Insulation Type: Nylon



R1 and R2 usually are short hydrocarbon chains. If there are six carbon and twelve hydrogen atoms in R1 and eight carbon and sixteen hydrogen atoms in R2, the resulting polymer would be Nylon 6,10 – note the other two carbon atoms on either side of R2 are counted also for naming purposes for the second number. For more demanding environments aramids are used with a few versions of PMDA-ODA and XL ETFE insulated wires. See any polymer text for more details about nylon and the page about structural formulas for organic compounds for more general background.

Aircraft on which Nylon has been used/found
  • A-10 (No dates available)
  • Boeing 707 (No dates available)
  • Boeing 727 (No dates available)
  • Boeing 737 (No dates available)
  • Bulldog (No dates available)
  • C-130 Hercules (No dates available)
  • Canberra (No dates available)
  • Chinook (No dates available)
  • DC-8 (No dates available)
  • DC-9 (No dates available)
  • Dominie (No dates available)
  • Gazelle (No dates available)
  • Hawk (No dates available)
  • BAe Jetstream (No dates available)
  • Nimrod (No dates available)
  • Puma (No dates available)
  • Sea King (No dates available)
  • VC-10 (No dates available)

*Note: Some of the older aircraft types of insulation may have replaced by the original wire. The listings of aircraft are not complete, especially with those special uses, e.g., engine areas, electronic boxes, etc.


Mil Specs and other Standards using Nylon
  • BMS 13-13 (Boeing)
  • MIL-W-5086/1
  • MIL-W-5086/2
  • MIL-W-16878/19
  • MIL-W-16878/18
  • MIL-W-16878/17
  • MIL-W-16878/33
  • SAE-AS5086/1
  • SAE-AS5086/2
  • SAE-AS5086/7
  • SAE-AS5086/4

Advantages: Good Resistance to Chafing Resists oils and greases


Disadvantages: Out-gassing of harmful HCl(g) from PVC Loss of Dimension and Weight over time Produces harmful gasses and smoke when it burns Very heavy: 6.8 pounds/1000 feet (10 kg/km) 6.3 pounds/ 1000 ft (9.3 kg/km) without a glass insulator layer Can be attacked by strong acids, some solvents, and some concentrated salt solutions (nylon) In some instances the nylon has been shed due to splitting from manufacturing flaws Relatively poor radiation resistance (probably < ~ 10 6 Rd)

Other Information: Composite insulation with PVC and Glass (in some instances) as used in aircraft wiring Maximum temperature 105 C with typical aliphatic poly amides Polymer is melt processed Dissolves or softens in somewhat concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) – also known as muriatic acid Poly amide (Nylon is in this class of compounds) braid used on some larger diameter MIL-W-81381 wire See also Glass and PVC Used as an outer layer with some large gauge MIL-W-81381 wire – see the PMDA-ODA page for more details


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