Insulating Materials for Electrical Components Used for Power Transmission on Board the Aircraft

Extensive efforts are devoted to the electrification of aircraft by introducing higher electrical power levels. Accordingly, the electrical components, wires and interconnects, are being increasingly applied on- board, and their insulations are inexorably facing heightened challenges of higher electric stresses, more stringent installation conditions, and a wide variety of environmental constraints. It could lead to multiple insulation aging patterns, entailing various failure modes. Thus, the insulation has been seen as a pivotal element in every on- board electrical component and equipment since its current performances could govern the on- board voltage rating. Here, we first drew up the constraints facing such insulations before specifying the criteria governing their selection. Then, we reviewed in detail the high-performance insulations used, and those that are intended to be potentially used, for electrically isolating the aeronautical components employed for power transmission. The aim is to elucidate the limits of the current insulations in respect of the aforementioned constraints and to identify the merits of the candidate ones. This review does not only provide a broad assortment of key knowledge on insulating materials, much sought after by component designers, manufacturers, and engineering researchers but also reveals for the scientific polymer community the issue of electrically insulating aeronautical components.