How Much Does the Aircraft Environment Impact Wire Life?
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