WPAFB Wire Study

October 14, 2020 Michael Traskos

Key Takeaways Publicly available recorded data compares many of the commonly used aerospace wire types. Corona extinction and inception voltages of cables decrease drastically with an increase of elevation. Many insulation types display a significant decrease in mechanical durability at increased temperatures. Modern wires of the AS22759 family are incapable of stopping 270 voltage DC […] Read more

S&T 2019 – Meeting Report

December 20, 2019 Michael Traskos

To get the most from the industry, it is necessary to learn and share with the community as much as possible. Some would call it reciprocity, others, seeking to work to a common goal. Whatever you want to call it, the S&T Electrical Systems and Wiring Inter-Agency Meeting was held earlier this month in snowy Cleveland OH in December 2019. The following are a couple of the areas presented and discussed during the meeting. Read more

SAE Wire and Cable Committee Meeting Update – Fall 2019

November 3, 2019 Michael Traskos

The SAE wire and cable committee held their fall 2019 meeting in San Diego this year. As with every committee meeting, a lot of technical areas were discussed, progress was made, and some new ideas/problems are emerged. As we do after all these meetings, we put together a highlight of some of the talking points from the meeting.

Latest Developments in Wire and Cable (Spring 2019)

May 14, 2019 Michael Traskos

Wire and cable standards are never proactive, but reactive to industry needs, and as the aviation world moves to high power systems, wire and cable must catch up to ensure the products are available for long reliable service life. Twice a year the SAE wire/cable community comes together to slowly push the standards and industry guidance forward; this year, New Orleans was the setting.

During this three-day meeting, several topics were discussed impacting the next generation of aircraft designs. Here, we cover a couple of these developments.

Thermal Life of Wires and Cables

April 22, 2019 Michael Traskos

While there is a wide range of products from which to choose, across many of these specifications there is a common element: maximum temperature rating. Here, we walk through a couple of the methods for assessing a wire/cable’s maximum temperature rating. At the end of this article, we delve into weaknesses of this assessment method and elements that should be considered when selecting a wire for your high temperature application. Read more

Where EWIS Stops

April 8, 2019 Michael Traskos

Having well-defined and recognized system boundaries is the best means to ensure an analysis of that system is robust and does not leave any analysis gaps. Without an established limit and assigned responsibilities, arguments will ensue as to who is the responsible party and time/effort will be wasted with duplicated analysis.

Because an aircraft’s wiring touches nearly all of the systems, it can be confusing to understand where the system starts and stops, and this has led to confusion as to the responsible party for the wiring system design and/or maintenance. Some organizations have seen the responsibility fall on the electrical power systems teams, others, avionics. Regardless of who takes up the responsibility, a clear definition of the wiring system’s physical and logical boundaries must be agreed upon. Thankfully, there are several industry documents that can be relied upon.

Have we Reached the End of Aging Aircraft Wiring Systems? – Part II

November 5, 2018 Michael Traskos

At the start of the last article, the question was posed, “Is it possible that aircraft wiring reached a point where aging/degradation is a thing of the past?” In that article, four elements were identified that must be satisfied for wires/cables to be considered as age-free. The insulation and conductor aging factors were examined in the last article, and here we consider the remaining two: Design limits and random shocks. Read more

Insulation Resistance: Measuring Leaky Wires

May 10, 2018 Michael Traskos

Wire insulation integrity is a fundamental part of wire performance. Without it, the safety and reliability of a wire is significantly reduced. Over the years, the industry has developed dozens of insulation integrity assessment methods. Among the range of tests that exist in the world of wiring, one of the tests that is often misunderstood […] Read more

Latest Developments in Wire and Cable – SAE 8A 8D Spring 2018

April 18, 2018 Michael Traskos

It is not often that you find more than two people in a room with a passion for aerospace wiring systems. One of the exceptions is the bi-yearly gathering of wiring system component and EWIS experts for the SAE 8A/8D committee. Last week, Chicago, Illinois was the host for this event that covered a wide […] Read more

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