AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding

Sect 2 Chap 15

SECTION 2
CHAPTER 15

INSTALLATION OF BUSBARS, JUNCTION BOXES, PROTECTIVE

DEVICES, AND TERMINAL BOARDS

INTRODUCTION NASM21044 Nut, Self-Locking, Hexagon-

Regular Height, 250F, 125 KSI
1. Procedures for installing equipment in aircraft are FTU and 60 KSI FTU
recommended in order to make installation easier, to NASM21047 Nut, Self-Locking Plate, Two
standardize the methods used, and to provide the best Lug, Low Height, Steel, 125 KSI
possible protection for personnel and equipment. FTU, 450F
2. This chapter describes procedures for installing NASM35338 Washer, Lock-Spring, Helical,
busbars (including preparation), junction boxes, Regular (medium) Series
protective devices, and terminal boards in aircraft. It also
NASM35649 Nut, Plain Hexagon, Machine
describes methods of identification and protection and
Screw, UNC-2B
the correct use of hardware.
NASM35650 Nut, Plain-Hexagon , Machine
Screw, UNF-2B
REFERENCE SPECIFICATIONS
SAE AS 27212 Terminal Board Assembly,
Molded-In Stud, Electric
3. The following specifications are applicable to
busbars, conduit, junction boxes, protective devices, and SAE AS 7351 Clamp, Loop Type Bonding
terminal boards:

AN3064 Box Connector, Electrical PREPARATION AND INSTALLATION OF

AN960 Washer, Flat BUSBARS
MIL-C-85049 Connector Accessories,
General
Electrical
MS18029 Cover Assembly, Electrical, for 4. Busbars are used in aircraft for power distribution.
MS27212 Terminal Board The most commonly used materials for busbars are bare
Assembly aluminium, plated aluminium, or plated copper.
Aluminium used for busbars is EC (electrical) grade.
MS21919 Clamp, Loop-Type, Cushioned
Support
Preparation of Busbars
MS25082 Nut, Plain, Hexagon, Electrical-
Thin 5. Busbars for an aircraft electrical system must be
MS3373 Strip, Mounting, Nut Insulating, clean and free from grease, dirt, and oxide. Any of these
for MS27212 Terminal Board at the electrical junction will cause the connection to
heat up and fail. Busbars are cleaned prior to installation
MS35335 Washer, Lock, Flat - External in the aircraft and are also treated to prevent or minimize
Tooth oxidation after installation.
MS51957 Screw, Machine Pan Head,
Cross-recessed, Corrosion WARNING
Resistant Steel, UNC-2A Use only approved cleaning compounds and
NASM21042 Nut, Self-Locking, 450F, approved procedures to clean aircraft electric
Reduced Hexagon, Reduced components. The use of inappropriate cleaning
Height, Ring Base, Non- compounds or failure to follow proper procedures
Corrosion Resistant Steel may cause fires or explosions.

1
AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding
Sect 2 Chap 15

WARNING WARNING
Appropriate personal protective equipment should be Appropriate personal protective equipment should be
worn when handling and using cleaning solutions. worn when handling and using cleaning solutions.

Preparation of Unplated Aluminium Alloy Busbars Preparation of Plated Aluminium and Copper
Busbars
6. Clean unplated aluminium busbars by immersing
in MIL-PRF-680 (Stoddard's solvent) or by wiping with a 8. Clean plated aluminium and copper busbars
clean, soft cloth saturated with the solvent. Wipe dry with thoroughly by immersing in MIL-PRF-680 (Stoddard’s
a clean, soft cloth. solvent) or by wiping with a clean, soft cloth saturated
with the solvent. Wipe dry with a clean, soft cloth.
7. After cleaning, treat all electrical contact surfaces
as follows: Repairing Damaged Plating

a. Cover contact surfaces completely with an even 9. Examine contact surfaces of plated aluminium or
coating of petrolatum-zinc dust compound (50% copper busbars for damage to plating. Reject damaged
petrolatum, 50% fine zinc dust, by weight). aluminium busbars and return for rework. Repair slight
a. Scratch brush the coated areas, using a rotary damage to plated copper busbars by tinning with a
steel wire brush with a pilot as shown in Figure soldering iron. Thoroughly wash and dry repaired areas.
15–1. Brush through the compound. Do not attempt to repair plating on aluminium.

b. Remove most of the compound from busbar by Mounting Hardware

wiping lightly with a clean, soft cloth.
10. When installing a copper busbar, always place
c. Examine busbar to make sure that there are no cadmium plated steel plain washer between the busbar
steel brush bristles lodged in the aluminium. and the lockwasher or self-locking nut. (See Figure 15–
d. Apply a thin coating of clean petrolatum-zinc 2.) When installing an aluminium alloy busbar, place an
compound to contact surfaces. This compound is aluminium alloy plain washer between the busbar and
the same as that supplied in MS aluminium the lockwasher or self-locking nut.
terminal lugs.
Insulation
NOTE
11. Insulate the busbar from structure, junction box, or
Allow final coat of compound to remain on busbar support with a fibreglass, phenolic, or other rigid
when installed. Excess will be squeezed out of insulating stand-off as shown in Figure 15–2. Do not use
connections and removed later. any moisture-absorbing material.

Protection

WARNING 12. Install busbars inside panels, junction boxes, or in

Use only approved cleaning compounds and protected areas when possible. If this cannot be done,
approved procedures to clean aircraft electric protect the busbar with insulating tubing or other means
components. The use of inappropriate cleaning of insulation. See Section 2, Chapter 4 for details.
compounds or failure to follow proper procedures
may cause fires or explosions.
INSTALLATION OF JUNCTION BOXES

General

13. Junction boxes are containers with hinged or

removable covers used in aircraft to provide a protected
area for electrical power distribution equipment such as
busbars and terminal boards. The material of junction
boxes is either metal or hard fibreglass.

2
 AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding
Sect 2 Chap 15

Junction Box Covers

16. Junction box covers may be hinged or attached by

means of screws. Screw threads must not extend into
the box in the vicinity of wiring. The sharp threads may
cut wire insulation. If covers are not hinged, secure the
cover to the box with an insulated bead chain, or No. 14
wire, as shown in Figure 15–4. Make this attachment
outside the box so that when the box is closed the chain
or wire will not interfere with the wiring.

NOTE
If covers are bent during installation or repair,
straighten them before final attachment.

Preparation of Wire Entry Holes

17. Determine the outside diameter of the wire, or

wire bundle, and make sure that the opening is at least
3mm larger in diameter to allow for later enlargement of
the bundle. Use a box connector and cable clamp to
protect wiring if this is indicated on the engineering
drawing.

CAUTION
Deburr the inner surface of box connectors.

Figure 15–1 Scratch Brushing Unplated Aluminium

Alloy Busbars NOTE
When a box connector is not used, protect the edges
of the entry hole with plastic or fibre grommets. (See
Mounting Hardware Figure 15–5.)

14. Use standard AN bolts or screws of the Drainage of Junction Boxes

appropriate size to attach junction boxes to aircraft
structure. (See Figure 15–3.) Insert screws or bolts so 18. Provide one or more drainage holes (4.7mm
that the head of the screw or bolt is inside the junction diameter minimum) at the lowest point of the junction
box. Do not install attaching hardware so that threaded box when the aircraft is on the ground. After drilling
part of the screw or bolt protrudes inside the junction drainage holes in metal junction boxes, deburr the edges
box, as the sharp thread edges will damage wire of the hole with a deburring tool or a file.
insulation.

Insulation CAUTION
Do not drill holes in vapour-tight junction boxes.
15. The inside of metallic junction boxes is coated
with white glyptal or similar material to insulate wiring
from the metal, to improve visibility and to make Vapour Tight Boxes
inspection easier. Non-metallic junction boxes need not
be so insulated. If this coating is damaged during the 19. Vapour-tight junction boxes in aircraft are
installation procedure, repair the damaged parts with, identified as such on the covers. When doing work of
the same material as used in the original installation. any kind on vapour-tight boxes, carefully follow the
When a new metallic box is installed, make sure the instructions given in the aircraft manufacturer’s
insulating coating is present and undamaged. handbook of maintenance instructions for the specific
aircraft model.

3
AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding
Sect 2 Chap 15

Figure 15–2 Mounting Busbars to Structure

Chapter 13. Grounding of equipment in non-metallic

boxes shall be on an individual basis, not in series.

INSTALLATION OF PROTECTIVE DEVICES

General

22. Protective devices are items of electrical

equipment such as circuit breakers, fuses, etc., installed
in aircraft to protect the electrical system against
overloads caused by short circuits or other faults.

Circuit Breakers

23. A circuit breaker is a device designed to open and

close an electric circuit and to open the circuit
automatically at a predetermined overload current,
without damage to itself. The primary purpose of circuit
breakers in aircraft is to provide overcurrent protection
for wire and cable and to minimise the danger of smoke
and fire.

24. Correct circuit breaker selection should result in a

protective device with the lowest standard rating that will
not trip inadvertently. It must interrupt the fault or
overload current by disconnecting the faulted line from
the power distribution point before any wire or insulation
damage occurs.
Figure 15–3 Attaching Junction Box to Structure
25. The nameplate current rating of circuit breakers is
a nominal rating for identification and the actual useable
Identification
rating for a particular application may be considerably
20. If junction boxes, as originally installed, are not
different. Most circuit breakers must carry approximately
identified, it is not necessary to do so. If the junction box
115% of their rated current indefinitely. This excess is to
does have identification marking, make sure marking is
provide a tolerance for the effects of wear, vibration etc.
replaced as in original.
The instantaneous trip current is usually in the order of
ten times the current rating of the circuit breaker. The
Bonding or Grounding Junction Boxes applicable Military Standard (MS) should be reviewed
when determining the actual trip current for a circuit
21. Bond or ground junction boxes to structure by breaker.
direct metal-to-metal contact or by means of a bonding
jumper. Test bond or ground as described in Section 2,

4
 AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding
Sect 2 Chap 15

26. When selecting a circuit breaker for a particular Mounting with Through Bolts or Screws
application all the variables should be considered. These
variables include time-current characteristics of the 32. When possible, attach protective devices to
circuit breaker, start-up surges of equipment, wire type, aircraft structure or other support with through bolts or
size and location (ambient temperature) and the screws. Install a plain washer under the head of the bolt
maximum altitude at which the equipment is likely to or screw, and a plain washer and a split lockwasher
operate. The current carrying capacity of a wire varies under the nut. (See Figure 15–6.)
considerably depending on the application and should
be determined using the graphs contained in SAE Mounting Into Tapped Hole or Nut Plate
AS50881.
33. When it is necessary to install a protective device
27. Both magnetic and thermal type circuit breakers with a screw into a tapped hole or a nut plate, install a
are available however circuit protection in aircraft is plain washer and a split lockwasher under the screw or
primarily provided by thermal circuit breakers which are bolt head. (See Figure 15–7.)
dependent on temperature rise in the sensing element
for actuation. Operation is achieved by deflection of a bi-
metal strip that will open the circuit at a pre-determined
temperature. Temperature rise in the sensing element is
caused principally by the load current however this is
affected by ambient temperature which can raise or
lower the actual current at which the circuit breaker will
trip.

28. Trip-free circuit breakers are normally used for all

aircraft applications. Manual resetting of this type of
circuit breaker cannot be effected while an over current
circuit fault remains. Non trip-free circuit breakers are
used when the application requires over-riding of the
tripping mechanism, in an emergency, when the fault still
exists. Both types of circuit breaker can be manually
operated to both ON and OFF positions with power
applied, without damage to the electrical contacts
however circuit breakers should not be used as switches
unless specifically designed for this purpose. Figure 15–4 Attaching Cover to Junction Box

29. The trip characteristics of a circuit breaker can

change when the trip mechanism has been dormant for
long periods. This phenomenon is due to the high
internal spring forces which are inherent in most circuit
breakers and which can cause a static type of wear to
the trip mechanism when in the closed position. Test
data suggest that this condition can be prevented by
periodically operating the circuit breaker manually with
no electrical load, however manual operation should be
limited to two or three times a year to avoid excessive
dynamic wear of the tripping mechanism.

30. Where practicable, ‘power in’ and ‘power out’

wires should be physically separated to avoid the
possibility of a short circuit negating the effect of the
circuit breaker.

Mounting Hardware

31. If attaching hardware is furnished with the

protective device, use it. If no attaching hardware is
furnished, mount the protective device with standard AN
cadmium plated steel screws or bolts of the appropriate
size. When replacing a protective device, use hardware
exactly the same as in the original installation except
that a longer screw may be used if necessary.
Figure 15–5 Wire Entry Holes in Junction Box

5
AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding
Sect 2 Chap 15

b. Insert the screw into the blind tapped hole and

thread it in until it bottoms in the hole. Plain and
lock washers should remain free.

c. Back out the screw two turns and measure the

length of screw between the under surface of the
head and the top washer.

d. Measure the thickness of the mounting part of the

protective device and subtract it from the
measurement obtained in step c. If the device to
be mounted is thicker than the dimension
obtained in step c, repeat steps a, b, and c, using
a longer screw.
Figure 15–6 Mounting Protective Devices e. Subtract dimension obtained in step d from the
overall length of the screw; this will give the
maximum length that can be used without
bottoming in the tapped hole. If the final length is
not a standard length, use the next shorter
standard screw.

Figure 15–8 Determining Screw Length for Mounting

into Blind Holes

Mounting Circuit Breakers

Figure 15–7 Typical Mounting Hardware for Protective
35. Mount switch circuit breakers so that when the
Devices
switch breaker is in the off or open position, the handle
will be down or to the rear.
Mounting Into Blind Hole
Mounting Toggle Switches and Switch Guards
34. When a protective device must be attached with a
screw into a blind tapped hole, make sure that the screw 36. Mount switches and switch guards as follows:
will give maximum thread engagement without
bottoming in the hole. The length is determined as a. Insert toggle switch through the mounting surface.
follows (see Figure 15–8): b. Adjust lower jam nut to obtain approximately 5
a. Select a screw of approximately the correct length threads above the mounting surface.
and install a plain washer and lockwasher on it. c. Place switch guard over the switch and install
upper jam nut.
NOTE
Do not mount the protective device when determining
screw length.

6
 AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding
Sect 2 Chap 15

d. Adjust the switch up or down as required with Circuit Breaker Blanking Plugs
upper and lower jam nuts to obtain proper height
of the switch lever. 41. When a circuit breaker is removed a blanking plug
should be installed in the mounting hole. The following
e. When switch is adjusted to the proper height, it blanking plugs are suitable for this purpose: Metal Plug,
can be closed with switch guard and the guard will PN NAS451-43 or Rubber Plug, PN G34.
not interfere with switch operation (see Section 2,
Chapter 9, Figure 9–10).
Identification
Mounting Relays
42. Make sure that each protective device is identified
by a plate or decal, permanently attached to adjacent
37. Mount relays so that foreign particles cannot fall aircraft structure. If the location of a protective device is
between the terminals and so that liquid cannot changed, make sure that the identification marking is
accumulate inside the cover. also relocated and completely visible. Make sure the
new identification marking is exactly the same as the
Special Precautions for Bonding or Grounding original.
Connections

38. When a bond or ground connection is made INSTALLATION OF TERMINAL BOARDS

through the mating surfaces of structure and mounting
pad, prepare the contacting surfaces as described in General
Section 2, Chapter 13, before attaching the device to
structure. 43. Terminal boards are used in aircraft to provide
junction points of good electrical conductivity for circuits
Protection that are not frequently disconnected.

39. If possible, mount protective devices in junction Mounting Hardware

boxes or protected areas. If this is not possible, and the
devices are to be installed in locations where they may 44. Use standard AN cadmium plated steel hardware
be subject to damage or where the terminals may be of the appropriate size.
dangerous to personnel, provide a cover to go over the
protective device.
Method of Attachment
Circuit Breaker Lockout/Deactivation
45. Install mounting screws so that the screw
CAUTION protrudes through the bottom of the terminal board, as
shown in Figure 15–10. The length of the screw should
Use only red or white TEFLON devices for allow for some protrusion beyond the nut. Pass a steel
deactivating circuit breakers. Do not use black for this scale or other flat piece of metal over the top of the nut.
purpose. If it passes over freely, the screw is too short and is to
be replaced with the next longer length. Protrusion of
screw should not exceed two threads.
40. When positive lockout/deactivation of an electrical
circuit breaker is required, install circuit breaker collar
PN 12E2081-9. and secure with a self-clinching cable Alternative Method of Attachment
tie-wrap.
46. If it is not possible to install the mounting screw
from the top of the terminal board, install it from the
back, as shown in Figure 15–11. In this case, the end of
the screw should project just beyond the top of the nut,
but do not use a screw that will extend beyond the level
of the terminal board mounting surface.

Insulation

47. Place an insulating strip over each mounting

screw, long enough so it will go over the two adjacent
terminal studs. If there is no terminal mounted to the
stud the insulating strip should be secured to the board
under a nut and washers as shown in Figure 15–12. The
Figure 15–9 Circuit Breaker Lockout Ring MS14151 washer is not required if a busbar is installed
on the terminal stud.

7
AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding
Sect 2 Chap 15

Attaching Busbar to Terminal Board

48. When a MS25226 busbar is to be attached to a

MS25123 terminal board, mount the busbar directly on
top of the nut that holds the terminal stud in place. When
MS25226 busbar is to be attached to a MS27212
terminal board, mount the busbar directly on the base of
the moulded-in stud, and above the insulating strip
(MS3373) if used. (See Figure 15–12 and Section 2,
Chapter 4, Figure 4–18).

NOTE
If aluminium busbars are removed and are to be
reinstalled, examine the busbar for deformation
before reinstalling it. If there is any deformation,
discard it and install a new busbar.

Figure 15–12 Insulation of Terminal Board

Protection of Terminal Boards

49. Where possible, mount terminal boards inside

junction boxes or other enclosures. If this is not possible,
and the terminal board is located where it may be
damaged, or may be dangerous to personnel, provide a
cover. Use terminal board cover MS18029 on the
MS27212 terminal board. Attach no more than two
terminal lugs on the stud that is to be used for mounting
the cover to the terminal board. If no cover is available
the terminal board may be protected by a wrapping of
insulating sheeting. Use a piece of insulating sheet large
enough to make a generous lap over the studs. Punch
Figure 15–10 Mounting of Terminal Board holes in the insulating sheet, install it over the grounded
studs, and fasten with nuts and washers.

Identification

50. Each terminal board in the aircraft electrical

system is identified by the letters TB, followed by a
number which is the number of the individual board.
Each stud on the terminal board is identified by a
number located adjacent to it, with the lowest number in
the series at the end nearest the terminal board
identification number. (See Figure 15–13.) The
identification may be marked on the aircraft structure to
which the terminal board is attached or may be on an
identification strip cemented to the structure under the
terminal board. When a terminal board is replaced, do
not remove the identification marking unless it has been
damaged. In that case replace the identification marking
exactly as in the original, in accordance with the
applicable wiring diagram.

Figure 15–11 Alternative Mounting of Terminal Board

8
 AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding
Sect 2 Chap 15

Figure 15–13 Identification of Terminal Board

9
AC 21-99 Aircraft Wiring and Bonding
Sect 2 Chap 15

Blank Page

10