Reliability study on the encapsulated space cable assembly under accelerated tests

Abstract

The interconnecting joint of space cables get smaller and smaller, when the installation space of assembly is smaller, which is easy lead to wire stress and wire breakage. The purpose of encapsulating of the connector is to protect the cable interconnecting, including crimping and soldering joints, and to reduce the weight of the cables at the same time. In this study, the connectors were injection molded, potted without back shells, and potted with back shells in extravehicular cables. The space accelerated tests including mechanical vibration, mechanical impact, bending, and temperature cycle tests were performed on encapsulated cables. The study on tensile strength, metallography, and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM.) of the interconnecting joints showed that, the electrical performance was good with all three kinds of encapsulating process. Crack and delamination defects were not found in the interface of soldering or crimping joint. The three encapsulating method can effectively protect the interconnecting joint of space cable.