Lightweight Cable Braid, Harness Assemblies

Lightweight Cable Braid is available for military, space, commercial and all weight sensitive aerospace applications. Lightweight Braid easily meets complex cable bundle requirements and EMI / RFI Attenuation. Our Lightweight Cable Braid help programs achieve their weight and performance requirements.

P3 Orion

Lightweight Cable Harness Solutions

Design & Construction

  • Lightweight Cable Shield, patent #5414211
    • Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield for individual conductors or cable bundle braid
  • Unique patented material and weave pattern yields EMI performance of copper
    • Single layer of aluminum matches single layer of copper at high frequencies – with 2/3 weight savings of shield material
    • Double layer aluminum braid matches copper layer at lowest frequencies with 1/3 weight savings
  • Durable for aggressive flight environments
    • Over 15 years use on U-2 as well as in P3 Orion, Global Hawk and other aircraft
    • In-flight use shows very high reliability, minimum maintenance
    • No chaffing issues
  • Custom Design & Built To Print Capability
  • Easy in-field maintenance
    • “Cone” braid termination retains backshell continuity while allowing easy on-pin maintenance
  • Treated aluminum chromate braid
    • Superior material compatibility, excellent corrosion performance
  • A key aspect of performance assessment was aluminum vs. copper material performance relative to three dominant issues in the suitability of aluminum cable shields:
    • Material compatibility in harsh operating environments
      • Salt fog testing (Early 1990s)
    • Electrical shielding performance
      • Transfer impedance measurements (Early 1990s and Dec. 2005)
  • To address each issue representative aluminum, weight reduction EMI and copper samples were prepared and subjected to identical testing

Weight Savings– Example

  • 250 ft. long, 2 in. diameter braided cable assembly
  • Contains seven 5/8” braided sub-assemblies
  • Copper = 0.31 lbs/in3 Aluminum = 0.091 lbs/in3

Total weights for full cable harness assemblies:

  • Aluminum = 98.42 lbs
  •   Copper = 335.26 lbs

TOTAL WEIGHT SAVINGS = 236.84 lbs

Configuration

  • Cable assemblies are made to meet customer applications.
    • Complete wire harnesses
      • Conductors, braid, connectors/backshells, coatings, and jacketing
    • Sub-assemblies
      • Conductors and patented braided shielding with coned ends
      • Conductors include copper wire, fiber optic, and other types of wire
  • Unique ballooned braid ends to facilitate assembly and reduces manufacturing time.
    • Cone braid termination retains backshell continuity while allowing easy on-pin maintenance
    • Repair to the lightweight braided cables takes only minutes to repair without sacrificing the EMI integrity
  • Braid is applied on a braiding machine
    • Consistent weave and coverage
    • Reduced diameter
    • Better EMI shielding at branches