Significance of Aircraft Cable and Wire Rope

Some people will automatically associate aircraft cable with being a type of wire rope that is utilized for the aircraft industry. Essentially that’s true as they can be applied from including adjustable seat back controls to controlling the movement of the wing flaps and landing gear on planes with analog flight systems. The aircraft wire cables can be described as specialized high strength wire rope that is designed to withstand the special environmental circumstances found on a flying vessel.

Such circumstances can include strong and hot temperatures as well as lots of moisture. Aircraft cables can sometimes be referred to as galvanized wire rope, because it is typically constructed from carbon steel and is drawn galvanized. Galvanizing shields the cables from oxidizing for long stretches of time, but will discolor to a white or dull appearance. If exposed for long periods of time to the cold, wind, and outside elements, corrosion can eventually happen which is why its vital to keep the aviation cable constantly maintained.

Aircraft cables can be referred to as many different names. Wire rope is a common description and one we’ll use here. Wire rope possesses three main characteristics, those being that the single separate wires make up each strand, the strand itself and at last, the core it’s built around. The core of this cable is normally made up of fibre core (FC) or steel wire core. Both steel wire core and fiber core can be known as independent wire rope core (IWRC). This means that the steel core gains strength by approximately seven percent while the weight is increased by about ten percent. In turn, this can provide for further support to the outer strands than to the fibre cores. Steel cores can be resistant to crushing and are ultimately more tolerable of heat.

At every inspection, all control cables must be inspected for broken wires strands—This includes sections of the cable that may be hidden behind or within part of the aircraft structure. One of the easiest ways to do this is to run a cotton cloth over the length of the wire, checking for any places where the material gets snagged. Any cable that has a single broken wire strand located around critical fatigue areas (where the cable runs around a pulley, sleeve or through a fair-lead; or any section where the cable is flexed, rubbed, or worked) must be replaced.

The design factor of wire rope tells you the ratio between minimum breaking load of the rope and the working load limit (WLL). Some producers of aircraft cable provide stock for commercial and military specifications in stainless steel, galvanized carbon steel, and a variety of other alloys. Our team at Veritable Aerospace can supply you with such aircraft wire rope. Just give us a call! Veritable Aerospace is the leading supplier of wing flaps, landing gears, aircraft cables, wire ropes, flight systems, wire strands, Hercules manufacturer parts, aircraft parts, aircraft components, etc. For more information on such parts, contact our team at Veritable Aerospace. At Veritable Aerospace, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we can help you find all the unique parts for the aerospace, civil aviation, and defense industries. We’re always available and ready to help you find all the parts and equipment you need, 24/7-365. For a quick and competitive quote, email us at sales@VeritableAerospace.com or call us at 1-714-705-4780.