Multicore Cables Expand Possibilities in Weight and Space Savings

By Contributed Article | December 18, 2013

Multicore Cables Expand Possibilities in Weight and Space Savings While Meeting Industry Standards

Cable and system designers must select not only the correct combinations of signal, power, and control cables that meet unique system requirements, but work within tight budgets and satisfy the specification requirements imposed by the industry served.

Typically, cable specifications are written around a narrow range of designs with specific functionality loosely classified as signal, power, and control. To complicate matters, a plethora of specifications have been written governing these types of cables. The specification authorities are normally International standard organizations, governments, and companies.

The need to adhere to these specifications will typically drive the designer into choosing from a limiting catalog of parts listed in the applicable specifications.

Typically, as a result, multiple cable constructions will be chosen in combination in order to meet the total system requirements.

The optimum answer is often a multicore cable, which can support power, control, and signals, including Ethernet, USB, DVI, or MIL-STD-1553B data bus. Thus, a single cable can often support all the needs of the system in one hybrid design. The challenge is how to integrate these types of cables into industry standards.

Multicore/hybrid cables can also provide internal shielding between sensitive signal lines and noisy power lines to allow both functions to operate successfully within the same cable.

The use of multicore/hybrid cables often significantly reduces the weight and volume that the cabling occupies. These savings, in turn, lead to easier installation, clamping, and maintenance of the cable in the available space, while providing greater choice in routings and system functionality.

One additional trend driving interest in multicore cables is its close association with advanced material science that yields thin-wall insulations and jackets. These products can reduce cable diameters in the range of 30% to 40%, while maintaining the mechanical toughness, electrical characteristics, and environmental performance of these products when compared to standard-wall cables. The smaller size is often accompanied by reduced weight and improved system functionality.

The Environment

Choosing the correct cable for the environment to ensure correct fit, form, and function is essential. Parameters such as temperature rating, fluid resistance, mechanical strength, ease of use, and installation all need to be considered carefully. Cable failure normally leads to systems failure, which can be catastrophic.

The primary role of the specification has to be to ensure the correct use of products that satisfy the needs of the application and also exclude products that would be unsuitable.

Custom-designed multicore / hybrid cables, when offered with a wide range of well-proven insulation and jacketing materials, allows the cable design to be optimized to provide the best solution for the environment and application.

Specifications

Specifications should clearly define the attributes of the cables in key performance areas, but today’s reality is that the approach to achieving this is often feature driven. Such that, the cable is defined by such parameters as wire gauge, materials, stranding, and insulation material and thickness.

While such physical attributes loosely relate to electrical and environmental performance, they also limit the possibilities and flexibility of cabling choices.

As good as such specifications are at ensuring the right level of performance, these requirements are also quite rigid, often excluding the use of the optimum designs and multicore or hybrid cables.

In essence, military wire and cable specifications say, “If you build the cable my way, it will be suitable for your application.” Another approach is to say, “If the cable has these performance attributes, it will be suitable for your application.” The difference in the two approaches is subtle but critical.

In summary, multicore/hybrid cables are often custom or semicustom in construction and offer many advantages, but the military wire and cable specifications world seems to be uncomfortable with them.

Connector Compatibility

A multicore/hybrid cable must be terminated but the connector world has already embraced the multiconductor cable by making contacts available to fit most cable types. Standard military connectors, such as the circular MIL-C-38999 or rectangular ARINC 600, accommodate signal, power, and optical contacts, and have backshells to terminate shields and strain relieve the cable. Connectors are widely available by customizing standard connector shells with discrete contacts compatible with the components of the cable.

System or hardware requirements may dictate that the multicore/hybrid cable is terminated according to certain breakouts, such as separate connectors for power and control. The parts required for such breakouts, including heat-shrinkable moulded parts, are available in a range of performance grades to match the environment and offer compatibility with the cable jacket materials.

Moving from Specifications to Performance Requirements

Globally and for every market, there are many specifications attempting to describe the required performance of cables exposed to very similar environments e.g. military ground vehicles.

This approach fails to unify the industry using different tests methods and specifying unique properties to achieve perceived suitability.

This activity, in turn, leads to a myriad of product families, which drive up manufacturing costs and reduce availability of the products in the supporting manufacturing industry.

Two things need to change:

First, specification requirements should be unified. Cabling requirements for a military vehicle built by one manufacturer should have similar requirements to cabling used in other military vehicles, especially when functioning in the same operating theater.

Second, specifications must change from Products to Requirements. Creating products is the role of the cable industry since they have the most expertise in this area.

The specification authorities should focus on the requirements for these products in key areas, such as mechanicals, temperature, and fluids. The end users will choose the cheapest and easiest to use products by natural selection.

These changes will open the door to innovation and unlock existing technologies in so many ways, including the use of multicore/hybrid cables. A whole new portfolio of products will appear to meet the form, fit, and function of the industry while offering a greater variety of functionality.

By John Wadeley, Global Senior Product Manager, TE Connectivity

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