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Over the last century, automobiles became a part of our daily lives. Each automobile is formed from thousands of components, and for our cars to perform, all of them got to work also. Not only can a neighborhood failure cause an inconvenient breakdown, but it also can put drivers and passengers in peril and cause costly recalls for the manufacturer. Automobile components must operate reliably, and they need to do so in a wide range of different temperatures and environments
Given their critical responsibility for our safety and overall well being, all automotive electrical components must be ready to withstand freezing cold, blazing heat, and uneven terrain. It’s no surprise that the electronics that make up your vehicle require extensive testing, including the connectors and cables that snake unseen through modern vehicles
Manufacturers like Ford, Toyota, GM, and many others “make” cars by gathering parts from a wide variety of suppliers and assembling them into a finished product. While these manufacturers are technically dependent on suppliers to maintain their reputations, the manufacturers make up a massive amount of the market share. This advantage lets companies like Toyota hold their suppliers to stringent quality standards
To learn more about general requirements for connectors approved for automotive use, a great place to start is the USCAR2-7 specification by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the United States Council for Automotive Research. This nearly 80-page document gives extensive – and precise – test information
Tests listed in this document include .
Systematically stressing the connector mechanically:Vibration testing:Subjecting the components to immersion in automotive fluids and even salt water. The specific solution would depend on whether the connector is sealed
Thermal cycling. The connector may perform as expected at room temperature, but these tests evaluate whether the device will function over extreme temperatures
Electrical resistance. To pass this test, a connector must exhibit a 500 M Ohm resistance between connector sections at an applied voltage of 500 VDC
Of course, even an extensive and detailed document like USCAR2-7 can’t cover every situation. The document notes that many cases require a different testing regiment, which could be more or less stringent than what the specification prescribes. In these circumstances, an Authorized Person steps in as the final authority. It is this person’s responsibility to record any modifications to normal procedures. Presumably, manufacturers could refer to this information before choosing to accept the components
It’s important to have some context about each connector’s specific application to ensure that each part undergoes adequate testing. For this purpose, component manufacturers define classes for the subsequent variables-:Temperature (T1-T5):Seal (S1-S3):Vibration (V1-V5):A component with a high ranking will got to pass far more extensive testing than one with a lower ranking. Lower rankings apply to components utilized in a car’s passenger areas, where excessive moisture is usually not a priority. Higher rankings will apply to in-engine compartment connectors and therefore the like, where extremes of temperature and moisture will occur. Vibration ratings range from a similar light-duty V1 specification, all the way to V5 automotive connectors. V5 ratings might apply to unsprung components attached on to an automobile’s wheel. These components experience the constant road vibrations that are nearly eliminated by a proper suspension. These tests aim to ensure that automotive components will generally last for 200,000 miles of hard use and will include millions of bumps, vibrations, and temperature variations along the way.