One of the most common means for damage to a wire/cable on an aircraft is when the wire/cable is crushed. This may happen by a misaligned LRU, accidental contact by maintenance, or any other way that a wire/cable may be pinched when in-service. A wire/cable’s ability to withstand compression damage, particularly at elevated temperatures, will likely correspond to fewer physical damage-related issues.
The dynamic cut-through test is designed to assess the cut-through force of a wire/cable specimen. The wire/cable specimen is compressed under the fine edge of a jig until contact is made between the wire/cable conductor and the test jig. The pass/fail criteria for this test is based on the wire/cable’s specification.
The following parameters can be adjusted in this test:
Compression Speed
Test Temperature
Cutting Jig
Our Process
1
Perform visual examination of the specimen. Record any damage or defects.
2
Place specimen into dynamic cut-through test stand, connect specimen to the detection circuit, and seal the enclosure.
3
Raise the temperature of the enclosure to target temperature. The test shall begin five minutes after the target temperature has been stabilized.
4
Begin compression of the specimen; the test will halt once contact is made between the conductor and test jig.
5
Perform ten more trials on the specimen.
6
Report the cut-through force and test temperature.