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Through CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) analysis, a method in verifying the reliability of wire harnesses has been developed. The relative displacement of the engine causes the battery cable to bend repeatedly; this may result in cable breakage. By investigating the breakage mechanism of battery cables, we have found a correlation between the strain change and cable breakage. Furthermore, the dynamic profile through CAE analysis has been established, and it is also possible to calculate its strain. Using this method, we can limit the amount of actual tests and predict the bending life of battery cables.

We developed a method to simulate the bending reliability with the aim of shortening the development time of wiring harnesses and achieving reliability in the initial stages of development. PVC-insulated wires are generally used in automobiles. Wire breakage due to repeated bending occurs easier at low temperature than at room temperature. Research showed us that we can estimate the number of bends until wire breakage at low temperature (bending life) from the amount of change in the strain in the wire insulation. Further, by using CAE analysis technology, it is possible to estimate the bending life of complex wire harnesses. This has greatly reduced the time and effort needed to perform evaluation compared with conventional evaluation tests.