In order to make a success crimp, it is necessary for the wire, the terminal, and the crimping tool to all feature an correct elements. For many person, if a wire fits within the hole of a terminal, they assume that the crimp will hold. However, the crimp will not hold unless the metal of the terminal have deformed to wrap around the conductor of the wire.
Furthermore, there will always be a goal of producing a gas-tight connection between the wire and the terminal. A gas-tight connection imply that there are no air gaps between the two element. If the crimping die is too large for the size of the terminal, the crimp will not be secure, and the two components may vibrate out of place.
How to Make a Strong Wire Crimp
Conversely, if the crimping die is too small for the terminal, the excess crimping of the terminal will weaken the metal structure of the terminal and the strands of the wire that it secure. Due to the different task that electrical components perform within a circuit, there are different terminal die profiles for different purpose. For example, bare ring terminals has simple oval dies, but automotive wiring use B crimp profiles to fold over the wings of the terminal over the wire strands.
Additionally, ferrules have square dies so they dont cause the wire strands to splay apart when the terminal is compress, while coaxial cables use dies with rounded profiles. If a technician uses the wrong size die within a terminal, the material will be damaged. To assist in choosing the correct size die for each wire size, the electrical industry use color coding for these crimping tools.
For example, red crimping tools are for light signal wire, blue tools are for medium-branch circuits, and yellow tools are for heavy appliance electrical load. Using the incorrect color-coded crimping tool may cause a crimp failure. In the worst case, such a failure may present a fire hazard.
The crimping process begin with stripping the wire to the correct depth. If the wire is not strip to the proper depth, the conductor of the wire will not bottom out within the terminal. If the conductor does not bottom out within the terminal, then the crimping die will be crimping air instead of the electrical terminal.
Furthermore, if a user crimps the wire with a ratcheting crimping tool, it is necessary to allow the ratchet tool to complete its cycle. If someone is force to open to its crimping die before the cycle is complete, the connection between the wire and the terminal may be intermittent. Quality control of crimps is a step in the crimping process that many people neglect.
Youll need to visually inspect the crimped joint to make sure that the crimp profile is symmetric. If the crimp profile is not symmetric, it is likely that the tool was tilted when the crimping process occurred, which can cause a weak spot in the crimped joint. Additionally, it is important to pull on the wire to make sure that the crimp is secure.
If someone pulls the wire at a 90-degree angle from the electrical terminal and it move within the terminal, then the crimp on that wire have failed. It is better for a person to detect a crimp failure during the pull test than after the equipment that use that wire has been installed. By ensuring that each electrical component is crimp with the right size die and following the established crimping sequence, every crimp will be strong and secure.
By using the correct size die for each wire and following the crimping sequence for each size of wire, electrical issue can be avoided.
