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Ultrasonic Inspection to Quantify Failure Pathologies of Crimped Electrical ConnectionsPrevious work has shown that ultrasonic inspection provides a means of assessing electrical crimp quality that ensures the electrical and mechanical integrity of an initial crimp before the installation process is completed. The amplitude change of a compressional ultrasonic wave propagating at right angles to the wire axis and through the junction of a crimp termination was shown to correlate with the results of destructive pull tests, which is a standard for assessing crimp wire junction quality. Of additional concern are crimps made at high speed assembly lines for wiring harnesses, which are used for critical applications, such as in aircraft. During high-speed assembly it is possible that many faulty crimps go undetected until long after assembly, and fail in service. The position and speed of the crimping jaw become factors as the high-speed crimp is formed. The work presented in this paper is designed to cover the more difficult and more subtle area of high-speed crimps by taking into account the rate change of the measurements. Building on the previous work, we present an analysis methodology, based on transmitted ultrasonic energy and timing of the first received pulse that is shown to correlate to the gauge of the crimp/ferrule combination and the position of the crimping jaw. Results demonstrating the detectability of a number of the crimp failure pathologies, such as missing strands, partially inserted wires and incomplete crimp compression, are presented. The ability of this technique to estimate crimp height, a mechanical measure of crimp quality, is discussed.
Document ID
20150001518
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Cramer, K. Elliott (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Perey, Daniel F. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Yost, William T. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
February 10, 2015
Publication Date
July 20, 2014
Subject Category
Electronics And Electrical Engineering
Report/Patent Number
NF1676L-19599
Meeting Information
Meeting: Quantiative Nondestructive Evaluation (QNDE) Review Conference
Location: Boise, ID
Country: United States
Start Date: July 20, 2014
End Date: July 25, 2014
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 544163.04.02.07.01
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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