THERMOPLASTIC MOULDED CABLE SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT THE TRANSITION TO NETZERO AVIATION LOW WEIGHT, HIGH PERFORMANCE AEROSPACE CABLE SYSTEMS THAT MINIMISE THROUGH LIFE COSTS

LOW WEIGHT, HIGH PERFORMANCE AEROSPACE CABLE SYSTEMS THAT MINIMISE THROUGH LIFE COSTS THERMOPLASTIC MOULDED CABLE SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT THE TRANSITION TO NETZERO AVIATION Keith Wells CEng FIMechE, CEO of SMI This paper looks at the use of thermoplastic polyethylene moulded cable systems to address some of the design challenges that aerospace engineers are facing as we move towards an era of net zero aviation. SMI’s moulding technology was first applied in aerospace some 20 years ago, when it was used to increase the robustness of sensors installed on the Bombardier 415 aerial firefighting aircraft....

LOW WEIGHT, HIGH PERFORMANCE AEROSPACE CABLE SYSTEMS THAT MINIMISE THROUGH LIFE COSTS When considering new aircraft designs, reducing overall weight and creating more intelligent optimisation of flight characteristics is required to increase efficiency. Designers will want to remove heavy hydraulic systems in favour of electrical systems. There will also be a proliferation of new electrical systems operating at voltages up to 1kV to provide greater control of the aircraft to gain efficiency. A much larger installed base and performance range of cables, implies even greater costs associated with...

LOWE WEIGHT, HIGH PERFORMANCE AEROSPACE CABLE SYSTEMS THAT MINIMISE THROUGH LIFE COSTS It delivers orders of magnitude better insulation resistance than other materials, and this performance does not degrade at higher operating temperatures. Crucially, PE does not absorb fluids or moisture over time as other materials do, which is what makes it the only jacket material that can deliver 30+ years sealing performance. However, PE expands and contracts volumetrically by more than 30% when heated to melting point and has a very low thermal conduction coefficient. This makes it notoriously difficult...

LOW WEIGHT, HIGH PERFORMANCE AEROSPACE CABLE SYSTEMS THAT MINIMISE THROUGH LIFE COSTS This amalgamation process is absolutely key to long-term sealing, as with no interface present, fluid can never enter a thermoplastic moulding. It also enables complex shapes and geometries to be moulded into harness assemblies. Tested and approved for aerospace SMI’s aerospace products are certified and tested to ensure they deliver the long-term performance qualities that we promise our customers. A test programme based on RTCA DO160 has been completed covering a range of applications of interest to the Aerospace...

LOW WEIGHT, HIGH PERFORMANCE AEROSPACE CABLE SYSTEMS THAT MINIMISE THROUGH LIFE COSTS With radically different future aircraft and wing designs in development to meet the carbon emissions challenge, consideration should be given to PE moulded cabling as the solution to improved performance, higher voltage, weight saving, greater safety, increased reliability and reduced through-life costs factors that will be required. About SMI SMI is a trademark of UK based Scientific Management International Ltd. The company has a nearly 30-year track record in producing ‘fit and forget’ cable systems for...