Mezo: A Reliable High Durability Connector for Signal Transmission

The D38399 and other legacy connectors have a long history intermittent failures and total upsets (opens and shorts) that the warfighter can ill-afford anytime in flight, not just during critical maneuvers. Widely used to interconnect onboard electronic systems, their reliability and insufficiently robust durability in the engine’s operating environment of high vibrations and hostile gases at high temperatures underscores the need to address the failure modes and develop new technologies to mitigate, and preferably eliminate, the causes of connector failures. In the absence of access to the AF facilities for in-person discussions with the maintainers due to the pandemic, we analyzed limited legacy EWIS data for connector failure. As a result, during Phase I, we have demonstrated a 2-step process for building our innovative MEZO connectors. Our goal is to achieve nearly 35% improvement in connector reliability and even more enhancement in the lifetime durability to meet or exceed 1500 unmating-remating cycles. If viable, the new connector fabrication approach will be applicable to all connector products where peak performance is critical every time. Phase II effort is designed to lead to TRL 6 prototypes that will be delivered to the AF for field validation. If successful, the novel Mezo connectors will extend connector lifetime thereby helping improve fleet readiness and lowering maintenance cost.