The end of 2021 closes another unprecedented year.
Despite the turbulence of the past year, the aviation industry has continued to innovate and develop exciting new ideas and technologies. Lectromec would like to thank all our clients and readers for their continued trust.
It was a busy year for Lectromec’s publishing team; in 2021 we published 22 articles, one brand new whitepaper, and several of our articles were picked up for redistribution. We took some time at the start of this new year to review these articles and we present here our annual round-up of Lectromec’s most popular articles from 2021.
#5 – Nickel and Gold Plating
This article was the second part of a detailed discussion about the MIL-STD-1353 standard which provides guidance for aircraft connector selection (Part 1 here ). Our in-depth discussion explores the plating metals covered by the MIL-STD-1353 standard and this part covers the nickel and gold plating on connectors.
Plating materials used on electrical connectors are imperative to the connector’s maintainability and dependability throughout its service life. When used together as plating metals, both gold and nickel maintain their beneficial characteristics, resulting in highly dependable conductor contacts. [Article]
#4 – Summary of MIL-STD-1353
Proving that connectors are a big part of the EWIS design, Lectromec’s fourth most popular article from 2021 was also on connectors covering MIL-STD-1353. Here, we take a more general and comprehensive look at the standard as a whole. Beyond the items that were considered in plating from article #5, this article reviewed some of the general properties of connectors, how they are tested, and issues that have been seen when they are not cared for on aircraft. [Article]
#3 – An Introduction to AS50881
For the last 17 years, Lectromec publications and articles have referenced the aerospace wiring installation standard AS50881 without having a dedicated discussion of the standard itself. While it was helpful to support those discussions, not having a detailed discussion of the place that AS50881 holds in the aerospace industry seemed to dismiss this great body of work that significantly evolved over the last several decades.
The AS50881 is a comprehensive standard for all EWIS aspects in aerospace applications and thus is very common and important in aircraft development. [Article]
#2 – Addressing the Big Questions of Partial Discharge
Aerospace vehicle electrification is not a trend that will end anytime soon. This trend pushes for more power leading to high voltage electrical systems, meaning that the EWIS (connectors, wires, and everything in between) must address new challenges, perhaps the most notable is partial discharge (also referred to as corona).
Imperfections in a wire/ cable construction’s insulation result in voltage differentials which can lead to partial discharge.
This article discusses the fundamentals of partial discharge, its impacts on wiring design, and test methods used to assess a component’s partial discharge performance. [Article]
#1 – EWIS and Aircraft Maintainability
Our most popular article of 2021 looks at the maintainability of the EWIS and its impact on the aircraft as a whole.
Looking at a collection of industry standards, we identify requirements and guidance for EWIS maintainability. Those who have worked in this industry for more than a couple of years know that the EWIS maintainability affects not only the EWIS itself but any nearby system whose maintenance access is restricted by the location or function of the EWIS. Because of this, the high maintainability of the EWIS (one designed with 30 years of maintenance in mind) allows for faster, more efficient, and more precise maintenance of surrounding equipment and systems. [Article]
On the Horizon 2022
With the start of a new year, we here at Lectromec look forward to sharing even more articles discussing the needs of EWIS as the aerospace industry evolves as well as being a part of our clients’ innovative new projects.
We also plan to expand our laboratory space in 2022 which will allow for new equipment and testing capabilities. Stay tuned for updates as Lectromec continues to grow in 2022.
Laura Wishart
Engineer, Lectromec
laura.wishart@lectromec.comLaura has been with Lectromec since 2019 and has been a key contributor on projects involving testing of EWIS/fuel system failure modes, the impact of poor installation practices on EWIS longevity, and wire/cable certification testing. Recent projects include work toward the definition and certification of high-voltage aircraft wiring systems. Laura’s knowledge and attention to detail have ensured consistent delivery of accurate test results from Lectromec’s lab.