by Robert D. Malucci, Ph.D.,
Molex Incorporated,
Lisle, Illinois Introduction
Design
Concept
Wire
Loading Characteristics
Test
Methodology
Conclusions
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Introduction and Background
Insulation displacing wire termination methods are
commonly used in a variety of applications. This
termination technique is successfully used in many
industries where mass termination of multiple contacts is
cost effective. Multi-wire termination is possible with Insulation Displacing
Connectors (IDC) because the termination forces are
relatively low (typically several pounds versus hundreds
of pounds for crimps). In addition, this technology
provides a bonus in eliminating the wire stripping
operation required in crimping. Consequently, in many
electronic applications, mass termination is employed
where multi-wire cables are used. In many cases multi-wire planar
cable is used to provide very cost effective mass
termination. However, discrete multi-wire cables are also
used in cost reduction efforts since the cable
preparation and contact insertion steps are eliminated.
These types of applications provide rapid assembly of
high density harnesses at reduced cost. IDC harnesses
have been found to produce low defect rates during
assembly and excellent performance in service.
The advantages of this
technology are low applied cost and high reliability. One
disadvantage is the restriction on connector geometry.
Usually a rectangular shape with a double row of contacts
provides the optimum form factor for this system. In
addition, cable strain relief is required to assure
success in the field as motion at the wire/terminal
interface can create instability. Very often dual slots,
and in some cases wire insulation grips, are needed in
applications where high mechanical l stresses occur.
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Design Concept
The essential difference between a crimp and an IDC
contact is the way in which wire deformation is achieved.
With crimps, the pre- stripped wire and terminal are
severely deformed under high pressure crimping dies to
break through oxides and achieve metal to metal contact.
This involves plastically deforming the terminal and
axially extruding the wire by applying a relatively high
force per contact. Usually cold welding is produced at
the asperity level while very little elastic energy is
stored in the terminal system. The critical dimensions
for crimped contacts are the tolerances on crimp heights
achieved with the crimping tool (as shown in Figure 1
below). This requires careful set up and continuous
monitoring to maintain crimp height quality as a function
of time.
In contrast, much lower
forces are needed for IDC terminations. In this case, the
insulated wire is pressed into a slot that is designed to
displace the insulation and remove oxides by deforming
the wire with shear forces that produce localized plastic
deformation. This is done in one motion and provides a
gas tight high pressure interface between the wire and
terminal. A robust IDC system is designed to store
substantial energy in the terminal as the latter acts as
a spring member during and after termination.
In IDC terminations, slot
width and insertion depth are important. The slot width
dimension is easily controlled to tenths of mils in the
blanking process. In addition, wire insertion is
accomplished with a tool that provides easy control of
the insertion depth. As insertion depth tolerances are
typically several mils, termination quality can be
monitored by visual examination. This is relatively easy
to accommodate in a production environment and therefore
offers an additional advantage over crimping.
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Performance Characteristics
Crimps work well in the field because metal to metal
contact is generated during crimping and a small amount
of elastic energy is stored in the wire due to axial
extrusion. As time goes on, if the crimp joint remains in
a mechanically stable condition, additional diffusion
welding can improve the interface. However, stress
relaxation and creep in the terminal/wire system are
processes which tend to degrade mechanical stability.
Thus, depending on the mechanical design, the latter
processes may eventually cause degradation. If the
interface exhibits marginal strength initially and is
weakened due to vibration and/or stress relaxation, then
mechanical instability may limit field life.
The mechanical stability
of IDC terminations depend on the spring properties of
the terminal and loading conditions of the wire. This is
relativity easy to control from a design point of view.
In addition, external strain relief of the cable protects
against movement at the wire terminal interface. In the
case of solid wire, with proper strain relief, the IDC
termination will perform as well or better than crimps
because of the inherently greater mechanical stability.
This is due to the amount of elastically stored energy in
the deflected terminal which maintains a high pressure
interface. Typically, for small wire sizes such AWG 26,
the terminal is designed to provide several pounds of
force at the interface and several mils of elastic
deflection. In the case of larger wires such as AWG 20,
the forces could go as high as 15 to 20 pounds.
With regard to stranded
wire, the mechanical stability of the strand bundle plays
a significant role in performance. There are two factors
that effect performance. First; since the strand bundle
is under compressive load, there is a tendency towards
lower contact forces as the bundle relaxes in the slot
due to mechanical disturbance, stress relaxation and
creep. The level of potential relaxation depends on the
type of stranded wire used. The number and lay (or twist)
of the strands, the conductor top coating (plating) and
the type of insulation play a role in mechanical
stability.
For a given insulation
type, unplated high count stranded wire with little or no
lay is the most difficult to reliably terminate; while,
overcoat seven strand cable is the easiest and often
performs as well as solid wire. Second; since contact is
made to a limited number of strands ( typically four out
of seven strands ), the conductivity between strands
effects the overall conductivity. The latter can be
optimized if the wire is tin coated. In the stranded wire
case it is apparent a well designed strain relief that
tightly grips the wire insulation is important. Sometimes
additional ( or redundant ) IDC slots provide the
necessary mechanical stability. With the proper amount of
deflection ( compliancy ) in the terminal and an
effective strain relief, mechanical stability can be
optimized in stranded wire IDC terminations.
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Wire Loading Characteristics
Since each type of wire represents a unique set of
parameters, it is necessary to evaluate the loading
characteristics in each case to determine the design
criteria for terminating a specific type of wire. The
loading characteristics of solid or stranded wire can be
measured in the laboratory with a force gage that is
fixtured to simulate a slot for a given lead-in geometry.
The results are used to determine the loading
requirements for the terminal (as shown in Figure 2
below). The wire loading characteristic can be
superimposed on the force deflection curve of a given
design. It should be noted, the ramp angle, transition
radius and material thickness significantly effect the
loading characteristics of a given wire.
In following this analysis
the design objective is to provide a terminal that
crosses the wire curve in a predetermined design zone.
The design zone for a given geometry is determined by
inspecting the wire interface region after insertion in
the simulation fixture. By definition, the design zone is
the region of the loading curve where the insulation is
displaced and the conductor is effectively deformed to
establish high pressure metal to metal contact. In the
case of stranded wire, the design zone typically
represents the most mechanically stable region of the
loading curve where good contact is made to as many
strands as possible without severely damaging individual
strands.
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Test Methodology
The mechanical stability of the IDC interface is of
primary importance in field performance. Consequently,
vibration, mechanical and thermal shock, and temperature/humidity
cycling are important stresses to consider in testing.
laboratory tests which accelerate these stresses to
produce simulated field aging should be seriously
considered in product qualification testing. During this
type of test program, the change in termination
resistance should be monitored as the primary performance
characteristic. A simple failure criteria of 10 Rc can be
used to judge performance ( ten times the minimum
constriction resistance of the Wire/terminal interface ).
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Conclusions
When one considers the underlying principles of IDC
terminations, it becomes apparent this technology can
perform as well as crimped contacts in many applications.
In addition, this can be accomplished at a reduced
applied cost. This is a desirable situation which prompts
one to seriously consider IDC technology in applications
where it can be used in the harness assembly operation.
Many applications provide opportunities for the use of
IDC techniques to maintain performance at reduced cost.
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