This document establishes the minimum requirements for the electrical bonding and grounding of electric, avionic, armament, communication, and electronic equipment installations for aeronautical and aerospace applications. The bonding and grounding requirements specified herein are to ensure that an adequate low resistance return path for electric, avionic, armament, communication and electronic equipment is achieved which can withstand operating conditions and corrosion. This is essential for the reduction of coupling of electromagnetic fields into or out of the equipment as well as for providing electrical stability to control the currents and/or voltages caused by static charges and discharges and for suppressing the hazardous effects thereof. A prerequisite to effective control of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and the hazards of electrical effects is the establishing of a reference ground plane and the means of providing adequate connections to it. Making a connection to the ground plane is grounding, and the mechanical method of providing a low impedance union between conductors is electrical bonding.
SAE ARP1870-1987 history
2012SAE ARP1870A-2012 Aerospace Systems Electrical Bonding and Grounding for Electromagnetic Compatibility and Safety
1999SAE ARP1870-1999 Aerospace Systems Electrical Bonding and Grounding for Electromagnetic Compatibility and Safety
1987SAE ARP1870-1987 Aerospace Systems Electrical Bonding and Grounding for Electromagnetic Compatibility and Safety