This blog is a detailed one and InterConnect is going to do something that never has been done before! InterConnect is going to set MTBFs for F-16 electrical wiring harnesses! If you are new to the term MTBF, please read this previous blog. If you want more information on why MTBF’s are not set for aircraft electrical wiring harnesses, be sure to touch onto that interesting article. If you want to know about breaches in the insulation of aircraft wires, here is the blog for you. Finally, it is also interesting to read about the most problematic areas for wiring inside an F-16. All the aforementioned informative articles lead us to one basic question, “What should the MTBF be for F-16 wiring harnesses?”
The Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) depends on where a wiring harness is installed and the environment in which it operates. The short answer to “What are the MTBF Recommendations for F-16 Wiring Harnesses?” question is unfortunately, “It varies.”
InterConnect’s blog on the most problematic areas for wiring harnesses inside an F-16 directly correlates to the MTBF for F-16 wiring harnesses. As a recap, here are the most problematic areas in order of the most problematic to the least problematic.
1. Leading Edge of the Wings
2. Main Landing Gear Wheel Well
3. Nose Landing Gear
4. Aft Fuselage (Especially the Wiring Harness attached to the Battery and the Harness attached to the 10KVA Generator)
5. Aft Equipment Bay (Especially the Wiring Harnesses attached to the Gyros)
6. Engine Bay
7. Aerial Refueling Cavity
8. Fuel Cell Areas (Especially the Wiring Harnesses made with Convoluted Tubing)
9. Cockpit
10. Forward Fuselage
As you would expect, the most problematic wiring harnesses should have the least MTBF’s (i.e. their mean time between failure is less than other F-16 wiring harnesses). To phrase this another way, you should replace the most problematic wiring harnesses more often than other wiring harnesses inside an F-16. This concept seems basic but gets complicated because many people think that aircraft wiring harnesses, once installed, should never be replaced. Oftentimes, wiring harnesses are installed and forgotten. InterConnect believes in preventive action (especially for F-16s that have Kapton insulated wiring). Here are InterConnect’s recommended MTBF’s for the F-16:
If you would like more information or to comment on this blog, please touch on the button below and let us know what you think. Remember, this is a FIRST TIME EVER MTBF for F-16 Wiring Harnesses!
