Application
Grounding Systems
Take charge of lightning strikes with space and weight-saving system-level solutions for aircraft grounding and bonding to traditional and composite airframes
Connectivity Solutions for Today's Composites. Every aircraft needs grounding and protection from lightning strikes and electromagnetic interference. Partnering with TE Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) enables airframe design engineers to solve for grounding and EMI protection especially on today’s advanced composite material aircraft. TE's engineering can help you build out a tailored "Current Return Network" (CRN) racey design solution. Systems include "Fast Fault Finding" for ease of maintenance and repair; flexible modular cable management; HIRF (high energy radiated felds) solutions; unique bonding to composite airframes; TE's Kilovac fault interrupter and protective relays and alumnium power interconnects. Talk to us early in your design review process to leverage the full power of our expertise.
Surface Mount Resistors
A surface mount resistor is a tiny rectangular ceramic body with silver conductive edges on either end. They provide the same functionality as the more traditional axially leaded resistors but has a lower power dissipation capacity and oftentimes a lower stray inductance and capacity.
DBM Series Grounding Modules
DBM Series Grounding Modules are fluid resistant, including aviation hydraulic fluid and JP5. They have a lightweight nickel-plated aluminum shell, and a 96-hour salt spray. Accommodates twelve size 20 contacts for 80 A total current.
Through-Hole Resistors
A through-hole resistor is a fixed resistor that has long, pliable leads that can be stuck into a breadboard or hand- or wave-soldered into a printed circuit board. A through-hole resistor is used to reduce the flow of electrical current within a circuit. It’s commonly composed of carbon film, metal film, metal oxide film, thick film, or wirewound.
Copper Ground Straps
TE's Copper Ground Straps are known for their high performance. They are tinned copper for high conductivity, braided for flexibility and have a high current-carrying capacity. Available as traditional terminals or innovative quick-disconnect couplings.
Chassis Mount Resistors
A chassis mount resistor is designed to promote heat loss and cooling. This resistor is manufactured using wirewound resistor technology and features a ceramic core that is molded into an extruded aluminum chassis mount housing.
PIDG Pre-Insulated Terminals and Splices
PIDG Teminals consist of tin plated copper or tin plated phosphor bronze body for spring spades with a copper sleeve and insulation sleeve fitted over terminal barrel. Pre-insulated terminl designed for complete and uniform reliability in difficult circuit environments.
COMPALUM Terminals and Splices
COPALUM Sealed Terminals and Splices are desgined especially for solving the inherent problems of terminating aluminum conductors. These connectors are terminated to stranded aluminum wire using a "dry clamp."
CTJ Series Terminal Junction Modules
TE’s Common Termination System consists of a system of wires and components that are interconnected by standard SAE-AS 39029/22 socket contacts only. These Common Termination systems are designed to accommodate various modules which can be easily snapped in and out of a rail to accommodate all types of bussing and discrete component needs.
Backshells
For sealed and unsealed systems, TE’s backshells provide protection and strain relief at cable termination and offer a geometry designed for secure installation of heat-shrinkable molded parts.
RayBraid Copper Braid
RayBraid, Ray-90 or Ray-10X, represent different styles depending on optical coverage and plating options. Ray-90 and 101 offer tin plated copper strands whereas Ray-103 offers nickel plated copper strands for improved storage life and temperature rating up to 200°C. All RayBraid oversleeves is compatible with TE’s CRES-Lock band strap and Tinel Lock backshell termination systems.
STRATO-THERM Terminals and Splices
If heat is an unavoidable dimension in your circuit design and production, this product is an important ally. In this line of STRATO-THERM terminals and splices, you'll find high temperature circuit hardware. You'll also also find solutions to other more familiar circuit problems such as vibration, corrosion and flash-over, when they occur at high temperatures.
FMJ Junction Blocks
FMJ Junction Blocks are available in a choice of 25 light, compact rail-mounted modules with various bussing configurations. Available in sealed or unsealed, yellow and black anodized aluminum alloy.
SolderSleeve Grounding Terminations
SolderSleeve shield grounding terminators provide an environmentally sealed, insulated, and encapsulated solder connection for a variety of applications. SolderSleeve terminators are available in many styles.
Today’s carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) aircraft bodies present new challenges in creating reliable, maintainable grounding networks. While traditional metal airframes are ideal for harmlessly dissipating lightning strikes and electrostatic discharges, composite airframes introduce significant complexity for designing grounding solutions. Checkout our new brochure (left) for more details.
Beyond Products to System Solutions
While we offer one of the widest ranges of products for grounding and bonding, our ability to integrate them into an elegant, hard-working solution is proof that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
What do you need in a grounding system?
Protection
|
Modularity
|
Reliability
|
Peace of Mind
|
Solving the Grounding Challenges of Composite Aircrafts
CFRP composites have a lower level of conductivity compared with metals and therefore do not naturally create a Faraday cage. New strategies for grounding and bonding are required to:
- Handle lightning, return, and fault currents
- Provide a bleed path for ESD
- Prevent damage to the composite
- Maintain a low resistance pathway
- Minimize voltage differentials
- Provide electromagnetic shielding
Approaches like incorporating copper meshes into the composite's layers provide sufficient conductivity, which can create the required Faraday cage. The approach, however, presents challenges in connecting and bonding the meshes to the aircraft's metallic structures with sufficient current-carrying capacity and distribution to handle currents.
Distributed Connectivity
As the use of composites grows for structural elements, highly distributed grounding systems, composed of both dedicated grounding paths and traditional metallic elements, are required. Typically, the ground paths run longitudinally along the length of the aircraft and laterally around the fuselage's circumference, and are bonded to provide redundant pathways. It is important to carefully analyse pathways to understand the flow of currents to ensure optimal performance and protection.
Application
Grounding Systems
Take charge of lightning strikes with space and weight-saving system-level solutions for aircraft grounding and bonding to traditional and composite airframes
Connectivity Solutions for Today's Composites. Every aircraft needs grounding and protection from lightning strikes and electromagnetic interference. Partnering with TE Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) enables airframe design engineers to solve for grounding and EMI protection especially on today’s advanced composite material aircraft. TE's engineering can help you build out a tailored "Current Return Network" (CRN) racey design solution. Systems include "Fast Fault Finding" for ease of maintenance and repair; flexible modular cable management; HIRF (high energy radiated felds) solutions; unique bonding to composite airframes; TE's Kilovac fault interrupter and protective relays and alumnium power interconnects. Talk to us early in your design review process to leverage the full power of our expertise.
Surface Mount Resistors
A surface mount resistor is a tiny rectangular ceramic body with silver conductive edges on either end. They provide the same functionality as the more traditional axially leaded resistors but has a lower power dissipation capacity and oftentimes a lower stray inductance and capacity.
DBM Series Grounding Modules
DBM Series Grounding Modules are fluid resistant, including aviation hydraulic fluid and JP5. They have a lightweight nickel-plated aluminum shell, and a 96-hour salt spray. Accommodates twelve size 20 contacts for 80 A total current.
Through-Hole Resistors
A through-hole resistor is a fixed resistor that has long, pliable leads that can be stuck into a breadboard or hand- or wave-soldered into a printed circuit board. A through-hole resistor is used to reduce the flow of electrical current within a circuit. It’s commonly composed of carbon film, metal film, metal oxide film, thick film, or wirewound.
Copper Ground Straps
TE's Copper Ground Straps are known for their high performance. They are tinned copper for high conductivity, braided for flexibility and have a high current-carrying capacity. Available as traditional terminals or innovative quick-disconnect couplings.
Chassis Mount Resistors
A chassis mount resistor is designed to promote heat loss and cooling. This resistor is manufactured using wirewound resistor technology and features a ceramic core that is molded into an extruded aluminum chassis mount housing.
PIDG Pre-Insulated Terminals and Splices
PIDG Teminals consist of tin plated copper or tin plated phosphor bronze body for spring spades with a copper sleeve and insulation sleeve fitted over terminal barrel. Pre-insulated terminl designed for complete and uniform reliability in difficult circuit environments.
COMPALUM Terminals and Splices
COPALUM Sealed Terminals and Splices are desgined especially for solving the inherent problems of terminating aluminum conductors. These connectors are terminated to stranded aluminum wire using a "dry clamp."
CTJ Series Terminal Junction Modules
TE’s Common Termination System consists of a system of wires and components that are interconnected by standard SAE-AS 39029/22 socket contacts only. These Common Termination systems are designed to accommodate various modules which can be easily snapped in and out of a rail to accommodate all types of bussing and discrete component needs.
Backshells
For sealed and unsealed systems, TE’s backshells provide protection and strain relief at cable termination and offer a geometry designed for secure installation of heat-shrinkable molded parts.
RayBraid Copper Braid
RayBraid, Ray-90 or Ray-10X, represent different styles depending on optical coverage and plating options. Ray-90 and 101 offer tin plated copper strands whereas Ray-103 offers nickel plated copper strands for improved storage life and temperature rating up to 200°C. All RayBraid oversleeves is compatible with TE’s CRES-Lock band strap and Tinel Lock backshell termination systems.
STRATO-THERM Terminals and Splices
If heat is an unavoidable dimension in your circuit design and production, this product is an important ally. In this line of STRATO-THERM terminals and splices, you'll find high temperature circuit hardware. You'll also also find solutions to other more familiar circuit problems such as vibration, corrosion and flash-over, when they occur at high temperatures.
FMJ Junction Blocks
FMJ Junction Blocks are available in a choice of 25 light, compact rail-mounted modules with various bussing configurations. Available in sealed or unsealed, yellow and black anodized aluminum alloy.
SolderSleeve Grounding Terminations
SolderSleeve shield grounding terminators provide an environmentally sealed, insulated, and encapsulated solder connection for a variety of applications. SolderSleeve terminators are available in many styles.
Today’s carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) aircraft bodies present new challenges in creating reliable, maintainable grounding networks. While traditional metal airframes are ideal for harmlessly dissipating lightning strikes and electrostatic discharges, composite airframes introduce significant complexity for designing grounding solutions. Checkout our new brochure (left) for more details.
Beyond Products to System Solutions
While we offer one of the widest ranges of products for grounding and bonding, our ability to integrate them into an elegant, hard-working solution is proof that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
What do you need in a grounding system?
Protection
|
Modularity
|
Reliability
|
Peace of Mind
|
Solving the Grounding Challenges of Composite Aircrafts
CFRP composites have a lower level of conductivity compared with metals and therefore do not naturally create a Faraday cage. New strategies for grounding and bonding are required to:
- Handle lightning, return, and fault currents
- Provide a bleed path for ESD
- Prevent damage to the composite
- Maintain a low resistance pathway
- Minimize voltage differentials
- Provide electromagnetic shielding
Approaches like incorporating copper meshes into the composite's layers provide sufficient conductivity, which can create the required Faraday cage. The approach, however, presents challenges in connecting and bonding the meshes to the aircraft's metallic structures with sufficient current-carrying capacity and distribution to handle currents.
Distributed Connectivity
As the use of composites grows for structural elements, highly distributed grounding systems, composed of both dedicated grounding paths and traditional metallic elements, are required. Typically, the ground paths run longitudinally along the length of the aircraft and laterally around the fuselage's circumference, and are bonded to provide redundant pathways. It is important to carefully analyse pathways to understand the flow of currents to ensure optimal performance and protection.
