Development of Avionic Non-kink Optical Cable (AVNOC) 2012-01-2110

Optical fibers are extensively used in aircrafts, both as interconnects in electronic cards and in aircraft frames. Linden has developed a patented dual layer extruded liquid crystal polymer (LCP)/fluoropolymer optical cable. The cable passes critical tests such as mandrel wrapped thermal cycle test, impact test, tight bend test, long term mandrel wrap test, jacket shrinkage, fluid immersion, temperature cycling, cycling flex, impact and corner bend. A combination of materials consisting of LCPs and other high performance thermoplastics such as fluoropolymers have the strength, barrier properties, flexibility and durability required for aircraft cable to reduce the amount of maintenance induced failures. AVNOC improves upon the current cable design, and the uniqueness of the design enables new applications in harsher environments where the present construction would not work. Linden's AVNOC is a fully extruded replacement cable. This design is innovative in that it improves cable performance while decreasing costs. This is achieved through a simplified design. Three layers vs. five-six for the legacy cable. AVNOC has been designed with materials that are already qualified for use on aircraft and in all the testing that has been performed to date AVNOC has met or exceeded the performance of existing cables. Whereas all the performance standards will be met, the major benefits will include reduced cost and ease of handling & termination. AVNOC will provide a 55% cost savings on the product alone. Unlike existing avionic cable, Linden's AVNOC uses a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) fiber protected by our simple extruded jacket. Existing designs use carbon or polyimide coated fiber that adds significantly to the cost of the cable. The removal of Kevlar eliminates a time consuming step in the construction of legacy cables. Finally, the simplification of termination allows for labor savings while assembling harnesses.