Which Red Plague Testing is Right for My Application?

August 18, 2022 Michael Traskos

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

Notch Testing and the Impact of 1000 Cuts

March 4, 2020 Michael Traskos

How much damage can a single wire take? Does the failure of a wire’s insulation require one large trauma (think of dropping a hammer on it), or is it possible for the insulation to fail due to 1,000 small cuts? That has been a question plaguing wire system sustainment for decades. Identifying one large trauma can be easy, but to catalog all the minor traumas is impossible. Read more

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

International Test Standards for Aircraft Wire Tests

January 15, 2019 Michael Traskos

Frequently, Lectromec’s articles have focused on wire and cable testing from US-focused standards such as the SAE and US military (MIL) documents. While these are standards frequently cited, there are other standards organizations that support the aerospace wiring community. Thankfully, many of the standards share a common base and, as is the case with many of the SAE standards, these have been harmonized with European standards. In this article, we will review some of the European wire/cable test standards, variation from similar test methods, and their availability in Lectromec’s lab. Read more

DO-160, EWIS, and EMI

August 6, 2018 Michael Traskos

Designing a circuit diagram for a system comprised of Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) is usually a straightforward process: identify the inputs and outputs of the system and connect them with wires and cables. Taking that simple high-level circuit diagram and implementing the physical design into an application can be quite difficult. This requires the proper connectors, optimized the physical routing, and ensuring negligible impact from electromagnetic interference (EMI). From an implementation perspective, it cannot be understated how much EMI can impact system performance ranging from degraded performance to make a system completely inoperable. Thankfully, there are test methods to evaluate the susceptibility of electromagnetic interference of a wire harness design. Read more

Unwanted Energy Storage in Cables – Dielectric Constant

June 22, 2018 Tristan Epp Schmidt

A good wire insulation is more than just preventing electrical energy from leaving the conductor; there are dozens of properties that are important to its performance and usability. One of these that is easy to overlook is the wire’s dielectric constant. 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

Getting the Right Data

May 2, 2018 Michael Traskos

How important is it to have the right data on your wire and cable products? For those seeking qualification to a product standard, having test data that matches the requirements is important. Without this data, qualification cannot happen. But what about the products that fall outside of industry standards? How many tests are necessary to […] Read more

Understanding Coaxial Cables

October 4, 2016 Michael Traskos

The development and use of coaxial cables have come a long way since its invention in 1880. Improvements in design and reliability have made it a frequent feature for aircraft data transmission applications. In the realm of aerospace, a common coaxial specification is the MIL-DTL-17 coaxial cable standard. There are several parts to the MIL-DTL-17 […] Read more