Small old bump will never "knock a wire loose". This is serious industrial level equipment that must handle rain, snow and other shitty conditions including vibrations of a wide frequency range. And all that at least for the warranty period of a vehicle.
You're right - you can see the cable harnesses to the drive actuators in the original article. A major concern would be if a big flake bends inward and manages to sever those wires.
Indeed, but automotive wiring is subject to intense and persistent vibration and heat cycles. so all those ties become stress points for fatigue to cluster around.
I'm not saying its never a good idea to use an aluminium wire loom, but I'm struggling to find a situation where its required
Is there something to be said or considered for the fact that the wires are in a dynamic system that might vibrate or chafe away insulation? I feel like that's a big part of the consideration in the separation criteria here, but I'm not an aviation or electrical expert at all.
Sounds like they really don't make them like they used to. Most things have moved to stranded wires due to their lower resistance per weight properties, despite their higher likelihood of breaking during bends.
It sounds like they need to redesign the holder for the end of the cable so it doesn't fall out into the snow. Frankly, it's been obvious for years, at any temperature the holder for the cable is a little finicky. Finding the cable on the ground is somewhat common.
Old wire is usually fine if it just sits there, but it may no longer be water proof or turn hard and brittle. That's why the failure mode is so unfortunate, it loses the properties you'd want in an insulator while still appearing safe.
The other problem in house wiring is that when you tighten down the screw to attach the aluminum wire to the terminal, the aluminum work hardens, and expansion/contraction/vibration will cause it to break.
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