A new method for non-intrusive online wiring health monitoring

Martins, Alexandre dos Santos

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/11966

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Authors

Martins, Alexandre dos Santos

Advisor(s)

Ferreira, João Paulo Morais

Abstract(s)

This work presents a method for preventing faults in cables prior to their happening, e.g. due to wire ageing and mounting xtures. The proposed method focus in large diameter cables delivering high currents in aircraft. However, this method could be useful in other scenarios where wiring problems could cause critical problems such as in nuclear power plants, automobiles or trains. The method consists of a sensor embedded in the cable. The sensor is made of several thin wires wrapped around the insulator of the monitoring cable in a mesh grid pattern. The cable with the embedded sensor is then covered with a second layer of insulation. Measuring the equivalent resistance of the sensor, allows to determine the health of the cable, as a fault would also damage the sensor changing its equivalent resistance. Cha ng faults, e.g. caused by wires rubbing against each other or bare wiring contact to ground or with the chassis of the vehicle, are analysed. The sensor equivalent resistance for each type of fault and its distance from the measurement system is characterized, enabling localization and prevention of wiring malfunctions. A complete prototype of the system is described, including the hardware and software components of the sensor. Additionally, the system is tested to verify operation in a environment similar to the one experienced in an aircraft. This work was developed as part of an internship in the company Active Space Technologies.