GOALI: Smart Wiring for In Situ Testing of Aging Wiring

Utah State University, Logan UT

Investigators

Abstract

0115157 Furse The National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Aviation Pilots Association, and the Naval Air Warfare Command have identified aging aircraft wiring as one of the most significant safety issues facing aviation today. In spite of the severity of the problem, the technology to inspect the wiring to prevent serious accidents is still very limited. This grant is part of an ongoing effort to develop a "Smart Wiring" system for in situ testing of aging aircraft wiring that promises to dramatically improve wire testing and maintenance with resulting improvement in aircraft safety. While present technology is nearing completion for pre-flight testing, the purpose of this grant is to expand the science available for in-flight testing of live wires. This requires adapting spread spectrum communication techniques to overlay FDR signals on live wires, using matched detection filters for optimal signal detection, and use of blind source separation (signal processing) techniques to analyze the returned signals to detect damaged wires. The "Smart Wire" concept promises a dramatic change in how cable and wire are built, analyzed, and tested in the near future. Wire will no longer be a "passive" part of a system, but will actively participate in its own diagnosis and maintenance planning. The ability to test and diagnose wire failures is critical to virtually all electronic systems, and extends far beyond aircraft wiring. The space shuttle, nuclear reactors, high speed trains, critical data and communication networks, life saving medical equipment, and even the family car will benefit by an in situ cable monitoring system.