ALUMINIUM WIRE APPLICATION IN TELECOMMUNICATION PLATFORMS (ARTES AT 4F.084) (EXPRO+) (RE-ISSUE 2)

Description

Priority 2 activities will only be initiated upon the explicit request of at least one Delegation.

Objective:

To know under which conditions the aluminium wires can be used for telecommunication satcoms.

Targeted Improvements:

Mass saving of 30%.

Description:

Background information and activity justification:

In telecommunication spacecraft, harnesses are mainly composed of copper wires, and aluminium wires are seldom used.

On one hand copper wires present the advantages of large heritage, known and stable manufacturing process with several ESCC qualified sources and established good practices for assembly and integration activities. On the other hand, due to the lower density of aluminium wires compared to copper wires, aluminium wires represent a very interesting way for mass reduction. But some open questions and known issues, such as assembly process (crimping, soldering), deratingrules, integration activities wrt curvature radius and mechanical strength, will be analysed to provide accurate recommendations for use.

Work logic:

Perform trade-off aluminium versus copper to identify which part(s) of the cable harness would benefit the most from changing to aluminium.

Samples, compliant with space application requirements, will be manufactured according to a Process Identification PID and will be submitted to an evaluation test sequence, including crimping or soldering ability tests.

Results will be presented in a procurement specification.

Tender Specifics