The use of Aluminum (Al) in the vehicles helps to improve fuel economy and to bring down CO2 emissions by reducing weight. This benefit makes the material an attractive option for the harness as well, where it can replace heavier copper conductors. However, to achieve a permanently reliable electrical contact, the termination technology needs to be specifically optimized for stranded Al conductors. This paper describes the new TE Connectivity LITEALUM crimp which was developed and validated for exactly this type of vehicle application.
The crimp barrel that was designed for fully automated processing avoids known problems of terminating Al wire – creep in particular. Applied to a typical family size car the shift to Al conductors and the LITEALUM crimp can save up to 2 or 3 kilograms of weight, depending on the boundary conditions. This is achieved at lower material cost.
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