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Procedia Engineering 43 (2012) 348 352

International Symposium on Safety Science and Engineering in China, 2012

(ISSSE-2012)

Determination of fire fused traces caused by automotive electrical wiring

harness using metallographic method
Guozhong Huanga, Siheng Suna,*, Haichao Bua, Fei Jia
a

University of Science and Technology Beijing,No.30, College Road, Haidian District,Beijing,100083, China

Abstract
Determination and judgment of fused traces caused by short-circuits in an electrical fire is essential for analysis of fire cause and
identification of accidents, which sometimes is hard to be distinguished by appearance appraisal. In this paper, metallographic method is
applied to identify fused traces of copper wires from primary short-circuits, secondary short-circuits or fire burning, providing strong
evidence for the initial positioning automotive fire point.

2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the Capital University of Economics
and Business, China Academy of Safety Science and Technology. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Keywords: Short-circuits, Fused traces,

1.

Metallographic method

Introduction

Reasons of traffic accidents caused by electrical fires become more and more complicated as automotive product design
become more and more complicated. It becomes more and more difficult to investigate and determine fire reasons [1-2]. In
fact, many of accidents are caused by design or quality defects, but was mistaken for the driver's responsibility to cover up
many important issues in the automotive industry.
In electrical fire investigation, the determination of the fused traces from short-circuits is very important. The primary
short-circuits are the short-circuits formed before fire caused by the own defect; The secondary short-circuits are the shortcircuits formed during the fire because of the failure of wire insulation under the external flame or high temperature; the
secondary short-circuits prove that the entire circuit is energized; the fused traces from fire burning are the traces that
exposed to flame or red-hot embers. How to identify and determine the nature of fused traces is essential for analysis of fire
cause and identification of accidents [3-4].
The study shows that the car may have an electrical fire due to the electrical system short-circuits or grounding shortcircuits in wiring harness whether it is running or stop. In this paper, mainly study on low-voltage DC automotive electrical
systems, metallographic method is applied to analyse the characteristic of fire fused traces caused by automotive electrical
wiring defects and distinguish the fused traces of copper wires from primary short-circuits, secondary short-circuits and fire
burning, providing strong evidence for the initial positioning automotive fire point.

Siheng Sun. Tel.: 15201450944.

E-mail address:jiushiwossh@163.com

1877-7058 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2012.08.060

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Guozhong Huang et al. / Procedia Engineering 43 (2012) 348 352

2.

Test equipmentand contents

2.1 Test equipment

Simulation main test-bed (12V DC voltage, knife switch, fuse box, alcohol blast burner, BXG-160 electric welder,
multimeter and other instruments), Double disk desktop metallographic sample polishing machine, 4XCZ Metallographic
microscope with Canon digital camera.
Different specifications of automotive wiring harness (30/1.5 50/2.5); millimetre, pliers, Special wire clips, knife,
tweezers and alcohol blast burner (can work for half an hour and the flame temperature reaches 1000 )
2.2 Test contents
Use 12V low-voltage DC voltage as power supply and chose different specifications of the car wire to simulate the fused
traces from primary short-circuits, secondary short-circuits and fire burning caused by automotive electrical wiring defects.
The primary short-circuits are formed before fire caused by the own defect, which cause most of the automotive electrical
fires. The secondary short-circuits are formed during the fire because of the failure of wire insulation under the external flame
or high temperature, proving that the entire circuit is energized. Table 1-1 lists the wire size selected by the different
simulation
Wiring as shown in Figure 1-1: Use battery as power supply to simulate qualitative test with connection circuit in batterycathode lead - line protection devices - simulate short-circuits fault conductor 1- electrical equipment-simulate short-circuits
fault conductor 2- abdominal lead-battery order. In the figure, B stand for the battery, K is the switch, F is the fuse box, S is
the short-circuits point.
The wires of primary short-circuits are cross lapped or parallel lapped; Secondary short-circuits lap the same way. Take gas
fire as the source of ignition and the flame height are all the same.
)

),5(

Fig. 2-1 simulate wiring diagram of short-circuits fault

Table 1-1 test wire size sheet

voltage
12V

primary short-circuits
30/1.550/2.5

secondary shortcircuits
30/1.550/2.5

fire burning
30/1.550/2.5

The specific operation of the short-circuits test and preparation of fire fused traces are as follows:
z The preparation of fire fused traces from primary short-circuits
First set the electric welding current to seven file, then transfer the voltage to 12V DC, clamp the Automobile Wiring
Harness to be prepared with the welding under the fixed voltage, at the same time connect the other end with negative leads
wire, finally click directly after power-on. So the sample of primary short-circuits is ready.

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(a)

(b)

Fig. 2-2 the fused traces from primary short-circuits of automotive wire 30/1.5(a) 50 and (b) 100

(a)

(b)

Fig. 2-3 the fused traces from primary short-circuits of automotive wire 50/2.5(a) 50 and (b) 100

z The preparation of fire fused traces from secondary short-circuits

Simulate the conditions of secondary short-circuits: twist two copper wires together, one connected to the holder of the
electric welder and the other to another pole; Line is still in the off state due to the insulation of the rubber-covered wire after
power-on. Heat the contacted part of wire with different heights (3cm, 6cm, 9cm) of gas fire flame to adjust the heating
temperature. The rubber-covered wire will soon lose the insulation because of the fire burning and will soon be arcing due to
suddenly contacts. Finally get the fused traces from secondary short-circuits.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 2-4 the fused traces from secondary short-circuits of automotive wire (a) 50 and (b) 100

z The preparation of fire fused traces from fire burning

A variety of factors may have impact on the metallurgical structure of the wire fused traces due to the complexity and
variability of the scene of the fire, but national standards for these factors have not been elaborated, especially little study on
the metallurgical structure after shot cooling water. In process of fire fighting, the fire fused traces are usually cooled by fire
stream during formed or after formation.
This test only considers the organizational characteristics of fire fused traces under natural cooling.
Simulate the conditions of automotive wire fire during real car fire: peel off the insulating layer and burn wiring harness
with an alcohol torch under aerobic conditions, so the fused traces from fire burning formed.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 2-5 the fused traces from fire burning of automotive wire (a) 50 and (b) 100

Under normal circumstances, according to the shape and appearance characteristics of the various fused traces at the fire
scene, we can initially identify the fire is caused by the wire short-circuits or other causes. But the fused traces from primary
and secondary short-circuits have no significant differences in appearance, which sometimes is hard to identify just by

Guozhong Huang et al. / Procedia Engineering 43 (2012) 348 352

appearances. Even mistakenly believe the wrong conclusions that the secondary short-circuits cause the electrical fire.
Although the fused traces from primary and secondary short-circuits are essentially the same, there left the differentiated
microscopic characteristics within their own arcing due to the different external environment. Using metallographic method
can some extent determinate the fused traces from primary or secondary short-circuits [5-6].
3.

Metallographic analysis

3.1 Metallographic analysis of fused traces from primary short-circuits

(a)

(b)

Fig. 3-1 the metallurgical structure of primary short-circuits (a) 100 and(b) 200

The crystallization temperature of fused traces caused by primary short-circuits are normal, lower than secondary shortcircuits. Cooling speed of the fused traces must be high, so small columnar crystals and afterbirth-like crystals will be mainly
produced and blowholes exist around, which will be numerous, cluttered and of various sizes.
Automotive wires are composed of multi-strand copper wires with internal gaps, which filled with air, so the multi-strand
copper wires are wrapped large amounts of gas when primary short-circuits melting; gas cant escape in the short
solidification time, so are trapped in the metal body.
During formation of the fused traces from primary short-circuits, the metallurgical structure of the copper wire are still in
the processing state due to lower ambient temperature. When short-circuits instantly occur, the wire temperature is not
high(close to the normal temperature of 70 ), apart from the short-circuit points in the high temperature state (2000 ~
3000 C); the metallurgical structure are still directional, so the boundaries of transition region are also obvious.
3.2 Metallographic analysis of fused traces from secondary short-circuits

(a)

(b)

Fig. 3-2 the metallurgical structure of secondary short-circuits (a) 50 and (b) 100

Metallographic organization of secondary short-circuits are mainly of big columnar crystals and afterbirth-like crystals;
there are a few of blowholes around, whose area is larger.
The fused traces from secondary short-circuits are formed during the fire. The twisted multi-strand copper wires are so thin
that melt faster and more easily; before melting, the gas between wire gaps has been largely escaped from the melted bead
under high temperature in the long solidification time.
Before the formation of the fused traces from secondary short-circuits, part of wire grain grow under the high temperature.
Besides the short-circuits point is in high temperature state, the short-circuits point nearby is in relatively high temperature,
too. So the boundaries of the transition region are rather ambiguous. If continue to be subjected to the high temperature of the
fire scene, relatively coarse columnar grains in the short-circuits fused beads and thick equiaxed grains within the transition
region will continue grow, so that the boundaries of transition region are more blurred and confusion.

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3.3 Metallographic analysis of fused traces from fire burning

(b)

(a)

Fig. 3-3 the metallurgical structure of fire burning (a) 50 and (b) 100

(a)

(b)

Fig. 3-4 the metallurgical structure of fire burning transition region (a) 50 and (b) 100

Metallographic organization of fused traces caused by fire burning are of big equiax crystals and no holes exist. The
melting transition region content from small equiaxed grains to coarse equiaxed; and the boundaries of transition region are
relatively obvious.
The fused traces from fire burning are usually formed in the fire hot melting. Compared with primary and secondary shortcircuits, the temperature last longer, the range of fire is larger, the melting temperature is lower. Although all are melting,
retains its own characteristics.
4.

Conclusion

The following conclusions can be got based on the above analysis:

The crystallization temperature of fused traces caused by primary short-circuits are normal, lower than secondary shortcircuits. Cooling speed of the fused traces must be high, so small columnar crystals and afterbirth-like crystals will be mainly
produced and blowholes exist around, which will be numerous, cluttered and of various sizes.
Metallographic organization of secondary short-circuits are mainly of big columnar crystals and afterbirth-like crystals;
there are a few of blowholes around, whose area is larger.
Metallographic organization of fused traces caused by fire burning are of big equiax crystals and no holes exist.
According to the study on determination the fused traces of copper wires from primary short-circuits, secondary shortcircuits and fire burning using metallographic method, strong evidence for the initial positioning automotive fire point is
provided.
References
[1] Liu Dongqi, Liu Yanqin,2011. Analysis and Prevention of Electrical Fire, Journal of Safely Science and Technology 7(7),p.179-182.
[2] Wu Wei, Hu Shuangqi,2010. Analysis Method of SEM on Residues of Electrical Fires, Journal of Safely Science and Technology 6(4).p.15-19.
[3] Wang Xiqing, Han Bao-yu,1997. Guidelines on Site Investigation and Determination of Electrical Fire, Shen yang: Liao Ning University Press, CHINA.
[4] Yu Zhenping,2007. Determination of Fused Traces Caused by Primary or Secondary Short-circuits Using Optical Microscopy, Fujian Analysis &
Testing 16(2),p.46-47.
[5] Jiang Peng, Jiang Yong,2009. Research of Metallographic Analysis Based on Digital Image Processing, Fire Safety Science, 18(3),p.163-167.
[6] Zhang Jinzhuan, Jiang Hao,2008. The Metallographic Microcosmic Characteristics Analysis on the Primary Short Circuited Melted Beads of
CopperWire Heated in Different Temperature, Fire Safety Science 17(1).p.63-66.