Today we have an educational post from the technical department at Loos Wires: the LoosCo.com blog. We are often asked if it is OK to use galvanized cable with stainless steel hardware, or vice versa. The concern is the promotion of corrosion by pairing dissimilar metals, especially in high performance aircraft cable applications. The answer is that there is no reason for concern, and Deb does an excellent job of explaining why in the article below.

Do I need to worry about stainless steel and galvanized materials corroding each other?

Flight control cablesthat utilize galvanized steel for the wire rope and stainless steel for the swaged terminals are very common.  Galvanic corrosion does not occur when these metals are in contact.  Further, when these two metals are in contact and below the melting point of zinc, no effective brittleness will occur, and no zinc coating will be lost. However, If the operating temperature rises past the melting point of zinc beware of cracking and failure. 

The above applies in cable assembly applications, such as those contained within the airframe,  that  are not exposed to elements that create corrosion. Cable assemblies that are exposed to corrosive elements ( i.e. wheel wells, near fuel, anti-icing fluids, etc.) should be made from stainless steel cables. Ensure that you are using the 300 series variety of stainless steel to help avoid corrosion issues.

If you have any additional questions about this or any other aircraft cable related topics, contact a product manager and we’ll be happy to help. Or, if you’d like to do your own research, we have a complete FAQ section on our website, LoosCo.com. See you there!