Abstract: For problems that different voltage loading method of electrical connector produces different electric field, the calculation model and method of electric field are set up with the electrostatic field theory in view that the decrease or breakdown of insulation resistance and dielectric strength induced by surface flashover cause failure of electrical connector in vacuum. Then in order to quickly and accurately evaluate the insulation life of electrical connector in vacuum environment, the optimized mathematical model of electric field is established under the condition of rated voltage by regarding the largest electric field and the most uniform electric field as objectives. Through extracting comprehensive evaluation function from the objectives by using signal-to-noise ratio of electric field, genetic algorithm is used to optimize the voltage loading method by converting multi objective to single objective. The optimal results show that the electric field not only increases about 50%, but also is more uniform, which provides the reference for the reliability evaluation of electrical connector in vacuum.

Key words: Electrical connector, Reliability testing, Space environment, Voltage loading