The Gold Plating of Molybdenum Conductor Pins in Semi-Rigid Coaxial Cables on Navy Aircraft

The catastrophic effect of oxidation of molybdenum on the electronic signal integrity of an airborne avionic system is documented. A chemical process for effective reduction of these corrosion products is defined, and fixtures are described for the electroplating of coaxial cables on aircraft without removal of the cables. An electrolytic process for plating nickel and gold over molybdenum is developed, and shown to have an excellent first pass through yield. The investigation and development of a repair process shows a unique approach to failure analysis and problem solving, and results in restoration of the original electronic performance of the coaxial cable.