Eaton (hall 4, B2) has recently secured a contact worth $1.9 million with the Office of Naval Research for the continued development of electrical wiring arcing protection for civil and military aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration FAA estimates that the deterioration of electrical wiring in aging aircraft - including cracked insulation, the contamination of wire bundles, normal maintenance wear and damage and thermal cycling - all contribute to the potential for a 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit arcing event that cannot be detected by standard aviation circuit breakers.
UndetectedThese undetected events could ultimately lead to a catastrophic electrical fire.
Arc faults can occur when insulation around cords, wires or cables is damaged or deteriorated. An arc fault circuit breaker recognises the unique characteristics of many types of arcing and acts instantly to interrupt the circuit; the arc fault circuit breaker is integrated into a state-of-the-art circuit breaker design.
Eaton's new contract has the sponsorship of several government agencies in addition to the Office of Naval Research. The Naval Air Warfare Centre, Wright Patterson Air Force Research Labs and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Technical Centre in the US are all backing the contract.
Eaton will adapt the company's flight tested 115 VAC, 400Hz arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) breakers to include the development of 28 VDC devices, multiphase circuit breakers for use in fuel systems and the further miniaturization of the technology to accommodate its use in fighter aircraft for electrical circuit protection.
Source: Flight Daily News
