Aircraft EWIS regulations in China

October 2, 2014 Michael Traskos

There have been significant developments in the Chinese aerospace industry over the last couple of years. The largest of these developments is the design commencement of the Comac C919 narrow-body aircraft. It is a huge undertaking with the projected introduction into service in 2018. It has been necessary to standup an infrastructure capable to support […] Read more

Assessment of mechanical stress on aircraft wire insulation

September 19, 2014 Michael Traskos

Mechanical damage is one of the most common causes of aircraft wire insulation failure. This mechanical damage can come from a hundred different sources (maintenance actions, chaffing, pinching, etc.), but many put a similar basic stress on the wire. One area that must be considered from a wire selection and qualification perspective is pinching a […] Read more

The impact of series arcing

September 15, 2014 Michael Traskos

While electrical arcing on aircraft is often associated with a dramatic failure event, a much more common occurrence on aircraft is series arcing. Series arcing can contribute to overheating and component damage, reduction in signal quality, and poor/sporadic performance of electrical equipment. In this article, we discuss the basics of series arcing, the failure effects, […] Read more

Corrosion prevention compounds (CPCs) and aircraft EWIS

August 29, 2014 Michael Traskos

Corrosion prevention compounds (CPCs) are compounds that are placed on many aircraft components. Applied to a variety of mechanisms, these compounds have been found to increase structural life by reducing corrosion. While there are benefits to reducing corrosion, the impact of the CPCs on wire insulation and the aircraft Electrical Wire Interconnection System (EWIS) in […] Read more

EWIS failure and the MQ-1B Predator incident

August 22, 2014 Michael Traskos

On May 2013, a US Air Force MQ-1B General Atomics Predator aircraft crashed north of Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. The estimated loss was over $4.5 million. This is a good example of EWIS failure. Below are some of the key EWIS-related findings from the United States Air Force Abbreviated Accident Investigation Board Report. […] Read more

Aircraft wire degradation and looking in the arc

August 15, 2014 Michael Traskos

Those who have witnessed electrical arcing and aircraft wire degradation first hand know the feeling of the intense heat radiating from the arc location, the screeching sound (AC arcs), and the bright flash that leave you visually stunned for several moments. The problem with recording these events is that the arc flash is often so bright […] Read more

7 tenets of aircraft wire systems installation

August 8, 2014 Michael Traskos

There are a number of considerations when designing the installation of EWIS on aircraft wire systems. They include part selection, system integration, routing, safety and separation, regulation considerations, operational environments, maintenance, and obsolesces planning. In other words, a lot to consider. Back in 2004, Lectromec released, Ten commandments of Wire Maintenance. Below, Lectromec lists, the 7 […] Read more

Takeaways from the 2014 UL Wire and Cable International Conference

July 29, 2014 Michael Traskos

Interest in wires and cables is not limited to the United States. Every year Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) conducts a trade show in the People’s Republic of China in a city called Humen, which is close to Hong Kong. In July, UL recognized Lectromec’s expertise by inviting them to present at the 2014 UL Wire and […] Read more

Lessons learned from NASA: Wire identification, harness clamping, and more

July 10, 2014 Michael Traskos

Learning from the mistakes of the past is critical for ensuring reliability of systems created today. These lessons may be contained in industry standards documents with little or no explanation as to why the requirements were created (such as AS50881). This lack of historical knowledge and the loss of the answer to ‘why’ can leave […] Read more

Heat shrink tubing application and aircraft EWIS components

June 30, 2014 Michael Traskos

Heat shrink tubing can be found in nearly every location on aircraft and can interact with aircraft EWIS components. These materials protect wire repairs, provide additional abrasion protection, and prevent the ingress of fluids (and in a pinch, may be used as a secondary harness support when other options are not viable). Although this product […] Read more

By: Michael Traskos