Electric Cable Strand Characterization Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for characterizing electrical wiring systems, particularly in aircraft, are overly conservative and inefficient, failing to account for the heterogeneity of cables and varying operational conditions, leading to excessive cable sizing and weight, while neglecting the differences in thermal stress and voltage drop between power and communication cables.
Innovation Solution
A method that calculates the sum of heat fluxes for each cable and its environment to determine the surface temperature, comparing incoming and outgoing heat flows to ensure safe operation, while also evaluating voltage drops, allowing for more precise and reduced calculations to optimize cable design and reduce mass.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If homogeneous strands with single loading rate are considered, then design simplicity is improved, but accuracy of thermal and electrical characterization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The method segments the cable strand into individual cable components, each with its own thermal and electrical characteristics. Instead of treating the strand as a homogeneous unit, the invention analyzes each cable's heat flux, temperature, and voltage drop separately, then aggregates the results. This segmentation enables accurate characterization of heterogeneous cables while maintaining computational tractability through systematic breakdown of the complex system.
2Measurement precision
If maximum power supply with temperature correction is used, then electrical resistance accuracy is improved, but computational complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The method performs preliminary determination of maximum power supply and temperature correction factors before the main thermal-electrical analysis. By pre-calculating these parameters based on cable specifications and operating conditions, the invention avoids iterative computations during the main analysis phase. This preliminary action reduces computational complexity while maintaining the accuracy benefits of temperature-corrected resistance values.
3Measurement precision
If multi-physics simulation with temporal calculations is applied, then thermal analysis accuracy is improved, but computational cost and practicality worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and isolates the critical thermal analysis components from a full multi-physics simulation framework. Instead of performing complete temporal calculations with integrations for transient phases, the method focuses on steady-state thermal analysis and key transient effects, separating essential thermal characteristics from less critical details. This extraction maintains sufficient thermal analysis accuracy for cable sizing while dramatically reducing computational cost and improving practicality for aircraft wiring systems.
4Reliability
If large safety margins are taken in cable sizing, then reliability is improved, but cable mass increases
Solution Approach 1:
The method changes the approach from using fixed, conservative safety margins to dynamically calculated parameters based on actual thermal and electrical conditions. By computing specific heat fluxes, temperature distributions, and voltage drops for each cable configuration, the invention determines minimum cable sizes that meet reliability requirements without excessive mass. This parameter-based approach replaces blanket safety factors with precision-engineered margins tailored to each cable's actual operating conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in more accurate and conservative cable sizing, reducing weight and heat losses, while ensuring safety and compliance with thermal and electrical constraints, enabling automated optimization and verification of cable configurations.
Implementation Method 1
the heating effect due to the electrical resistance of the cable through which an electric current passes
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for characterising a strand (1) of electric cables (2, 3, 4...), comprising taking into account, for at least one surface temperature of the cables (Tsurface), both a sum of heat fluxes (Φ1, Φ2,... Φn) calculated for each cable (2, 3, 4...) for the heating effect caused by the electrical resistance of the cable through which an electric current (i1, i2,... i,n) circulates, and a heat flux (Φs) calculated for the heat released by the strand (1) into the environment thereof, in order to render compatible the sizing of the cables (2, 3, 4...) and the use thereof.