Busbar joint contact resistance can increase as bolt force relaxes, thermal cycling causes micro-movement, oxidation develops, plating wears, and heat accelerates further degradation. The serious failure path starts when the busbar joint contact interface changes over time. A copper busbar joint can overheat even when the load current is stable because the joint resistance is not stable. Busbar faults include loose joints, overheating, arcing, misaligned phases, and insulation damage 3 from vibration or magnetic forces. 25× more heat (P = I²R). A joint running 60°C over ambient at 1,600 A consumes roughly 400 W, enough to visibly glow under. One persistent belief is that copper busbar joints must fully overlap—matching the entire width of the bar—to ensure electrical safety and low temperature rise. Bolted joints (most common) Bolted joints are formed by overlapping the bars and bolting through the. There are many situations where it is necessary to join two busbars to create a single, unified unit. This process, called “jointing,” may be needed to create a longer busbar from shorter, more manageable pieces; or to create a T-shaped tap-off connection from the main busbar.