Glycol and Silver-Plated Conductors
In this article, we discuss silver’s susceptibility to corrosion when exposed to glycol, its impact on aircraft, and ways to mitigate potential degradation. Read more
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Which Red Plague Testing is Right for My Application?
In short, red plague is corrosive galvanic corrosion that occurs between the silver plating and copper core of silver-plated copper wire. This has been a known issue since at least the 1950s and has popped up dozens of times since then with issues identified during initial product inspection. This article dives into the practical applications of red plague testing and how to identify and potentially mitigate the risks thereof. Read more
EWIS High Voltage Certification
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
S&T 2021 Meeting Report
A discussion covering the topics of interest presented at the FAA’s annual S&T meeting in 2021. Read more
Verification and Validation
Amidst the manufacturing process, a structured system of quality assurance is of utmost importance; implementation of a standardized evaluation system is key to ensuring that whatever is being made is up par for its certain usage. In the world of technology and manufacturing, the evaluative journey of a product from start to finish is broken up into multiple segments.
Read moreIn Consideration of Backshells
The backshell of a connector is an item that perhaps does not get the attention that it should. Often the discussion of EWIS focuses on the wiring, the connectors, or managing the risk of EWIS failures, but the connector backshell is ignored. The simple connector backshell (that is anything but simple) is designed for support and protection of wires and cables physically and, in the case of signal cables, support and protect electrically too. The following is a brief introduction to backshells, their use, associated standards, and research that has been performed to determine what to look for when performing maintenance.
Read moreIntegrating EWIS into Fleet Sustainment and MECSIP
While the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) evaluations and sustainment requirements have been part of the Mechanical Equipment and Subsystems Integrity Program (MECSIP) since 2013, it is only just recently that EWIS elements are part of performance measurements. This webinar, presented by Lectromec, provides an excellent opportunity to improve your understanding of EWIS, EWIS requirements, and highlights a path for better and more cost-effective EWIS evaluation. Read more
Electric Aircraft Design Considerations
Electrical energy storage has reached a point where it is possible for the manned vehicle propulsion to use non-petroleum based energy. To achieve this goal, it has required a lot of research, design, and innovation that has pushed these vehicles to depend on high voltage electrical power systems and forego the use of hydraulics and pneumatics. If electrical aircraft are the aircraft of the future, what are the design factors that the EWIS community will have to address? Read more
ASTM F3309- A Simplified Safety Analysis for Small Aircraft
Aircraft safety requirements vary depending on the size of the aircraft. Typically, larger aircraft have stricter requirements as a catastrophic failure in large aircraft has the potential for a much larger loss of life than that of small aircraft which hold far fewer passengers. The ASTM F3309 provides a simplified qualitative approach to evaluate the safety of small aircraft. Read more
New Means to Assess Corrosion Susceptibility
Low outgassing materials are critical for space applications. As one might imagine, a small, enclosed space with outgassing materials is not an ideal environment. To that end, space system developers have always sought insulation constructions with low outgassing properties. In past articles, Lectromec has covered the developments of the methods and materials used to reduce outgassing. Here, we examine the latest testing techniques for these materials. Read more