High contact pressure insulation displacement terminal for multi-strand

Abstract

An insulation displacement terminal is provided to achieved high pressure against the conductors of a multi-strand wire and to minimize the amount of strand rearrangement likely to occur with fine strand wires. The terminal comprises at least one insulation displacement contact comprising a pair of spaced apart generally parallel cantilevered contact arms defining a slot therebetween. The slot includes a conductor engaging portion having a length and width sufficient to receive the bundle of conductor strands in the wire. The conductor engaging portion terminates at a pair of inwardly directed convex non-cutting bulges which in the unstressed condition of the terminal are in very close proximity to one another. The bulges define a lower limit of movement of the conductive strands into the slot allowing the insertion force to increase. The camming surfaces defined by the bulges act as ramps to convert the increased insertion forces of the wire into lateral forces on the cantilevered contact arms. These outward forces provide the deflection needed to develop and maintain reliable resilient contact forces in the terminal arms which will be urged laterally into the wire strands and substantially reduce strand rearrangement. The insulation piercing barbs may further be bent over the conductive strands to more positively retain the wire in the terminal.