I looked up Kapton 'cos I didn't know about it.
It's used by many people here to separate pouch cells and insulate wires.
I found that Kapton does have it's limitations.
Here's the first hit I found, relating a Kapton-related aircraft fire:
http://www.vision.net.au/~apaterson/aviation/kapton_mangold.htm
Those of you using it to separate pouch cells might like to do some more research to see if it is good enough for the job, or if it's a short-circuit or fire risk under difficult conditions:
"Kapton - the aromatic polyimide wiring insulation around the wire strands - has no place, he says, in passenger-carrying aircraft. He says that the main reason is that, in an electrical short, the wiring insulation chars to a conductive carbon residue and ignites like a dynamite fuse, affecting the whole wiring bundle (and therefore many disassociated systems).
The phenomenon is known as arc tracking. Because the outer carbon char (and not the internal wire-core conductor) is then carrying the current, the circuit breakers most probably will not trip. There is therefore nothing to halt this "flashover" because the power stays on the wire. The older the Kapton wiring gets, the more brittle and vulnerable the insulation becomes."
I gather that it's going to be fine if temperature never reaches the point where the Kapton itself chars.
But if it did, then there's the chance of a big Kaboom!
From the Kapton Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapton):
"However, Kapton insulation ages poorly: an FAA study shows degradation in under 100 hours in a hot, humid environment.[5] It was found to have very poor resistance to mechanical wear, mainly abrasion within cable harnesses due to aircraft movement. Many aircraft models have had to undergo extensive rewiring modifications--sometimes completely replacing all the Kapton-insulated wiring--because of short circuits caused by the faulty insulation."
This means that if you ride an e-bike in hot, humid, environments for over 100 hours, and there is risk of abrasion/vibration/movement/impact around the Kapton, then it may break down and stop doing what it should.
Question for the experts: Is there an alternative to Kapton that is more resistant to temperature, humidity, abrasion?
It's used by many people here to separate pouch cells and insulate wires.
I found that Kapton does have it's limitations.
Here's the first hit I found, relating a Kapton-related aircraft fire:
http://www.vision.net.au/~apaterson/aviation/kapton_mangold.htm
Those of you using it to separate pouch cells might like to do some more research to see if it is good enough for the job, or if it's a short-circuit or fire risk under difficult conditions:
"Kapton - the aromatic polyimide wiring insulation around the wire strands - has no place, he says, in passenger-carrying aircraft. He says that the main reason is that, in an electrical short, the wiring insulation chars to a conductive carbon residue and ignites like a dynamite fuse, affecting the whole wiring bundle (and therefore many disassociated systems).
The phenomenon is known as arc tracking. Because the outer carbon char (and not the internal wire-core conductor) is then carrying the current, the circuit breakers most probably will not trip. There is therefore nothing to halt this "flashover" because the power stays on the wire. The older the Kapton wiring gets, the more brittle and vulnerable the insulation becomes."
I gather that it's going to be fine if temperature never reaches the point where the Kapton itself chars.
But if it did, then there's the chance of a big Kaboom!
From the Kapton Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapton):
"However, Kapton insulation ages poorly: an FAA study shows degradation in under 100 hours in a hot, humid environment.[5] It was found to have very poor resistance to mechanical wear, mainly abrasion within cable harnesses due to aircraft movement. Many aircraft models have had to undergo extensive rewiring modifications--sometimes completely replacing all the Kapton-insulated wiring--because of short circuits caused by the faulty insulation."
This means that if you ride an e-bike in hot, humid, environments for over 100 hours, and there is risk of abrasion/vibration/movement/impact around the Kapton, then it may break down and stop doing what it should.
Question for the experts: Is there an alternative to Kapton that is more resistant to temperature, humidity, abrasion?
