Impact of Mission Profile and Pulse-Width Modulated High Dv/dt Voltage on Aerospace Wiring

This paper investigates the impact of pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage waveform, altitude, and temperature conditions on wiring insulation in electric unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The test methodology, partial discharge (PD) behaviors, thermal imaging and lifetime results for an ETFE wire insulation configuration following SAE AIR 7506 are presented. Thermal analysis identifies the combined dielectric power loss and PD loss under high-frequency, high dv/dt PWM voltage as the main cause of failure. The findings may contribute to the development and improvement of aerospace wire testing standards.