Straight bend in Electrical Harness Installation

[KevinDeSmet]

I am wondering, to anybody who uses EHI for harnessing, what is your opinion on the "Straight Bend" calculation mode?

I find it gives me a much easier time achieving my required bend radius. But is this too good to be true? I think it must be, it looks like it treats a flexible cable as if it is a stiff object, like piping, and for that reason alone straight bend should be avoided as much a possible. Because a flexible cable doesn't have enough stiffness to act like pipe and it makes no sense to draw it like that in EHI.

I know the electrical modules aren't as commonly used, but any fellow harness modelers out there? Your take on this would be highly appreciated!

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[DBezaire]

Kevin,
If you have COE access, Tim Suhr from Boeing is extremely knowledgeable in that area. I usually do not see many posts about electrical in Eng-tips.

Regards,
Derek




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[KevinDeSmet]

I don't... but I'll try to make a basic account. It is the only forum I know of that requires 2 pages of information just to get your started, and that has a bit of a monetary ring to it too.

I guess that's what you get when you start rolling with the PLM crowds

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[DBezaire]

so very true.

Win XP64
R20/21, 3DVIA Composer 2012, ST R20
Dell T7400 16GB Ram
Quadro FX 4800 - 1.5GB

 

[KevinDeSmet]

Posted this in COE but will post it here too:

I have just thought about it for a moment, and I understand you can put a protective covering over a portion of a bundle and that way achieve localized stiffness. This makes straight bend seem almost like a decent way to go.

You "can" instantiate protective coverings around every bend but, that might be pretty time consuming and unless you have the Flex module it won't even take the stiffness into account from an instaniated covering, won't it? And if so, how routine is the practice in industry to use coverings to add local stiffness? I thought it was only done routinely for protection against sharp edges.

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