Fatigue Resistant Wire for Airborne Applications

The gradual degradation of wiring systems in aircraft is a serious concern plaguing the Air Force's aging fleet. It has been observed that the majority of wire breakage problems occur within nine inches of the connector, terminal lug, or other junction. In many cases, the wiring was not properly relieved of strain near the junction points. Traditional wires are by nature inelastic under stress, strain, or vibration – overtime this leads to wire failure. Minnesota Defense proposes a two pronged that 1) develops flexible fatigue resistant wires based on electrically conductive elastic composites loaded with carbon nanotubes 2) Applies nanocomposite coatings to traditional wire structures to create “Smart Wire” that enable Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry (SSTDM) wire health diagnostic technology solutions for wire Prognostic Health Management (PHM). This research will a 1) result is a highly flexible, durable wire that can withstand substantial strain (> 25%) as a replacement for metal wires and cabling 2) wires that can predict a wire failure integrity of the conducting core is compromised.