Modern aircraft contain some of the most complicated and extensive electrical systems in the world. And though devices, gauges and sensors may get all the electrical glory, wiring works behind the scenes act like a network of veins and arteries.
Wiring harnesses make it possible to construct and maintain this electric circulatory system.
A wiring harness is a bundle of electrical wires held together with cable ties, clamps or conduit. A connector is assembled on each end of the wiring harness, so that harnesses can be easily attached to each other or to electrical aircraft components. In an aircraft, many wires can be bundled in the same harness and wires within one harness may be routed to different systems or components.
Wiring harnesses are originally installed before aircraft construction is complete. The bundles of wire are threaded through premade holes in the aircraft frames and routed around items such as hydraulic tubing and cable riggings. The wiring harnesses are secured in place by clamping them to aircraft structures or components.
Wiring harnesses are essential for aircraft maintenance. Wiring can stretch back and forth across a jumbo jet for over 100 miles. Since wiring harnesses are short lengths of wire bundles, often just a couple of feet, you can more easily troubleshoot faulty harnesses and repair or replace them, than those same damaged wires would be if they were located in much longer, continuous strands of wire. Technicians may also have to remove wire bundles to access other aircraft components for maintenance or inspections.
The ability to perform maintenance effectively is crucial to aircraft safety. Wiring harnesses that are easy to inspect, repair, remove and replace benefit overall aircraft safety. Several plane crashes have been attributed to chaffed wires. Proper installation and routing of wire bundles around abrasive structures and moving parts help to keep wires free from damage.
Aircraft engineers utilize wiring harnesses as an effective method to route large, complicated bundles of live wire throughout an entire aircraft. But this isn't the only place that wiring harnesses come in handy. You can locate wiring harnesses that connect wiring to your car radio or even in your PC, connecting internal peripherals to the motherboard. But some of the most complicated and important wiring harnesses fly overhead at 33,000 feet.
