2020 was certainly a unique year.
To start, the Lectromec team would like to thank our clients for your business and continued trust in our engineering and testing capabilities. We would also like to thank our readers for the opportunity to share information with the community.
With that said, 2020 was the year that Lectromec’s website repository of articles on EWIS and EWIS related topics exceeded 300. The best part is that there is so much more to cover, and we will continue to do so in 2021.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, it is time for the yearly gathering of the most popular articles of the last 366 days. While we published fewer articles in 2020, the quality did not diminish. Here are the top 5 of 2020.
#5 – Dielectric Constant
Dielectric testing for some components is easy and straight forward. However, as the geometry becomes more complex, so to does the calculation and means for testing. Follow the link to the article to learn more.
This article was one of the more technically in-depth articles of 2020 and with good reason. Some properties are taken for granted with wires and cables until they are needed for precision applications. A cable’s dielectric constant is uninteresting until the integrity of high-frequency signals becomes critical. Understanding the proper means to measure and the implications of the results is non-trivial.
This article provides a deeper description of the dielectric property of cables and factors that are important for testing. Article
#4- Light Weight versus Normal Weight Wire Constructions
It is frequently said that weight is among the most important parameters for aerospace vehicles. Every LRU, component, and wire is examined for its quality, performance, and weight. It is no surprise that this article is among the top 5 of 2020.
Diving into the performance differences between light and normal weight construction wires, we review how some of these performance factors impact where the use of light-weight constructions are prohibited. Article
#3 – Understanding Life Prediction Technology
When we can look at a banana we can guess at the banana’s firmness and taste. This is possible because we have been exposed to bananas throughout their life cycle and know what the colors and spots mean. Unfortunately, the aging of wires and cables is not like a banana. We cannot simply look at a wire/cable and identify its current condition or the remaining reliable service life.
For those looking to get a better grasp on what life prediction technology means to EWIS, this is a good place to start. Article
Even in the best cases, mining maintenance data does require knowledge of the topic and manual effort. Of course, having the right tools can accelerate the data filtering and analysis process. Follow the link to the article to learn more.
#2 – Review of EWIS for Sustainment
Perhaps because EWIS sustainment has become more important, or because fewer aircraft were flying, EWIS sustainment was the second most popular article of 2020.
At a fundamental level, engineering is about measuring everything that matters. In the last decade, the efforts of organizations to measure EWIS has progressively increased. Perhaps this is because wiring is now considered a system, or because regulations and requirements have emerged. Whatever the case, understanding the methods for EWIS maintenance data assessment is the first step to measuring the size of the problem. Article.
#1 – The Journey of an Aerospace Wire
This was Lectromec’s first infographic, and we suppose we should make more of them. This infographic stepped through the process and the steps to go from conductor and insulation to of a wire installed and maintained on an aircraft. Article
For 2021
We will continue to provide articles and information pertinent to the evolving needs of EWIS. In 2020, Lectromec’s lab added new capabilities including new equipment and test stands to support high-voltage and high-frequency testing, something that is a rapidly growing segment of the aerospace industry; we expect to have several articles discussing some ongoing tests.
Before the end of February, you can expect to see a new whitepaper available on Lectromec’s website. It is something that we have put a lot of time into and believe that many in this community will find value in reading it and sharing it with others.
In the next couple of months, Lectromec will publish our presentation to the MECSIP community from 2020. While the conference was canceled, that did not stop us from bringing the community together for a discussion on aging EWIS assessment.
Lastly, to everyone reading this article, the team here at Lectromec sincerely wishes our clients and readers all the best in 2021 and that the new year will be a full set of 365 better days.
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.