The relevancy of environmental parameter space for electrical insulation design in aerospace vehicles

As mission scenarios expand and flight profiles change, both military and commercial aerospace vehicles will be required to operate in a broader range of environments than current flight vehicles. This implies the need for increased reliability across a wide range of environmental conditions, i.e., environmental parameter space. A critical element to the overall operational capability of the vehicle is the reliability of the electrical systems onboard. In the case of electrical systems insulation, both reliability and lifetime can depend on addressing the relevant environmental issues in the design phase, to minimize or eliminate the degrading effects of corona or gas volume breakdown that can lead to insulation system failures. This paper presents the results from a recent study initiated by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The study was conducted to determine the shortcomings of electrical insulation systems and design guides that, if not properly accounted for, may result in breakdowns or discharges leading to compromised or aborted missions due to premature electrical failures