JP4809591B2 - Terminal crimping structure to aluminum wire, terminal crimping method, and manufacturing method of aluminum wire with terminal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a terminal crimping structure, a terminal crimping method, and a terminal, which are terminals used by being crimped to an aluminum electric wire provided in a wire harness arranged in an automobile, and which are installed in a connector housing. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an attached aluminum electric wire.

  Conventionally, a copper wire is generally used as a wire harness routed in an automobile, and an aluminum wire having poor properties (physical properties) such as conductivity and strength has not been used so much. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for the use of aluminum wires in view of weight reduction and recyclability of vehicles. On the other hand, an electrical connector is generally used for connecting wire harnesses to each other or to an in-vehicle device and a wire harness. Such an electrical connector is composed of connector housings that are fitted to each other and a plurality of crimp terminals that are inserted and fitted into these connector housings and crimped and connected to wires of a wire harness.

  There are two types of the crimping part of the terminal fitting constituting the crimp terminal, an open barrel and a closed barrel, but the former type is generally used from the viewpoint of improving workability. The compression ratio defined by the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the wire conductor portion of the crimping portion / the cross-sectional area of the wire conductor portion before crimping (also referred to as the area reduction ratio, hereinafter simply referred to as “compression ratio”) is a stable region of contact resistance. It is determined from the viewpoints of being inside, no disconnection due to vibration, and having a sufficient electric wire fixing force.

  In addition, although the compression rate of the cross section of the electric wire conductor at the time of the current terminal crimping is slightly different depending on the electric wire manufacturer and the electric wire size, it is specified and managed within a range of 75% to 95% (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Registered Utility Model No. 3005065 (page 5-6, FIG. 3)

  In the conventional terminal crimping method, the terminal is crimped to the wire conductor portion of the copper wire at the compression rate described above. Even if the terminal is crimped to the copper wire at such a compression rate, the terminal can be connected to the copper wire without any problem in terms of its function due to the mechanical and electrical properties of the copper wire. It was usable without any inconvenience.

  However, an aluminum electric wire has a lower fusing temperature than a copper electric wire, and each stranded wire constituting the electric wire tends to form an oxide film. Therefore, current flows only through a specific stranded wire, and concentrated resistance is likely to be generated, and there is a concern about occurrence of fusing or poor conduction due to such concentrated resistance.

  When an aluminum wire is actually crimped to a terminal under the same conditions as a copper wire, the resistance of the crimped portion of the terminal rises due to changes in the environment, such as high or low temperatures, causing problems in conduction, and the terminal and wire A good electrical connection state cannot be maintained between. For this reason, it is not appropriate to perform crimping at the compression rate described above for the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire.

The present invention relates to an aluminum electric wire provided in a wire harness arranged in an automobile, and crimps a terminal to an aluminum electric wire that can maintain the electrical characteristics of a connection portion regardless of environmental changes when crimping the terminal to the aluminum electric wire. It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure, a terminal crimping method, and a method of manufacturing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire according to the present invention is made of a large number of stranded wires each made of aluminum and covered with an oxide film, and a covering portion covering the stranded wires, and It is a terminal crimping structure to an aluminum electric wire that crimps a terminal to an aluminum electric wire provided in a wire harness arranged in an automobile, and has an open barrel type wire barrel in which the terminal is crimped to a conductor part of the aluminum electric wire, The terminal is crimped to the aluminum wire so that the end of the wire barrel of the terminal is deformed toward the center axis of the aluminum wire and the tip of the wire barrel is pushed between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum wire. When the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ² , the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is The ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of aluminum electric wire of the front conductor cross-sectional area / compression minute of the aluminum electric wire is characterized in that in the range of 50% to 70%.

An aluminum electric wire provided in a wire harness routed in an automobile, and an aluminum electric wire for crimping a terminal having an open barrel type wire barrel, each of which is composed of a number of stranded wires each covered with an oxide film By controlling the compression rate of the wire at the upper limit as described above, there is no increase in resistance of the aluminum wire with terminals in the environmental test where the device under test is exposed to high or low temperatures, and stable electrical connection is maintained. It becomes possible to do.

In addition, by controlling the compressibility of aluminum wires that are crimped to terminals with open barrel type wire barrels that are provided in wire harnesses that are routed in automobiles, the lower limit as described above can be used. The crimping strength of the wire is not significantly reduced. Therefore, mechanical damage such as wire breakage in the aluminum wire crimping portion does not occur.

Moreover, the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire according to claim 2 of the present invention is composed of a large number of stranded wires that are made of aluminum and each is covered with an oxide film, and a covering portion that covers the stranded wires. It is a terminal crimping structure to the aluminum wire that crimps the terminal to the aluminum wire provided in the wire harness, and the terminal has an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor part of the aluminum wire, and the terminal is The wire barrel end of the terminal is deformed toward the center axis of the aluminum electric wire, and the tip of the wire barrel is crimped to the aluminum electric wire so that it is pushed between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire, When the cross-sectional area of the conductor part of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor part of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is The ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the wire / the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum electric wire before crimping is in the range of 40 to 70%.

Moreover, the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire according to claim 3 of the present invention is made of aluminum, each of which is composed of a large number of stranded wires each covered with an oxide film and a covering portion covering the stranded wires, and in an automobile. It is a terminal crimping structure to the aluminum wire that crimps the terminal to the aluminum wire provided in the wire harness, and the terminal has an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor part of the aluminum wire, and the terminal is The wire barrel end of the terminal is deformed toward the center axis of the aluminum electric wire, and the tip of the wire barrel is crimped to the aluminum electric wire so that it is pushed between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire, When the cross-sectional area of the conductor part of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor part of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is The ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the wire / the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum electric wire before crimping, the upper limit value being 70%, and the lower limit value being within the compression rate range where the terminal crimping strength is 100N It is said.

An aluminum electric wire provided in a wire harness routed in an automobile, and an aluminum electric wire for crimping a terminal having an open barrel type wire barrel, each of which is composed of a number of stranded wires each covered with an oxide film By controlling the compression rate of the wire at the upper limit as described above, there is no increase in resistance of the aluminum wire with terminals in the environmental test where the device under test is exposed to high or low temperatures, and stable electrical connection is maintained. It becomes possible to do.

In addition, regarding the aluminum electric wire provided in the wire harness routed in the automobile, the compression ratio when the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum electric wire for crimping the terminal having an open barrel type wire barrel is 1.5 mm ² or more. Is controlled by the lower limit as described above, the crimping strength of the aluminum electric wire does not significantly decrease. Therefore, mechanical damage such as wire breakage in the aluminum wire crimping portion does not occur.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for crimping a terminal to an aluminum electric wire, comprising a plurality of stranded wires each made of aluminum and covered with an oxide film, and a covering portion covering the stranded wires, and in an automobile. This is a terminal crimping method to an aluminum wire that crimps the terminal to the aluminum wire that is provided in the wire harness that is routed to the wire harness, and an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor of the aluminum wire is prepared. Prepare the terminal with the terminal, the terminal of the wire barrel end of the terminal is deformed toward the center axis of the aluminum electric wire, and the end of the wire barrel is pushed between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire. When the cross-sectional area of the conductor part of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ² , the aluminum wire by the wire barrel The terminal is crimped to the aluminum wire so that the compression ratio of the conductor portion is within the range of 50 to 70% by the ratio of the conductor wire cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire before crimping. In addition, when the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is equal to the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / before the crimping. The terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire so that the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum electric wire is within a range of 40 to 70%.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for crimping a terminal to an aluminum electric wire, comprising a plurality of stranded wires each made of aluminum and covered with an oxide film and a covering portion covering the stranded wires, and in an automobile. This is a terminal crimping method to an aluminum wire that crimps the terminal to the aluminum wire that is provided in the wire harness that is routed to the wire harness, and an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor of the aluminum wire is prepared. Prepare the terminal with the terminal, the terminal of the wire barrel end of the terminal is deformed toward the center axis of the aluminum electric wire, and the end of the wire barrel is pushed between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire. When the cross-sectional area of the conductor part of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ² , the aluminum wire by the wire barrel The terminal is crimped to the aluminum wire so that the compression ratio of the conductor portion is within the range of 50 to 70% by the ratio of the conductor wire cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire before crimping. In addition, when the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is equal to the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / before the crimping. The ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum electric wire is characterized in that the upper limit value is 70%, and the lower limit value is crimped to the aluminum electric wire so that the terminal crimping strength is within the compression ratio range of 100N. Yes.

An aluminum electric wire provided in a wire harness routed in an automobile, and an aluminum electric wire for crimping a terminal having an open barrel type wire barrel, each of which is composed of a number of stranded wires each covered with an oxide film By controlling the compression rate of the wire at the upper limit as described above, there is no increase in resistance of the aluminum wire with terminals in the environmental test where the device under test is exposed to high or low temperatures, and stable electrical connection is maintained. Terminals can be crimped onto aluminum wires as possible.

Moreover, about the aluminum electric wire with which the wire harness routed in a car is equipped, it is also possible to manage with the lower limit of the compressibility according to the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum electric wire that crimps the terminal having the open barrel type wire barrel. Is possible. By controlling the lower limit of the compression rate, it is possible to prevent the crimping strength of the aluminum electric wire from being significantly reduced. Therefore, the terminal can be crimped to the aluminum electric wire without causing mechanical damage such as electric wire breakage in the aluminum electric wire crimping portion.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal, comprising a plurality of stranded wires each made of aluminum and covered with an oxide film, and a covering portion covering the stranded wires, and in an automobile. A method of manufacturing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal by crimping a terminal to an aluminum electric wire provided in a wire harness to be prepared, wherein the aluminum electric wire is prepared and is crimped to a conductor portion of the aluminum electric wire. A terminal with an open barrel type wire barrel is prepared, and the terminal of the terminal is deformed toward the central axis of the aluminum electric wire, and the tip of the wire barrel is between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire. When the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ^{2, the} wire is crimped. The terminal should be adjusted so that the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the jar barrel is within the range of 50 to 70% in the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire before crimping. In addition to manufacturing aluminum wires with terminals by crimping to aluminum wires , when the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compressibility of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is The aluminum wire with terminal by crimping the terminal to the aluminum wire so that the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the conductor of the aluminum wire / the cross-sectional area of the conductor of the aluminum wire before crimping is within the range of 40 to 70%. It is characterized by.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a terminal-attached aluminum electric wire, comprising a plurality of stranded wires each made of aluminum and covered with an oxide film, and a covering portion covering the stranded wires, and in an automobile. A method of manufacturing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal by crimping a terminal to an aluminum electric wire provided in a wire harness to be prepared, wherein the aluminum electric wire is prepared and is crimped to a conductor portion of the aluminum electric wire. A terminal with an open barrel type wire barrel is prepared, and the terminal of the terminal is deformed toward the central axis of the aluminum electric wire, and the tip of the wire barrel is between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire. When the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ^{2, the} wire is crimped. The terminal should be adjusted so that the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the jar barrel is within the range of 50 to 70% in the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire before crimping. In addition to manufacturing aluminum wires with terminals by crimping to aluminum wires , when the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compressibility of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is in the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of aluminum electric wire of the front conductor cross-sectional area / crimped aluminum electric wire, so that the upper limit is 70%, terminal crimping strength the lower limit value is in the range of the compression ratio becomes 100N A terminal is crimped to an aluminum electric wire to produce an aluminum electric wire with a terminal.

  By manufacturing such an aluminum electric wire with a terminal, there is no increase in resistance in an environmental test that requires high or low temperature, and a stable electrical connection is maintained, and mechanical breakage such as electric wire breakage in the electric wire crimping part is performed. An aluminum electric wire with a terminal that does not cause damage can be obtained.

As described above, the present invention relates to an aluminum electric wire provided in a wire harness arranged in an automobile, when connecting an aluminum electric wire conductor made of a plurality of stranded wires made of aluminum and each covered with an oxide film, to a terminal. The aluminum wire is made of a number of stranded wires made of aluminum and each covered with an oxide film by limiting the compression rate to the above-mentioned compression rate range, which is a compression rate that is not normally possible when crimping a conventional copper wire. It is possible to provide a terminal crimping structure to an aluminum electric wire that can maintain stable conduction between the terminal and the terminal and has sufficient mechanical connection strength.

  Hereinafter, a terminal crimping structure and a crimping method for an aluminum electric wire according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The terminal 1 used for the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire concerning the 1st form of this invention is comprised by the terminal connection part 10 and the electric wire connection part 20, as shown in FIG. It is comprised by the insulation barrel 25 which crimps | bonds the wire barrel 21 for crimping | bonding a conductor part, and the aluminum electric wire with the resin film. The wire barrel 21 has a substantially U-shaped cross section and forms a so-called open barrel type terminal.

  The terminal 1 is crimped to the aluminum electric wire 40 by the following process. First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the aluminum wire crimp terminal 1 is fixed to the base 80, and the aluminum wire 40 is positioned at an appropriate position of the aluminum wire crimp terminal 1. That is, the covering portion 42 of the aluminum electric wire 40 is positioned in a region sandwiched between the insulation barrels 25 and the conductor portion 41 of the aluminum electric wire 40 is positioned in a region sandwiched between the wire barrels 21. In this state, a crimping jig 90 having a specially shaped crimping groove as viewed in the terminal longitudinal direction is approached from above the terminal (see arrow X indicating the terminal crimping direction in FIG. 2A). The crimping jig 90 is formed with crimping portions corresponding to the wire barrel 21 and the insulation barrel 25 to be crimped. That is, a terminal crimping portion 91 is formed at a position corresponding to the wire barrel 21 of the terminal 1, and a terminal crimping portion 95 is formed at a position corresponding to the insulation barrel 25 of the terminal 1. Then, the crimping jig 90 is lowered toward the terminal side by an actuator (not shown) (see FIG. 2B). By this descending operation, the end portions of the barrels 21 and 25 are gradually bent along the crimping grooves of the crimping portion of the crimping jig 90. It is deformed (curled) in the direction of the central axis (see FIG. 2C).

  Then, by further lowering the crimping jig 90, the tip of the wire barrel is pushed between the stranded wires of the conductor portion 41 of the aluminum electric wire 40. At the same time, the insulation barrel 25 is crimped to the covering portion 42 of the aluminum electric wire 40.

When crimping the terminal 1 to the aluminum wire conductor 41 in this way, if the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor is less than 1.5 mm ² , the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor of the crimped portion / cutting of the aluminum wire conductor before crimping The terminal 1 is crimped to the aluminum electric wire 40 so that the compression ratio (area reduction rate) of the aluminum electric wire conductor defined by the area is in the range of 50 to 70%. In addition, the range of this compression rate is in the range which cannot be present at the time of crimping | bonding a terminal to a normal copper electric wire. When this terminal crimping operation is finished, the crimping jig is raised to complete the terminal crimping operation (see FIG. 2D).

  The reason why the compression ratio of the terminal 1 to the aluminum electric wire 40 is limited in this way is based on support by a lot of experimental data, and this point will be described in the following explanation and the section of Example 1 described later. .

  FIG. 3 shows a plan view (FIG. 3 (a)) and a side view (FIG. 3 (b)) of the aluminum wire with a terminal according to the present embodiment in a state where the terminal is crimped to the aluminum wire in this way. FIG. 4A shows a crimped cross section of the cross section IVA-IVA in FIG.

  FIG. 4B is a sectional view of a general terminal crimping structure outside the scope of the present invention.

  The crimping height of the terminal is called a crimp height value, and as shown in FIG. 4 as the crimp height values Ha and Hb, the crimp compression ratio (area reduction ratio) between the terminal and the electric wire is generally managed by this crimp height value. Has been.

  As shown in the cross-sectional example A shown in FIG. 4A, a conductor having a small crimp height value has a small conductor cross-sectional area and is crimped in a highly compressed state. On the other hand, a large crimp height value, such as the cross-sectional example B shown in FIG. 4B, has a large conductor cross-sectional area and is crimped in a low compression state.

  For example, when the compression ratio of the cross-sectional example A having a small crimp height value is 70%, this corresponds to the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire according to the present embodiment. On the other hand, compared to the cross-sectional example A, the cross-sectional example B having a larger crimp height value (conductor cross-sectional area) has a compression ratio larger than 70%, and corresponds to a terminal crimping structure outside the scope of the present invention.

  That is, the compression ratio refers to a surface area reduction ratio when the cross-sectional area of the electric wire conductor before terminal crimping is 100%, and the smaller the crimp height value and the conductor cross-sectional area after crimping, the higher the compression. And the higher the compression, the smaller the compression rate.

  In the past, the terminal crimping structure to the copper wire is managed by the crimp height value which is the target compression rate, but the crimp compression rate is almost 75 to 95% as a result, although it varies slightly depending on the type of terminal and the wire diameter. Is managed within the scope of

  On the other hand, when an aluminum electric wire is crimped at the current control value, an increase in resistance occurs in an environmental test that requires high and low temperatures, and a stable electrical connection cannot be maintained.

  However, the inventor has succeeded in achieving a stable electrical connection by specifying an optimal control value within a range of 50 to 70% only for aluminum wires through a vast experiment, clearing the environmental test, and so on. This point will be described in the following example section.

  The reason why the terminal compression rate (area reduction rate) exceeds 70% is inappropriate and when it is less than 50% is as follows.

The reason why it is inappropriate when the terminal compression ratio exceeds 70% is that the pressure-bonding resistance before and after the environmental test (cooling cycle) increased to 1.0 mΩ or more and was stable, as will be apparent from Example 1 described later. This is because the electrical connection state cannot be maintained. In addition, when the terminal compression ratio is less than 50%, the reason why it is inappropriate is that when the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor is less than 1.5 mm ² , the conductor cross-sectional area after terminal crimping is the conductor cross-sectional area before terminal crimping. This is because when the compression is high to ½ or less, the pressure bonding strength is remarkably lowered.

Subsequently, experimental results supporting the above-described terminal compression rate will be described in Example 1 below.
(Example 1)
Terminals are crimped to aluminum wires having various conductor cross-sectional areas at various compression ratios, and thermal shock tests (cold thermal shock tests) are performed on the aluminum wires with crimp terminals, that is, a low temperature environment (−40 ° C.). The test was repeated alternately and continuously in a high temperature environment (120 ° C.), the appearance of the terminal crimping part before and after the test was compared, and the resistance change before and after the test of the electrical connection part was measured.

  This thermal shock test is particularly suitable for evaluating the connection performance of the terminal crimping part. The thermal shock test was performed for 1000 cycles.

  Table 1 shows a representative example of a list of resistance increase values before and after the environmental test (cooling shock test) obtained as described above. A graph of this is shown in FIG.

この表１の結果から、発明者は抵抗上昇１．０ｍΩ以内を安定目標値として７０％を端子圧縮率の上限における境界に設定した。

From the results of Table 1, the inventor set 70% as the boundary at the upper limit of the terminal compression ratio with a resistance increase within 1.0 mΩ as a stable target value.

In addition, although the graph shown in FIG. 5 is a typical example and varies somewhat depending on various aluminum wires and wire diameters, it has been found that the compression region is a stable region in the range of 50% to 70%. In addition, the lower limit value is the same as the resistance increase value as the compression ratio decreases. However, when the terminal compression ratio is less than 50%, that is, after the terminal crimping with respect to the conductor cross-sectional area before the terminal crimping. If the conductor cross-sectional area is highly compressed to ½ or less, in the case of an aluminum electric wire with a conductor cross-sectional area of less than 1.5 mm ² , the crimping strength is significantly reduced and the mechanical connection strength of the terminal crimping portion is impaired. The lower limit of the compression rate was 50%.

According to the above evaluation test, in the case of an aluminum electric wire having a conductor cross-sectional area of less than 1.5 mm ² , if the terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire within a compression ratio of 50% to 70%, the strength of the terminal crimping portion is not impaired. It has been found that a stable conductive connection can be maintained between the electric wire and the terminal.

  Hereinafter, a terminal crimping structure and a crimping method for an aluminum electric wire according to a second embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal will be described with reference to the drawings.

The second embodiment of the present invention is a case where the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor portion to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, and the compression rate of the aluminum wire conductor portion by the wire barrel is the aluminum of the crimp portion. This is an embodiment in which the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the electric wire conductor / the cross-sectional area of the aluminum electric wire conductor before crimping is in the range of 40 to 70%.

  Since the terminal shape to be crimped and the specific method for crimping such a terminal to the aluminum electric wire are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same symbols and drawings (FIGS. 1 and 2) as those in the first embodiment are used. Detailed description will be omitted.

  The terminal 1 used for the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire according to the second embodiment of the present invention is also an open barrel type terminal, and is constituted by the terminal connecting portion 10 and the electric wire connecting portion 20 shown in FIG. The connecting portion 20 has a wire barrel 21 and an insulation barrel 25.

The terminal 1 is crimped to the aluminum electric wire 40 having a cross-sectional area of the aluminum electric wire conductor portion of 1.5 mm ² or more by the steps shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c).

That is, by lowering the crimping jig 90, the tip of the wire barrel is pushed between the strands of the conductor portion 41 of the aluminum electric wire 40. At the same time, the insulation barrel 25 is crimped to the covering portion 42 of the aluminum electric wire 40. Thus, the terminal 1 is crimped | bonded to the aluminum electric wire conductor part 41 whose conductor part cross-sectional area is 1.5 mm < ² > or more.

  In this crimping, the compression ratio (area reduction) of the aluminum wire conductor defined by the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor in the crimped portion / the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor before crimping is concretely determined according to the wire size. Although the compression rate is slightly different, the terminal 1 is crimped to the aluminum electric wire 40 so as to be within the range of 40 to 70%. In addition, the range of this compression rate is in the range which cannot be present at the time of crimping | bonding a terminal to a normal copper electric wire. When this terminal crimping operation is completed, the crimping jig is raised to complete the terminal crimping operation (see FIG. 2D).

  In addition, the reason which limited the compression rate of the terminal 1 to the aluminum electric wire 40 in this way is based on support by many test data, and this point is based on the above-described Example 1 and in Example 2 described later. explain.

  FIG. 3 shows a plan view (FIG. 3 (a)) and a side view (FIG. 3 (b)) of the aluminum wire with a terminal according to the present embodiment in a state where the terminal is crimped to the aluminum wire in this way. FIG. 6A shows a crimped cross section (cross section VIA-VIA in FIG. 3) of the aluminum electric wire crimped according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 6B shows a sectional view of a general terminal crimping structure outside the scope of the present invention.

  In the case of the second embodiment, for example, when the compression rate of the cross-sectional example A ′ having a small crimp height value is 45%, this corresponds to the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire according to the present embodiment. On the other hand, compared to the cross-sectional example A ′, the cross-sectional example B having a larger crimp height value (conductor cross-sectional area) has a compression ratio higher than 70%, and corresponds to a terminal crimping structure outside the scope of the present invention.

Also in the second embodiment, the inventor conducted an enormous test and specified an optimum management value within a range of 40 to 70% for an aluminum electric wire having a conductor cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm ² or more, and conducted an environmental test. Clear and succeeded in achieving a stable electrical connection. The test results are based on the above-described Example 1 and will be described in the following Example 2 column.

  The reason why the compression ratio exceeds 70% is inappropriate and when it is less than 40% is as follows.

The reason why it is inappropriate when the compression ratio exceeds 70% is that the pressure-bonding resistance before and after the environmental test (cooling cycle) rises to 1.0 mΩ or more, as can be seen from the contents of Example 1 described above. This is because a stable electrical connection state cannot be maintained. The lower limit of the compression ratio is 40%, and if it is less than that, the reason why it is inappropriate is that when the conductor cross-sectional area is highly compressed to 1/2, the crimping strength is significantly reduced, but the conductor cross-sectional area is 1.5 mm ^2. This is because the above-described wire size has high original tensile strength, and as is clear from the contents of Example 2 described later, the target strength can be satisfied even when crimped to 40%.
(Example 2)
Example 2 is an example that confirms that the lower limit value of the compressibility is 40% when a terminal is crimped to an aluminum electric wire having a cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm ² or more.

Specifically, the resistance increase value described above also decreases as the compression ratio decreases. On the other hand, when the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor portion is less than 1.5 mm ² , the terminal compression rate is less than 50% as described in the first embodiment, that is, the terminal crimping with respect to the conductor cross-sectional area before the terminal crimping. When the subsequent conductor cross-sectional area is highly compressed to ½ or less, the crimping strength is remarkably reduced and the mechanical connection strength of the terminal crimping portion is impaired. Therefore, it is considered that the lower limit of the compressibility is preferably 50%. However, from the following test results, it was found that when the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor portion is 1.5 mm ² or more, the lower limit value of the compressibility can be reduced to 40%. This is because, when high compression to 1/2 the conductor cross-sectional area as described above, although the crimping strength is remarkably reduced, the original tensile strength is 1.5 mm ² or more wire size cross-sectional area of aluminum electric wire conductor section This is because the target strength can be satisfied even when pressure bonding is performed up to 40%.

Hereinafter, the test results will be described. Even if the electric wires are the same size (mm ² ), characteristics (such as twisting method / number of strands), material (various aluminum alloys), tempering (solution treatment, aging treatment, annealing), etc. ( Strength, etc.) are different. Therefore, the present inventor is a configuration that is generally used as a smallest 1.5 mm ² aluminum wire under the condition that the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor is 1.5 mm ² or more in the present embodiment. The relationship between the compression ratio and the crimping strength of the aluminum wire and the terminal was investigated using an aluminum wire with a material, tempering and tempering. The results are shown in Table 2 below and FIG.

なお、ここで電線の組付け・配索作業などで、電線と端子が破断・断線しないための必要な強度について、各電線メーカーや電線を使用するユーザーにおいて独自に規定しているが、本発明者は、これまでの経験から、電線の組付け・配索作業などで、電線と端子が破断・断線しないために必要な強度を本実施例において１００Ｎと規定した。

In addition, in the assembly and wiring work of the electric wires, the necessary strength for preventing the electric wires and the terminals from being broken or disconnected is prescribed uniquely by each electric wire manufacturer and the user who uses the electric wires. From the experience so far, the person specified 100 N in the present embodiment as the strength necessary for the electric wire and the terminal not to be broken or disconnected in the assembling / routing operation of the electric wire.

As is apparent from this table and the figure (graph), if the compression rate is 40% or more, a strength of 100 N or more can be obtained. And since the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor part is 1.5 mm ² which is the smallest size under the condition of 1.5 mm ² or more and the compression rate satisfying 100N is 40%, the lower limit value of the compression rate is 40%. Set.

  Based on the above test results, when a terminal is crimped to an aluminum electric wire within a compression rate range of 40% to 70%, a stable conductive connection can be maintained between the aluminum electric wire and the terminal without impairing the strength of the terminal crimping portion. I found out.

Then, the terminal crimping structure and crimping method to the aluminum electric wire concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention and the manufacturing method of the aluminum electric wire with a terminal are demonstrated. In the second embodiment described above, the lower limit value of the compressibility of the aluminum electric wire conductor is 40%. However, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the aluminum electric wire conductor to be crimped is Although it is 1.5 mm ² or more as in the ^second embodiment, the lower limit value of the compressibility of the aluminum wire conductor portion is an embodiment in which the terminal crimp strength is 100 N.

  The terminal shape to be crimped and the specific method for crimping such a terminal to an aluminum electric wire are the same as those in the second embodiment, and therefore, detailed description is omitted using the same reference numerals and drawings as those in the second embodiment. To do.

  The terminal 1 used for the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire according to the third embodiment of the present invention is also an open barrel type terminal, and is constituted by the terminal connecting portion 10 and the electric wire connecting portion 20 shown in FIG. The connecting portion 20 has a wire barrel 21 and an insulation barrel 25.

The terminal 1 is crimped to the aluminum electric wire 40 having a cross-sectional area of the aluminum electric wire conductor portion of 1.5 mm ² or more by the steps shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c).

In this crimping, a terminal is crimped to an aluminum electric wire having a cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm ² or more of the aluminum electric wire conductor part, for example, and a cross-sectional area of the conductor part of 2.5 mm ² . In this case, the upper limit of the compression rate (area reduction) of the aluminum wire conductor defined by the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor of the crimped portion / the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor before crimping is 70%, and the lower limit of the compression rate As for the value, the terminal 1 is crimped to the aluminum electric wire 40 within a compression rate range in which the terminal crimping strength is 100N. In addition, the range of this compression rate is also in the range which cannot be present when a terminal is crimped to a normal copper electric wire. When this terminal crimping operation is completed, as shown in FIG. 2D, the crimping jig is raised to complete the terminal crimping operation.

  The reason why the compression ratio of the terminal 1 to the aluminum electric wire 40 is limited in this way is based on support by a lot of test data, and this point is based on the above-described Example 1 and in Example 3 described later. explain.

  A plan view of the terminal-equipped aluminum electric wire according to the present embodiment in a state where the terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire is as shown in FIG. 3 (a), and a side view is as shown in FIG. 3 (b). . Moreover, the crimping | cross-bonding cross section (cross section VIIIA-VIIIA in FIG. 3) of the aluminum electric wire crimped | bonded by this embodiment is shown to Fig.8 (a).

  Further, FIG. 8B shows a cross-sectional view of a general terminal crimping structure outside the scope of the present invention.

In the third embodiment of the present invention, for example, as can be seen from a comparison between the crimp height values Ha ″ and Hb in FIG. The aluminum electric wire having a cross-sectional area of 2.5 mm ² is considerably compressed to a compression rate of about 30%, and the aluminum after crimping the terminals is compared with the crimp height values Ha ′ and Hb in the second embodiment of the present invention. The cross-sectional area of the wire conductor portion is smaller (see the cross-section A ′ in FIG. 6A and the cross-section A ″ in FIG. 8A), and the wire conductor is crimped in a higher compression state.

In the case of an aluminum electric wire having a cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm ² or more, the reason why it is inappropriate if the compression ratio exceeds 70% is the same as in the first and second embodiments. This is based on Example 1, because the resistance of the crimped part before and after the environmental test (cooling cycle) rises to 1.0 mΩ or more and a stable electrical connection state cannot be maintained.

In addition, in the case of an aluminum electric wire having a cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm ² or more in the aluminum wire conductor portion, compression is performed based on the terminal crimping strength so that the lower limit value of the compressibility is a compression rate that provides a terminal crimping strength of 100 N or more. The reason for prescribing the lower limit of the rate is that when the conductor cross-sectional area is highly compressed to 1/2, the crimping strength is remarkably reduced, but the tensile strength is higher as the wire size (the cross-sectional area of the wire conductor part) becomes larger. For electric wires of 1.5 mm ² or more, the lower limit value (limit value) of the compressibility differs depending on the electric wire size, but even if the compressibility becomes less than 50% (1/2), the tensile strength of 100 N can be satisfied. Because. In addition, the reason (backing) which prescribed | regulated the lower limit of the compression rate as mentioned above is described in the following Example 3.
(Example 3)
In Example 3, the inventor is a generally used configuration and material of a 2.5 mm ² aluminum wire that is somewhat large in size under the condition that the cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire conductor is 1.5 mm ² or more. The relationship between the compression rate and the compression strength of the aluminum wires and terminals was investigated for the tempered aluminum wires. The results are shown in Table 3 below and FIG.

この試験結果から分るように、導体断面積を１／２まで高圧縮すると、圧着強度が著しく低下するが、サイズ（ｍｍ^２）が大きくなればなるほど引張強度が高いため、１．５ｍｍ^２以上の電線サイズは、圧縮率が５０％（１／２）未満になっても、その圧縮率の下限値（限界値）は異なるものの１００Ｎの圧着強度を満たすことができる。

As can be seen from the test results, when a high compression of the conductor cross-sectional area to 1/2, although the crimping strength is significantly reduced, the size (mm ²⁾ because of the high the more tensile strength The larger, 1.5 mm ² or more Even when the compression rate is less than 50% (1/2), the lower limit value (limit value) of the compression rate is different, but the wire crimping strength of 100 N can be satisfied.

This is because the limit value of the crimping strength 100N was 40% for the aluminum wire having a conductor cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm ² shown in Example 2 in FIG. 7, but the conductor shown in Example 3 in FIG. It is also clear from the fact that an aluminum electric wire having a partial cross-sectional area of 2.5 mm ² can satisfy a compression strength of 100 N up to a compression rate of 25%.

From the above, unlike the method of defining the lower limit value of the compressibility in the second embodiment, in the third embodiment, the lower limit value of the compressibility of the aluminum electric wire and the terminal having a conductor cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm ² or more is 100 N. It was set as the compression rate which becomes the crimping | compression-bonding strength.

  In addition, although the connection part between terminals shown to the above-mentioned embodiment is a female shape (tongue piece spring structure) of a conventional terminal, it can be used also in a male shape, and the structure of the connection part between terminals is old and new various terminal structures. Can be used.

  In addition, it is possible to obtain sufficient conduction characteristics by crimping the terminal to the aluminum wire with the above-mentioned compression rate, but in addition to this, in order to prevent oxidation due to air and corrosion due to moisture, the connection between the terminal and the aluminum wire conductor part Higher reliability can be obtained by applying anti-corrosion grease or the like to the portion.

  Although the present invention can be applied to a crimping terminal for a connector that can be inserted / removed for connecting an aluminum electric wire that uses aluminum as a conductor, this application is limited to the wiring harness wiring in an automobile as a main application. In addition, the present invention can be used in various fields in which a terminal is crimped to the end portion of such an aluminum electric wire.

In the top view (Drawing 1 (a)) and the side view (Drawing 1 (b)) showing the terminal used for the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire concerning the 1st embodiment thru / or the 3rd embodiment of the present invention. is there. It is process drawing which showed the terminal crimping method to the aluminum electric wire concerning 1st Embodiment thru | or 3rd Embodiment of this invention in order of Fig.2 (a) thru | or FIG.2 (d). It is the top view (Drawing 3 (a)) and the side view (Drawing 3 (b)) showing the terminal crimping structure to the aluminum electric wire concerning the 1st embodiment of the present invention thru / or the 3rd embodiment. The IVA-IVA cross-sectional view in FIG. 3A of the aluminum electric wire with the terminal crimped in the first embodiment (FIG. 4A), and the cross-sectional view of the crimping portion in the terminal crimping structure outside the scope of the present invention ( FIG. 4B). It is the figure which showed the test data of Example 1 of this invention. The VIA-VIA sectional view in Drawing 3 (a) of the aluminum electric wire by which the terminal was crimped in a 2nd embodiment (Drawing 6 (a)), and the sectional view of the crimping part in the terminal crimping structure outside the range of the present invention ( FIG. 6B). It is the figure which showed the test data of Example 2 of this invention. VIIIA-VIIIA sectional view (FIG. 8A) in FIG. 3A of the aluminum electric wire with the terminal crimped in the third embodiment, and a sectional view of the crimping portion in the terminal crimping structure outside the scope of the present invention (FIG. FIG. 8B). It is the figure which showed the test data of Example 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 terminal 10 terminal connecting portion 20 wire connecting portion 21 wire barrel 25 insulation barrel 40 aluminum wire 41 conductor portion 42 covering portion 80 base 90 crimping jig 91,95 terminal crimping portion

Claims (7)

To the aluminum electric wire that crimps the terminal to the aluminum electric wire that is made of aluminum and is made up of a large number of stranded wires each covered with an oxide film and the covering portion that covers the stranded wire and that is provided in the wire harness routed in the automobile Terminal crimping structure,
The terminal has an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor portion of the aluminum electric wire,
The terminal, such that the wire barrel end of the terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire as word ear barrel tip deformed toward the central axis of the aluminum electric wire is pushed in between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire And
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ² , the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping A terminal crimping structure to an aluminum electric wire, characterized in that the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the electric wire is in the range of 50 to 70%. To the aluminum electric wire that crimps the terminal to the aluminum electric wire that is made of aluminum and is made up of a large number of stranded wires each covered with an oxide film and the covering portion that covers the stranded wire and that is provided in the wire harness routed in the automobile Terminal crimping structure,
The terminal has an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor portion of the aluminum electric wire,
The terminal, such that the wire barrel end of the terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire as word ear barrel tip deformed toward the central axis of the aluminum electric wire is pushed in between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire And
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping A terminal crimping structure to an aluminum electric wire, characterized in that it is in the range of 40 to 70% in terms of the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the electric wire. To the aluminum electric wire that crimps the terminal to the aluminum electric wire that is made of aluminum and is made up of a large number of stranded wires each covered with an oxide film and the covering portion that covers the stranded wire and that is provided in the wire harness routed in the automobile Terminal crimping structure,
The terminal has an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor portion of the aluminum electric wire,
The terminal, such that the wire barrel end of the terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire as word ear barrel tip deformed toward the central axis of the aluminum electric wire is pushed in between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire And
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping A terminal crimping structure to an aluminum electric wire, characterized in that the upper limit value of the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the electric wire is 70%, and the lower limit value is within a compression rate range in which the terminal crimping strength is 100N. To the aluminum electric wire that crimps the terminal to the aluminum electric wire that is made of aluminum and is made up of a large number of stranded wires each covered with an oxide film and the covering portion that covers the stranded wire and that is provided in the wire harness routed in the automobile A terminal crimping method,
While preparing an aluminum wire,
Prepare a terminal with an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor of the aluminum wire,
The terminal, such that the wire barrel end of the terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire as word ear barrel tip deformed toward the central axis of the aluminum electric wire is pushed in between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire And
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ² , the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping While crimping the terminal to the aluminum wire so that it is within the range of 50 to 70% in the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the wire,
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping A method for crimping a terminal to an aluminum wire, wherein the terminal is crimped to the aluminum wire so that the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the wire is within a range of 40 to 70%. To the aluminum electric wire that crimps the terminal to the aluminum electric wire that is made of aluminum and is made up of a large number of stranded wires each covered with an oxide film and the covering portion that covers the stranded wire and that is provided in the wire harness routed in the automobile A terminal crimping method,
While preparing an aluminum wire,
Prepare a terminal with an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor of the aluminum wire,
The terminal, such that the wire barrel end of the terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire as word ear barrel tip deformed toward the central axis of the aluminum electric wire is pushed in between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire And
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ² , the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping While crimping the terminal to the aluminum wire so that it is within the range of 50 to 70% in the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the wire,
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping The ratio of the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the electric wire is characterized in that the upper limit value is 70% and the lower limit value is crimped to the aluminum electric wire so that the terminal crimping strength is within a compression rate range of 100N. Terminal crimping method to aluminum wire. Aluminum with terminals by crimping the terminals to the aluminum wires of the wire harness that is made of aluminum and each of which is covered with an oxide film and covered with an oxide film, and that is installed in the automobile. A method for producing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal for producing an electric wire,
While preparing an aluminum wire,
Prepare a terminal with an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor of the aluminum wire,
The terminal, such that the wire barrel end of the terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire as word ear barrel tip deformed toward the central axis of the aluminum electric wire is pushed in between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire And
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ² , the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping While manufacturing the aluminum electric wire with a terminal by crimping the terminal to the aluminum electric wire so as to be within the range of 50 to 70% in the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the electric wire,
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping A method for producing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal, comprising producing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal by crimping the terminal to the aluminum electric wire so that a ratio of a conductor cross-sectional area of the electric wire is within a range of 40 to 70%. . Aluminum with terminals by crimping the terminals to the aluminum wires of the wire harness that is made of aluminum and each of which is covered with an oxide film and covered with an oxide film, and that is installed in the automobile. A method for producing an aluminum electric wire with a terminal for producing an electric wire,
While preparing an aluminum wire,
Prepare a terminal with an open barrel type wire barrel that is crimped to the conductor of the aluminum wire,
The terminal, such that the wire barrel end of the terminal is crimped to the aluminum electric wire as word ear barrel tip deformed toward the central axis of the aluminum electric wire is pushed in between the strands of the conductor of the aluminum electric wire And
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is less than 1.5 mm ² , the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping While manufacturing the aluminum electric wire with a terminal by crimping the terminal to the aluminum electric wire so as to be within the range of 50 to 70% in the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the electric wire,
When the conductor cross-sectional area of the aluminum wire to be crimped is 1.5 mm ² or more, the compression ratio of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire by the wire barrel is the cross-sectional area of the conductor portion of the aluminum wire in the crimped portion / aluminum before crimping With the ratio of the conductor cross-sectional area of the electric wire, the upper limit value is 70%, and the lower limit value is crimped to the aluminum electric wire so that the terminal crimping strength is within a range of 100N. The manufacturing method of the aluminum electric wire with a terminal characterized by manufacturing an aluminum electric wire.

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