Non-Standard Standard Part Performance

November 11, 2019 Michael Traskos

Standardized products made by different manufacturers through different processes will undoubtedly yield variable product performance. The expectation is that each ‘qualified’ product should perform comparatively well, but anecdotal evidence suggests that this is not the case. This paper reviews recent work performed by Lectromec investigating the qualified wire/cable performance variability in both qualification tests as […] Read more

How Much Does the Aircraft Environment Impact Wire Life?

March 1, 2019 Michael Traskos

When looking to select any aircraft component, typically the first means of down selecting from the wide variety of components that exists is based on the component’s performance characteristics i.e. can it perform the function to support the system. Next, the question then evolves to selecting those components that are best suited for the environmental conditions. This last part is more than just selecting the parts that are rated for the environmental conditions but also those that will have a long service life in those conditions. Ideally, the part will be reliable the entire service life of the aircraft and not require any replacement or additional maintenance; however, that usually is not the case (see Lectromec’s article on the immortal wire/cable). Read more

Have we Reached the End of Aging Aircraft Wiring Systems?

October 17, 2018 Michael Traskos

The way some in the aerospace industry maintain their aircraft wiring system can only lead an external observer to reason that aircraft wiring is impervious to damage with a life-span greater than the sun. When considering this thought, the question arose, “It is possible that aircraft wiring reached a point where aging/degradation is a thing of the past?” Read more

Should Polyimide Insulated Wire be Trusted?

September 25, 2018 Michael Traskos

The history of polyimide insulated wire is one that has numerous opinions and a lot of misconceptions. After several incidents involving polyimide wire on aircraft in both military and commercial, many within the aerospace industry refused to put any polyimide insulated wire/cable onto the aircraft they design/maintain. As is often the case with components involved in incidents, a lot of facts and myths get jumbled together. Read more

Plating Adhesion

Composite connectors (Class J and M) provide the benefit of a lightweight construction with limited drawbacks. To verify the connector plating in high temperature operation conditions, the plating adhesion test is performed. For this test, the connector under evaluation is immersed in oil at its operational temperature. It is then quickly cooled to room temperature […] Read more

Does a Connector’s Plating Type Impact Performance?

August 23, 2017 Michael Traskos

Design and installation of an aircraft’s electrical system has been made significantly easier with the adoption of modular harness design. This design pattern allows for discrete wiring sections to be designed and fabricated; this is only possible with the reliable performance of connectors. The connector-ization of harnesses has led some OEMs to build platforms where […] Read more

Maximizing Electrical Component Performance

June 9, 2017 Michael Traskos

Most components for electrical systems will have an accompanying product specification or product information sheet. These information sheets contain a lot of information that include mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance and this information is regularly used by engineers to make technical decisions. This performance information is necessary to reduce engineering time and avoid the need […] Read more

AS4373 – Testing Aerospace Cables – Part 2

January 21, 2017 Michael Traskos

When is a wire good enough to be placed onto an aircraft? What environmental tests should be considered to clear it for flight? Are there ways to determine how easy it will be to handle for maintainers? Over the last couple of decades, a single test standard has evolved to with test methods to address […] Read more

Thermal Endurance

The thermal endurance (or high temperature endurance) test determines the ability of the insulation of a firezone or similar wire to resist degradation due to exposure to high temperature. Degradation is judged by change in conductor resistance, cracking during bending, insulation dielectric breakdown, or decreased resistance to fluids. All of these points shall be tested […] Read more

Use of Cables on Aircraft – Part 2

July 14, 2016 Michael Traskos

In this article, we will continue the discussion by exploring the NEMA27500 cable. Four sections were covered in the Part 1 (Specification, identification and shield coverage, conductor size, and wire specification). The remaining three parts covered here are the basic component wires, shielding materials, and the jacket materials. Read more

Search