TRAINING MANUAL

ELECTRICAL

CABLE TERMINATIONS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Para Page
COURSE OBJECTIVE 2

INTRODUCTION 2

CABLE TERMINATIONS 2

REMOVAL OF INSULATION 4

REMOVING SHEATH USING SIDE CUTTING PLIERS. 4

STRIPPING INSULATED WIRES 6

WIRE STRIPPING TOOLS 7

TYPES OF TERMINATIONS AND CONNECTIONS 9

MECHANICAL TERMINATIONS 9

PILLAR TERMINALS 10

SCREWHEAD AND NUT AND BOLT TERMINALS 10

CLAW WASHER 11

STRIP CONNECTORS 11

SPLIT-BOLT CONNECTORS 13

CRIMPED CONNECTIONS 14

MAKING A CRIMPED CONNECTION 16

REVIEW 18

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COURSE OBJECTIVE
 The trainee will be able to:
 Define a termination.
 Describe the factors, which make a good termination.
 Remove insulation/protective sheath from a cable.
 Recognize and use different wire stripping tools.
 Describe the most common types of mechanical terminations.
 Know how to make crimped connections using a hand-held
crimping tool.
 Make various cable terminations.

INTRODUCTION
Electricity travels from the supply to the load through cables. Cables form a part
of all circuits. Every cable has to be connected to some part of the circuit.
The connection of a cable to any part of the circuit is called a termination. There
are many different type of terminations for different conditions and equipment.
This unit covers the most common types of cable terminations.
If a termination is not done correctly it can cause many problems. A bad
termination may overheat and cause a fire. A connection may have very high
resistance which can cause problems with the supply to the equipment.
Cable terminations are an important part of the electrician's job. Therefore, they
must be done correctly using the right tools and equipment.
CABLE TERMINATIONS
The connection of a cable into a device or piece of equipment is known as a
termination. All electrical terminations must be both electrically and mechanically
secure. The termination must be good enough to carry the load current of the
circuit. This means that the connections must have a low resistance and the
cable must be tightly secured. (see Fig. 1). There should be no mechanical strain
on the conductor connections. The cable should be held firmly in the termination
enclosure with a cable grip. Any mechanical strain should be on the cable grip,
not on the conductors.

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Figure 1 Cable Termination.

Different kinds of cable grips are used to make sure that no mechanical strain is
put on the termination. There are special glands clamps and cord grips for
different types of cables and termination enclosures. (See figure 2).

Figure 2 Types of cable grips used on small household appliances.

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If the conductors in the termination are under mechanical strain then they may
become loose. A loose connection could overheat and cause a fire or it could
disconnect and break the circuit.
It is important that all terminations meet the following conditions:
 A termination should be electrically and mechanically secure.
 The cable sheath should be intact and undamaged right up to the
enclosure of the termination. (See figure 3).
 There should be little or no mechanical strain on the conductor
connections of the termination.
 The insulation should be intact and undamaged right up to the
terminals (See figure 3).
 All the strands of the conductor must be intact and securely held in
the termination. No loose wires.

Figure 3 Terminal Connections

REMOVAL OF INSULATION
Before a conductor can be terminated, the cable insulation must be removed.
Removing the sheath and insulation from a cable is called stripping. Cable
stripping can be done using side cutting pliers a stripping knife or a cable
stripping tool.
REMOVING SHEATH USING SIDE CUTTING PLIERS.
1. Split the sheath along the length of the cable. Be careful not to
damage the insulation of the wires.
2. Peel back the sheath, and cut away the unwanted part. (See
figure 4).

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Figure 4. Cut Away the Unwanted Part of the Sheath

3. Check conductor insulation for damage.
4. Where there are two or three layers of protection, they must be
removed separately. (See figure 5).

Figure 5. Remove Each Layer of Protection Separately.

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STRIPPING INSULATED WIRES WITH A STRIPPING KNIFE

The insulation around a wire (conductor) can be stripped with a stripping knife. A
stripping knife should have a short, wide blade with a flat end. (See figure 6)

Figure 6 Stripping Knife

It is important to hold the knife at an acute angle when cutting the insulation (See
figure 7).

Figure 7 Cutting Insulation with a knife

Make two or three cuts from different sides of the wire. Then pull off the
unwanted insulation with a pair of pliers.
DO NOT CUT INTO THE CONDUCTOR.
A conductor with a nick (small cut) in it is dangerous in 2 ways:
1. It will break after is has been bent a few times.
2. The CSA will be smaller so the resistance in that part of the
conductor will be higher. This can cause overheating.
Use wire strippers to strip wire when you can. They do a cleaner, better job.

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WIRE STRIPPING TOOLS

You can use a special kind of pliers to remove the insulation from a wire. The
jaws have "V" shaped notches. When the jaws are closed the notches form a
hole. You can adjust the jaws so that they only cut the insulation. They do not cut
the wire (See figure 8).

Figure 8 Wire Stripping Pliers

How to use wire strippers.
1. Turn the adjusting screw so that the hold in the jaws is the right
diameter for the wire.
2. Tighten the lock nut.
3. Place the wire in the V of the bottom jaw and close the pliers over
the wire (See figure 9A).
4. Turn the pliers and pull the wire out of the jaws to remove the
insulation (See figure 9B).

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Figure 9. Using Wire Strippers

There are other kinds of wire stripping tools, which work on the same principle.
When the jaws close they form a hole so that they only cut the insulation. They
leave the wire intact.
After the insulation has been removed check that the conductor has not been
damaged. (See figure 10).

Figure 10 Damaged Conductor

A conductor which has been damaged will break easily or it will increase the
resistance in the wire.
Therefore you must be careful not to damage the conductor when removing the
insulation.
If the cable has a stranded conductor then the strands should be twisted together
tightly before termination. Use pliers to twist the strands in the direction of the
existing twist (lay) of the cable. (See figure 11).

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Figure 11 Stranded Cable Preparation

You must make sure that all the strands are fitted into the termination. If not, the
current carrying capacity of the cable will be reduced. Also, loose strands in the
termination can cause short circuits.
TYPES OF TERMINATIONS AND CONNECTIONS
There are many different ways of joining or terminating conductors. The different
methods of termination are divided into two groups:
 Heated terminations (e.g. soldering, welding)
 Mechanical terminations (clamping, bolting etc.)
This unit will cover mechanical terminations only. Soldering will be covered in
another course.
MECHANICAL TERMINATIONS
The advantage of mechanical terminations is that they are strong but the
connection is not permanent. It can be taken apart easily for repairs or changes
to the circuit.
The disadvantages are that the terminals can oxidize and screwed joints can
become loose over a period of time.
The most common types of mechanical terminations are:
 Pillar Terminals
 Screw Terminals
 Nut and Bolt Terminals
 Strip Connectors
 Claw washers
 Split bolt connectors
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PILLAR TERMINALS
You often see pillar terminals in the plugs on household appliances. A pillar
terminal has a hole through the side where you fit the conductor. A set screw is
tightened on to the conductor. If the conductor is small in relation to the hole it
should be doubled back. (See Figure 12)

Figure 12 Pillar Terminal

You can put two or more conductors in the same terminal by twisting them
together. You must be careful not to damage the conductor by tightening the set
screw too much (See figure 13).

Figure 13 Over Tightening of Set Screw

SCREWHEAD AND NUT AND BOLT TERMINALS
When fastening conductors under screw heads or nuts the conductor should be
formed into a loop. You can do this easily using round nosed pliers. (See figure
14).

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Figure 14 Screw head, Nut and Bolt Terminals

The loop should be placed so that when you tighten the screw or nut you do not
cause the loop to open
CLAW WASHER
You can use a claw washer to prevent the loop from opening when you tighten
the screw. (See figure 15).

Figure 15 Claw Washer

Place the plain washer on top of the loop. Then place both the loop and the
washer on to the claw washer. Squeeze the metal points of the claw washer flat
over the terminal loop.
STRIP CONNECTORS
Strip connectors are sometimes called terminal blocks. Strip connectors are a
group of brass connectors fitted in a line in a moulded insulated block. The
conductors are held in place with a grub screw in the same way that a setscrew
grips the conductor on a pillar terminal. (See figure 16).

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Figure 16 Strip Connector

The conductors should be pushed well into the connector (See figure 17). This
prevents the grub screw only gripping the end of the conductor.

Figure 17 Inserting Conductor into Terminal Block

It is important to get a good, clean, tight connection. This will prevent high
resistance contacts, which would cause the connection to overheat. It will also
prevent loose contacts, which might come apart.
Some connectors have pressure plates, which give better connections. A
pressure plate spreads the pressure on the connection and allows better contact
between the two conductors. This is especially important when you are dealing
with high current circuits. They are also good for multi-strand conductor
terminations. (See figure 18).

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Figure 18 Pressure - Plate Terminal Block

Grub Screw or pressure plate terminals are normally used for terminations in
electrical equipment, e.g. switchgear, starters etc.

Figure 19 Switchgear Terminals

SPLIT-BOLT CONNECTORS
Split-Bolt connectors are used to join two or more cable ends together. They are
also called line tap connectors. This is because they are often used to tap off a
conductor (line) without breaking the circuit. (See figure 20).

Figure 20 Split-Bolt Connector

CRIMPED CONNECTIONS
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Crimping is a quick and effective way of joining different types of termination

devices to cable conductors (See figure 21).

Figure 21 Types of Crimped Terminations

Crimping uses a special tool (crimping tool) to apply enough pressure to form a
good connection between the crimp connector and the conductor. (See figure
22). A correctly crimped connection has high mechanical strength and good
electrical conductivity.

Figure 22 Crimped Connection

Crimped connections are quicker and cheaper than soldered connections.
Crimped connections are often used for small cables using a hand operated
crimping tool (See figure 23).

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Figure 23 Hand Crimping Tool

A power operated crimping tool (hydraulic) is used for crimping large conductors
of high current cables.
Hand crimping tools often have jaws, which can be changed to fit different
shapes and sizes of crimp connectors. You crimp the connection by squeezing
the handles shut. The handles can not be released until full pressure is applied to
the connection. Then the ratchet releases the handles. This ensures that the
correct pressure is applied to the crimp connection.

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MAKING A CRIMPED CONNECTION

1 Strip the insulation from the end of the stranded conductor. (See
figure 24).

Figure 24 Remove Insulation

2. Twist the strands together with pliers so they all fit into the barrel of
the crimp connector.
3. Place the barrel of the crimp connector over the conductor. (See
figure 25).

Figure 25 Place Device onto Conductor

4. Place the barrel of the crimp connector into the jaws of the crimping
tool. (See figure 26).

Figure 26 Place Connector in Crimping Tool

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5. Crimp the connection by squeezing the handles of the crimping

tool. (See figure 27).

Figure 27 Making a Crimp Connection.

6. Squeeze the handles together until the ratchet releases them.
Open the handles and remove the tool from the crimped
Connection. (See figure 28).

Figure 28 Released Crimping Tool

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REVIEW
 The connection of a cable to a circuit component is called a
termination.
 Terminations must be both electrically and mechanically secure.
 Cable grips should take any mechanical strain on a termination.
 Insulation must be intact up to the terminals.
 The conductor must not be damaged when it is fitted in to a
termination.
 Cable sheaths and conductor insulation must be removed carefully
using special tools.
 A damaged conductor is dangerous because:
i) It will break if you bend it a few times.
ii) The CSA will be smaller so the resistance will be higher.
 When you terminate stranded wires, make sure all the strands are
fitted into the terminal.
 Heated terminations can not be taken apart easily.
 Mechanical terminations can be taken apart easily.
 There are different types of mechanical terminations.
 Termination devices can be joined to conductors by crimping.

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