The Impact of a Short Circuit on Conductor Performance

March 17, 2020 Laura Wishart

Over-current and shorting are an ever-present risk to power wires and cables. The hope is that circuit protection can quickly respond to over-current conditions fast enough to prevent any damage to the circuit components. Wire conductors have a temperature rating, limited by the plating, because that is the established temperature for long-term reliability. But what happens when a single wire is exposed to repeat over-current conditions? Does the latest generation of circuit protection sufficiently protect the wiring? Read more

Have we Reached the End of Aging Aircraft Wiring Systems?

October 17, 2018 Michael Traskos

The way some in the aerospace industry maintain their aircraft wiring system can only lead an external observer to reason that aircraft wiring is impervious to damage with a life-span greater than the sun. When considering this thought, the question arose, “It is possible that aircraft wiring reached a point where aging/degradation is a thing of the past?” Read more

What are the Potential Issues with Tin Plated Conductors?

September 11, 2016 Tristan Epp Schmidt

Tin plated copper is a common choice for wire conductor within the aerospace industry. The advantages of using tin as the plating for copper conductors is the low cost, increases to solderability, and corrosion resistance. However, tin-plated conductor does have drawbacks. Here we review some on the key differences between common platings for aerospace wires. Read more

Continuity of Coating – Conductor

The conductor coating continuity test objective is to examine the conductor plating quality before it is subject to stranding or the insulation application process. As part of the test, the durability of the conductor coating is stressed with both mechanical and thermal stresses. General Procedures: For this test, a length of nickel plated conductor is […] Read more

Conductor Solderability

Soldering is a common method for wire termination and the adhesion of the solderability is critical for both mechanical and electrical performance. Certain conductors platings, such as tin and silver, are more solderable and thus used for these applications. The solderability of a wire conductor examines how well a solder adheres to a conductor. Any […] Read more

Conductor Diameter

This test measures the sample’s conductor diameter after the insulation has been removed. This test method is important for 1) identifying the proper amount of conductor used for a particular gauge, and 2) verifying that the supplied wire has not been misrepresented. The test report includes the measured conductor diameter and the average conductor diameter […] Read more

Conductor Resistance

This test determines a conductor’s direct current (DC) resistance at a specified reference temperature (typically set at ambient temperature). There are two methods used to conduct this test known as the Kelvin Bridge Method and the Wheatstone Bridge Method, which are used to obtain the resistance of the specimen. Both methods will give similar results, […] Read more

Overlooked but critical: Impact of storage on aircraft EWIS components

March 9, 2015 Emma Schwoerer

Aircraft maintenance engineers do not pay much attention to the impact of storage on electrical components. This article discusses several aspects of storage in the general category of the electrical wire interconnection system (EWIS), or aircraft EWIS components. We will examine the stowage of connectors, waveguides, harnesses, as well as capping and stowage of terminal […] Read more