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Monitoring Cable Harnesses in Aircraft

2 min read

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AVIONIC · STORY

Conventional fuses are not enough to prevent smouldering fires in onboard electronics. NewTec recommends protection systems that monitor cable characteristics using DSPs, and supports the entire development, including the aircraft standards DO-178B and DO-254.

The task

In the worst case, cable fires in an aircraft’s onboard electronics can lead to the failure of the entire system and a crash. Conventional circuit breakers are not enough to rule this out, because depending on the insulation material and the surrounding conditions, even the smallest overcurrents can trigger insidious smouldering fires. To prevent a crash like that of Swissair Flight 111 from New York to Geneva, it is vital to detect even the slightest anomalies in the wiring at an early stage.

The solution

To guard against these scenarios, NewTec supports the use of protection systems that monitor the characteristics of the wiring very precisely with the help of digital signal processors. This makes it possible to detect short circuits, overcurrents or leakage currents early on and to raise an alarm when the cable properties change. With our safety expertise, we are happy to support the entire development, from requirements engineering through software development to testing, and we assist with the implementation of the aircraft standards DO-178B and DO-254.