Our Testing Services
The purpose of the attenuation test is to measure the energy lost by transmitting a signal through a cable. The energy loss measurement quantifies the cable's resistance to electrical signal transmission.
This test is used to determine the insulation elasticity and propagation of damage through the wire/cable insulation.
This test determines if a finished wire specimen will block (stick to itself) when subjected to the rated temperature of the specimen. While on an aircraft, wires may be exposed to high temperatures and it important to check if the finished wire specimens are prone to blocking. At the end of the test, we will inspect the wire and examine for adhesion (blocking) of adjacent turns.
Knowing the weight of every component on an aircraft, down to the last wire, is vital to good design. This test is to be used to evaluate the weight of a finished cable specimen.
This test measures the characteristic impedance of a cable defined as the resistance of a transmission line.
This test determines the resistance of wire insulation to cracking at low temperature while being bent around a mandrel. Using a special cold chamber, we can condition the specimen at the low temperatures that can be experienced during flight and study how it reacts to the extreme conditions. This is a very good way to determine if the wire sample would be able to survive at these typical temperatures. At the end of the test, we will examine for any visible cracks then perform a wet dielectric test for assurance.
Also referred to as Contrast of Jacket or Contrast Test. The readability of a wire/cable is of critical importance for the proper installation, maintenance, and repair of the wiring system, thus the reason why UV laser marking of wires has become a widely used technology through the aerospace industry and has several benefits over traditional ink marking of wires/cables. The contrast measurement test examination evaluates the contrast of the UV laser marked area with the unmarked parts of the wire.
This test is typically used as a process control test to ensure that the measured diameter of a manufactured wire is within the range provided in the wire/cable specification. The wire/cable is measured in several locations and the average diameter is reported. For non-uniform cables, such as with twisted pairs, measurements are made both for the minimum and maximum diameter.
Flammability is perhaps one of the most common and most important tests performed on aerospace wiring. In general, a length of the wire/cable under test is placed in a draft-free chamber and hung free over a high-temperature flame for 30seconds - 15 minutes (specification dependent). A piece of tissue paper is placed under the sample to catch falling debris.
The humidity resistance test evaluates the impact of prolonged heat and humidity exposure to wire/cable insulation.
The insulation stripping test evaluates the ability of insulation to be stripped from a wire sample without causing damage to the conductor.
Insulation color is often used to identify a wire or cable's system or function(s). The jacket color test evaluates the characteristics of an insulative jacket's color as compared to the limitations specified in the applicable standard.
The life cycle test (also referred to as the 'Multi-day heat aging test') seeks to assess short-term elevated temperature exposure to a wire/cable above the sample's temperature rating.
The long-term readability of wire/cable identification is important for supporting EWIS maintenance operations. A wire/cable with an easily identifiable circuit identification will make it easier to identify the correct circuit in need of evaluation/repair/replacement. If the identification has worn off, then debugging operations may require removing more equipment and/or demating more connectors.
The marking durability test seeks to evaluate the wire/cable identification after abrasion. The pass/fail criteria are based on the individual wire/cable specification but is primarily focused the readability of the wire/cable marks.
This test measures the funtional capacitance between a pair of insulated wires within an multi-pair cable.
Phase delay is a measure of the delay in time a signal is emitted and when it is received at the other end. It is important that signal carrying cable adhere to a minimum phase delay to ensure timely and accurate function of the relevant system(s).
In this test, a sample is exposed to a variety of aerospace fluids. The duration and temperature of the exposure varies and is defined by the selected test standard.
Temperature cycling can cause rapid degradation of wire/cable insulation integrity. This can manifest and insulation splits, cracks, and/or delamination. Often an overlooked test method for assessment, the thermal shock test proves and excellent means of assessing the construction quality of a wire or cable.
A capacitance unbalance bridge is used to measure the pair-to-ground capacitance of a wire pair inside of a multi-pair cable.
The velocity of propagation (also known as the Phase Velocity) test measures the speed of electrical signal transmission down a wire/cable. The velocity of signal propagation is typically represented as a fraction of the speed of light in a vacuum and is primarily impacted by the wire/cable dielectric.
Return Loss is a relative measurement of the reflected signal on a cable. In an ideal system, no signal would be reflected, all of the power on a signal would be received by the load, and the return loss would be infinite. In real-life applications, there will always be at least some amount of the input signal reflected back on the cable.
This test is used to evaluate the quality of insulation and its ability to withstand wrinkling. Wrinkles can occur to insulation when bent back and forth frequently, eventually causing the insulation to deteriorate.