Fault Location on Aging Aircraft Wiring

The Problem with Aging Aircraft Wiring How Live Fault Location Works Publications Sponsors Spin-Off Company LiveWire Innovation, Inc. Software for Wire & Fault Simulations (sponsored by NASA)

The Problem with Aging Aircraft Wiring

As wire ages, it becomes brittle and may crack and break. Locating these problems can take hours, days, or more, while expensive or mission-critical aircraft sit idle. Some faults are not reproducible on the ground and show up only in flight, often effectively grounding aircraft while maintainers struggle to replicate or find the problem. Arc Fault Circuit (AFC) Breakers are being designed to detect small arcs before they cause aircraft fires, yet once these breakers have averted disaster, they leave a maintenance nightmare for the technician tasked with locating and fixing the tiny damage within miles of wire snaking through the walls, floor, ceilings, and wings of the aircraft. Our research has created tools and sensors to locate these and other faults in aging wiring.

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How Live Fault Location Works

Testing Live Wires, College of Engineering Newsletter, Feb 2004

Thank you to our Sponsors:

Air Force Research Lab (via UTCD, ATT, IAStateU)

NAVAIR

National Science Foundation

NASA

Utah Centers of Excellence Program

Spin Off Company for Development of this Technology:

LiveWire Innovation, Inc.

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