Typical battery terminal connections used in most commercial trucks are known as “stud and post” connections. One such connection may be best understood by referring to FIG. 1. This terminal configuration includes a threaded stud 10 protruding through the center of a lead battery post 12. Current stored in the battery 14 passes out of and into the battery through positive and negative lead posts. Typically, a copper ring terminal 16 with a conductor attached is used to carry electrical loads from and return to the battery. The threaded stud 10 retains the ring terminal concentric to the battery post 12 when making the electro/mechanical connection.
A nut 18 is threaded on the stud 10 and provides compressive force required to clamp the ring terminal 16 to the battery post 12. The compressive force concentrates the clamping force on a small area around the battery post 12, thereby pressing the soft copper ring terminal 16 into the very soft lead battery post 12. Due to the center concentrated clamping force, the outer perimeter A of the ring terminal 16 bends upwardly or lifts off the battery terminal, resulting in a ring terminal 16 that is concave in cross-section as seen in FIG. 1. This is undesirable as the concave shape of the ring terminal 16 reduces the required contact area between the ring terminal 16 and the battery post 12 by approximately 55%. The center concentrated clamping force also extrudes a small amount of the soft lead battery post 12, causing the ring terminal 16 to loosen and, thereby, reduces the frictional forces required for retention under the retaining nut 18.