XL-ETFE and ETFE for aircraft wire compared

March 1, 2007 Lectromec Team

XL-ETFE and ETFE are not the same. ETFE (or commonly referred in the industry as Tefzel®) is a well known material used in the aircraft and space industry. In fact, ETFE is a widely used material in applications as diverse as automotive fuel systems to greenhouse films. ETFE has a long history of use as electrical […] Read more

When applied to aircraft wire systems technology, what is “delamination”?

January 1, 2007 Lectromec Team

Some failure mechanisms in aircraft wire systems technology are easy to find. Among the failure mechanisms faced by a wire, one is often overlooked: the failure of the layer to layer bond of wrapped wire insulation. When the bonding material fails to hold together the successive wraps of insulation, this is known as delamination. The basic construction […] Read more

Chemical formulas and structures for wire systems

December 18, 2006 Lectromec Team

Elemental abbreviations that may be used for wire systems C = carbon H = hydrogen Cl = chlorine N = nitrogen F = fluorine O = oxygen Structure I Structure II Structure III Structure IV Structure V […] Read more

Aircraft wiring material considerations beyond insulators and conductors

December 12, 2006 Lectromec Team

The basic tool kit to understand aircraft wiring goes beyond some of the basics. Here are some topics of interest: Materials that are insulators There are a large number of materials that are insulators and they can be either inorganic or organic. Practically all organic materials that are used for insulation purposes are polymers. Inorganic materials […] Read more

How to identify an aircraft wire to understand wire system degradation

November 5, 2006 Lectromec Team

If you try to identify an aircraft wire, particularly in service conditions, is not an easy task. However, we know it can assist with understanding details of wire system degradation. With the a variety of codes combined with the difficulty of finding the code on smaller gauge wires can try the patience of a skilled technician. […] Read more

Understanding series and parallel arcing for aircraft engineers

September 1, 2006 Lectromec Team

Aircraft engineers should know that in recent years have shown increased talk of arcing and the possible damage to aircraft. There have been many examples of these events on aircraft. Recently compiled data from the FAA indicates that between the years 1999 and 2004, there was an average of more than 20 reported electrical arcing […] Read more

For aircraft wire systems, there is no perfect conductor, not even a silver plated one

July 1, 2006 Lectromec Team

Aircraft engineers are always seeking perfect aircraft wire systems. Problems with silver plated copper wires were discovered during the 1960’s; in particular, a corrosive effect emerged that was commonly referred to as Red Plague (cuprous oxide and perhaps some cupric oxide). Read more

The scope of chafing on aircraft wire and its impact on wire reliability

June 1, 2006 Lectromec Team

Wire chafing can have an impact on wire reliability. The U.S. Navy found as part of a review for the allocation of labor and general wiring practices, roughly $94 million is spent annually in time and materials for the removal of equipment due to undiagnosed wiring problems. This is often referred to as equipment being returned […] Read more

Improving aerospace wire reliability by understanding arcing vs protection schemes

February 1, 2006 Lectromec Team

Prior to the launch of the space shuttle Discovery in July of 2005, NASA engineers discovered a previously unidentified hazard. Perhaps they should have gotten a better understanding of aerospace wire reliability. Power wires leading to a heater in the space shuttle were collocated with wires controlling the reaction jets used for in-orbit maneuvers. There were […] Read more

Improving aircraft wire management systems: The entanglement of separation standards

November 1, 2005 Lectromec Team

Separation standards are starting to emerge to help improve wire management systems. A number of airworthiness directives have been recently issued dealing with the wire hazards that result from lack of separation, either from other wires or structure. Read more

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