperature continuously exceeds this value for a period longer than the value of the Time to fail when exceeding temperature parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model thermal effects parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Time to fail when exceeding current — Time to fail when exceeding current

1 s (default) | positive scalar

Amount of time that the current must continuously exceed the maximum permissible current before a fault triggers.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter and set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Time to fail when exceeding temperature — Time to fail when exceeding temperature

1 s (default) | positive scalar

Amount of time that the temperature must continuously exceed the maximum permissible temperature before a behavioral fault triggers.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter:

• Select the Model thermal effects parameter.

• Click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter.

• Set Trigger type to Behavioral.

Trigger configuration — Option to enable additional trigger types

Open fault properties

Option to enable additional trigger types not available in the block dialog box. To set the Trigger type parameter to Conditional or Manual, click the Open fault properties hyperlink and set the Trigger type in the Property Inspector.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, click the Add fault hyperlink for the Open-circuit fault parameter and set Trigger type to Additional triggers.

References

[1] Keller, Reto B. “Skin Effect.” In Design for Electromagnetic Compatibility--In a Nutshell, by Reto B. Keller, 135–43. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14186-7_10.

[2] Rosa, E. B. “The Self and Mutual Inductances of Linear Conductors.” In Bulletin of the Bureau of Standards 4, no. 2 (January 1908): 301. https://doi.org/10.6028/bulletin.088.

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation
Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

Version History

Introduced in R2024b

R2025a: Model Reversible Conditional Faults

You can now model reversible conditional faults in the Cable and Connectors block by clearing the Trigger stays on once activated parameter. The block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition is true and enters the unfaulted state when the trigger condition is false.

Before R2025a, the block enters the faulted state when the trigger condition becomes true for the first time and remains in the faulted state for the rest of the simulation.

If you create a model before R2025a and enable a conditional fault in the Cable and Connectors block, the block now selects the Trigger stays on once activated parameter by default for backward compatibility.