High Voltage, Low Current Material Arc Resistance Testing

July 26, 2024 Megan Chambellan

Long-term exposure to high-voltage can cause an insulating material to break down and, over time, even form conductive paths along its surface. The ASTM D495 test method is a preliminary assessment of an insulating or dielectric materials’ resistance to carbon arc tracking. In this article, we discuss this test method as well as the impact and limitations of the provided results. Read more

To Shield or Not to Shield – A Question on High Voltage DC Cables

June 21, 2024 Michael Traskos

Shielding on aerospace cables offers several benefits but can introduce some drawbacks that must be considered. In this article, we explore the pros and cons of using shielded cables on aircraft. Read more

Are New EWIS Regulations Needed for High Voltage EWIS?

June 20, 2023 Michael Traskos

High voltage power has been a hot topic in the aerospace industry for several years now. As programs have been getting closer to a marketable product, regulators are seeking to determine the regulatory basis for these new platforms. One question that has been raised in several committee and industry meetings, “Are New EWIS regulations needed for High Voltage Wiring Systems?” Read more

High Voltage Arc Tracking Requirements (Part 2)

June 18, 2022 Michael Traskos

In part 2 of this article series, we continue to discuss how arc track resistance testing as we know it must be re-evaluated as more HV systems with unique testing requirements lead the aviation industry moving forward. Read more

High Voltage Arc Tracking Requirements (Part 1)

June 6, 2022 Michael Traskos

Arc track resistance testing has been a staple of the aerospace industry for nearly 40 years. This originated from the issues raised in the 1980s with polyimide insulated wire. Since that time, test methods have evolved to assess and quantify the susceptibility of wires to carbon arc tracking and the ability to withstand electrical arcing events. Read more

EWIS High Voltage Certification

April 14, 2022 Michael Traskos

With the gradual industry implementation of high voltage EWIS systems in aviation, the demand for HV-specific safety standards is rapidly growing. High voltage OEMs currently use available industry standards, as applicable, but are still left with the task of developing and justifying their own system requirements. The SAE’s AS50881 standard, often considered the ‘go-to’ standard for OEMs, could benefit from proposed updates made to address the gaps for high voltage systems. Read more

Life-Limiting High Voltage Parts

March 15, 2022 Michael Traskos

Life-Limited EWIS parts can be useful where high voltage conditions make component degradation rates uncertain. Though accelerated aging can offer insight to the component’s condition, further observations of high-voltage systems will be needed for accurate degradation predictions. Read more

The Longevity of High Voltage Components

February 7, 2022 Michael Traskos

What does a wire need to do in the high voltage system, and how does it need to perform? This article reviews some of the fundamental concepts involved and what needs to be done to show a wire is compliant with the vehicle’s requirements. Read more

Aerospace High Voltage Systems: Addressing the Gaps in Current Standards

October 6, 2021 Michael Traskos

The aerospace segment has been dealing with questions of high voltage systems for the last decade. Many of these questions revolve around the generation, storage, and use of this power, but what has also been a hindrance for progress is defining how the standards for the wiring system need to be updated to address these high voltage requirements. As should be done when any new technology is being applied to a field, we should first look at other fields which have undergone the implementation of similar technologies. For example, the automotive market has been using high voltage systems for quite some time and the standards committees have produced documents supporting these technologies.

In this article, we review one of these documents on high voltage directed to the automotive market and see how it lines up with the existing aerospace standards.

High Voltage Impact the Aircraft Wiring System

March 18, 2019 Michael Traskos

For aerospace applications, high-voltage power is a rapidly growing interest and being addressed across several industry technical committees. The basic idea is that the power generation is increasing the supplied voltage and creating a need for the electrical wiring interconnects systems (EWIS) to have components designed to sustain these higher voltages for the entire length of the aircraft life. Just as it should not be expected for a connector to operate in a 300°C environment if it is only rated to 150°C, a connector should not be expected to perform perfectly with voltages exceeding its voltage rating. Read more

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