14-Ton Compression Crimp Cross-Section Photos

[sonicj]

thought some of you guys might be interested to see the insides of a high current compression connection... these cross section photos are of a 2/0 compression lug i crimped some time back.

cable: 00AWG (2/0, 133kcmil) carolprene welding cable. 1248 30awg strands. EPDM jacket
lug: t&b black 45 double band
die: t&b black 45 hex
hydraulic psi: 10,000
output force: 14-tons

pics 1 & 2 show the barrel end of the severed lug as i found it in my yard nearly a month after it was removed. pic 3 was after cutting with a dremel followed by cleaning up with a grinder. pics 4-6 show the cross-section after sanding smooth followed by a quick polishing. enjoy!   
-sj

[Time]

Interesting.  I have been using some crimp lugs on 4/0 lately with a pnematic hex crimper.  Kind cool to see what happens inside.

[slateraptor]

Someone obviously had waaaaaaaay too much time on his hands.

[Balaur]

Hey, very nice photos. I absolutely love to see how the crimp force put everything together in a nice lump.

Thank you for the time and effort to prepare the photos.

Cheers,
Dan

[sonicj]

Interesting.  I have been using some crimp lugs on 4/0 lately with a pnematic hex crimper.  Kind cool to see what happens inside.

indeed!

i don't recall any t&b literature referring to "cold welding" of the copper, so thats the next thing i'd like to figure out. are the strands & lug still separate? or are they now one solid piece of copper? unfortunately, i lost the other half somewhere in the shop, and think this half might become a keychain.   

Someone obviously had waaaaaaaay too much time on his hands.

i actually took these photos for a crimp vs solder debate on another forum. some people like to argue religion, some people like to argue cable termination. lol!
-sj

[slateraptor]

some people like to argue religion, some people like to argue cable termination. lol!

LOL well defended