The team here at Lectromec would like to start this article thanking all of our clients for trusting us with your EWIS component and system testing/certification needs and we look forward to supporting your goals in 2020.
At the end of every year, Lectromec rummages through that year’s publications and articles to find the most popular ones. In 2019, this required going through 26 articles. Here are the top 5 Lectromec publications of 2019.
#5 International Test Standards for Aircraft Wire Tests
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. Article
While smashing a wire harness might be a good means to relieve stress, it is not something most would recommend as part of EWIS maintenance. Stay on top of the latest EWIS news by subscribing to Lectromec’s newsletter
#4 EWIS Component Failure at 270VDC
What would a Lectromec Top Five list be without an article about electrical arcing? In research performed by Lectromec, we evaluated the potential hazard of demating a connector with an active 270VDC circuit. This condition could occur during equipment performance testing, maintenance, or in operation if a connector and pins are not properly secured. In this article, there is a video of the test setup and the arcing results. Article
#3 Update your EWIS Maintenance Best Practices
Whether due to technology or component changes, the best practices of aircraft EWIS maintenance is something that is continuing to evolve. By Lectromec’s estimate, the ‘half-life of EWIS knowledge’ (the time it takes for 50% of what is known to be revised) is about 14 years. To aid all maintainers with the best EWIS maintenance practices, the US Navy released the second revision to the military handbook on “Guidelines for inspection of aircraft electrical wiring interconnect systems” (MIL-HDBK-522). This handbook is a guide for the aircraft EWIS inspection and provides a lot of detailed examples of wiring evaluation from beginning to end of the EWIS. Article
#2 Industry Updates
Perhaps it was because the article covered the latest developments in high voltage or the large interest in AS50881 Rev G, either way, Lectromec’s report on the Spring 2019 SAE 8A/D committee meetings was number two in 2019. To find out more about the developments in these committees (and information about the combined session with the AE-7 group), read the article here.
#1 – HIGH Voltage impact on Aircraft Wiring Systems
It should come as no surprise that Lectromec’s most popular article of 2019 was related to high voltage and its impact on the aircraft’s EWIS components.
For aerospace applications, high-voltage power is a rapidly growing interest and has been taken up by task groups in several industry technical committees. The higher aircraft voltages are creating the need for the electrical wiring interconnect systems (EWIS) components to sustain higher voltages for the entire aircraft life. Just as it should not be expected for a connector to operate in a 300°C environment if it is only rated to 150°C, a connector should not be expected to perform perfectly above its voltage rating. Article
In 2020
As the impact of EWIS continues to grow, Lectromec will continue to provide the best and most relevant EWIS information for wire producers, aircraft OEMs, modifiers, and operators. We look forward to addressing the new challenges of high voltage systems and more highly integrated EWIS architectures.
Michael Traskos
President, Lectromec
michael.traskos@lectromec.comMichael has been involved in wire degradation and failure assessments for more than a decade. He has worked on dozens of projects assessing the reliability and qualification of EWIS components. Michael is an FAA DER with a delegated authority covering EWIS certification and the chairman of the SAE AE-8A EWIS installation committee.