Distributed Monitoring of Electrical Wiring

Electrical wiring interconnect system (EWIS) damage due to mechanical, thermal, electrical, and chemical mechanisms can result in loss of critical systems, smoke and fire, and lead to catastrophic equipment failure. Aircraft wiring is the subject of intensive research efforts to predict and prevent the failure of electrical systems in existing and future military and commercial aircraft. To address this critical need, Luna Innovations proposes to use distributed optical fiber sensors to monitor and locate wiring damage or conditions that may lead to EWIS damage. The sensing technique is capable of temporal and spatial measurement of wiring system condition. The system is sensitive to processes that degrade the EWIS in different zones of the aircraft structure and damage events associated with maintenance activities or other sources. Both transient conditions and permanent changes in state are detected. Damage modes and conditions can be sensed without imparting damage to the optical fiber sensing element. Additionally, the EWIS condition can be compared to any previous condition. This allows aircraft operators to locate areas of significant change in the health of the EWIS that require inspection. This cumulative data is also valuable for developing zonal analysis of aging processes for use in prognostic EWIS modeling.