Patent ID: 6839642
Filing Date: 2005-01-04
Classification: G01N,G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of estimating flexure life of a wire harness in which, in the case when a wire bundle, formed by binding a plurality of wires each formed by coating a conductor line with an insulating layer, is allowed to pass through a predetermined protective tube and secured to an external structural member different from said protective tube, the flexure life up to disconnection caused by extending and bending processes of said wire bundle caused by operations of said external structural member is estimated in accordance with a finite element method, comprising: an initial shape determining step of: an extending and bending operation analyzing step of: analyzing extending and bending shapes of said wire bundle and said protective tube by virtually estimating operations of said external structural member so as to calculate a change in curvature of said wire bundle; step; and a collation step of: making a collation on a life estimation curve that is preliminarily set based upon said amount of change in strain calculated in said calculation step of an amount of change in strain so as to predict the flexure life of said wire bundle.