AIR7502 and Future Implications for Aviation

July 8, 2022 Laura Wishart

The AIR7502 defines voltage levels for HV aircraft and components. The extent to which AIR7502 is incorporated into the aerospace industry remains unsure, but the implications of the document are worth considering even before the document’s use is determined. Read more

High Voltage Arc Tracking Requirements (Part 2)

June 18, 2022 Michael Traskos

In part 2 of this article series, we continue to discuss how arc track resistance testing as we know it must be re-evaluated as more HV systems with unique testing requirements lead the aviation industry moving forward. Read more

High Voltage Arc Tracking Requirements (Part 1)

June 6, 2022 Michael Traskos

Arc track resistance testing has been a staple of the aerospace industry for nearly 40 years. This originated from the issues raised in the 1980s with polyimide insulated wire. Since that time, test methods have evolved to assess and quantify the susceptibility of wires to carbon arc tracking and the ability to withstand electrical arcing events. Read more

EWIS High Voltage Certification

April 14, 2022 Michael Traskos

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

Life-Limiting High Voltage Parts

March 15, 2022 Michael Traskos

Life-Limited EWIS parts can be useful where high voltage conditions make component degradation rates uncertain. Though accelerated aging can offer insight to the component’s condition, further observations of high-voltage systems will be needed for accurate degradation predictions. Read more

The Longevity of High Voltage Components

February 7, 2022 Michael Traskos

What does a wire need to do in the high voltage system, and how does it need to perform? This article reviews some of the fundamental concepts involved and what needs to be done to show a wire is compliant with the vehicle’s requirements. Read more

Aerospace High Voltage Systems: Addressing the Gaps in Current Standards

October 6, 2021 Michael Traskos

The aerospace segment has been dealing with questions of high voltage systems for the last decade. Many of these questions revolve around the generation, storage, and use of this power, but what has also been a hindrance for progress is defining how the standards for the wiring system need to be updated to address these high voltage requirements. As should be done when any new technology is being applied to a field, we should first look at other fields which have undergone the implementation of similar technologies. For example, the automotive market has been using high voltage systems for quite some time and the standards committees have produced documents supporting these technologies.

In this article, we review one of these documents on high voltage directed to the automotive market and see how it lines up with the existing aerospace standards.

Addressing the Big Questions of Partial Discharge

June 11, 2021 Michael Traskos

In this high-voltage present, wires and cables must address new challenges, perhaps the most notable is partial discharge (also referred to as corona). This article discusses the fundamentals of partial discharge, its impacts on wiring design, and test methods used to assess a component’s partial discharge performance. The PD may occur between (1) the conductor and insulation, (2) within void in the insulation, (3) between insulation layers, or (4) between the insulation surface and shield. Read more

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