Highly Resistive Wiring for Volatile Environment Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
In volatile environments like fuel tanks, existing wiring is prone to electrical arcing and sparking due to high power transient events such as lightning strikes, which can lead to ignition of explosive materials and damage to structures, especially when embedded in composite materials.
Innovation Solution
The use of highly resistive wires with a resistance between 10 kilo-ohms per meter and 10 mega-ohms per meter, made from non-metallic materials like carbon-loaded plastic, which are designed to prevent current flow and ignition by embedding or securing them within structures, allowing for crack detection without being susceptible to damage from electrical transients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conductive wiring is used in volatile environments, then electrical current transmission is effective, but electrical arcing and sparking occur during high power transient events
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the electrical resistance parameter of the wiring from conventional low resistance to high resistance (greater than 10 ohms per foot). This parameter change prevents harmful current flow during transient events while maintaining operational functionality, thereby eliminating electrical arcing and sparking in volatile environments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs sacrificial high resistance wiring that can be replaced if damaged. The wiring is designed to be consumable in the sense that it protects more critical components and can be individually replaced without requiring replacement of entire wiring systems or structural elements
2Measurement precision
If conductive wiring is embedded in composite structures for crack detection, then structural monitoring is enabled, but the wiring is damaged by arcing and electrical heating during lightning strikes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the resistance parameter of embedded wiring to high values, which prevents excessive current flow and electrical heating during lightning strikes. This allows the wiring to maintain integrity while still functioning as a continuity sensor for crack detection in composite structures
Solution Approach 2:
The high resistance wiring acts as an intermediary between the composite structure and the monitoring system. It provides crack detection capability while simultaneously protecting the structure from damage during transient events by limiting current flow
3Object-affected harmful factors
If nonconductive spacers are used to secure wiring to enclosure walls, then electrical arcing is reduced, but additional weight and labor are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the need for nonconductive spacers by directly using high resistance wiring that is inherently safe. The harmful function of spacers (adding weight and complexity) is eliminated while the beneficial function (preventing arcing) is maintained through the wiring material itself
Solution Approach 2:
The high resistance wiring serves its own protective function without requiring additional components like spacers. The wiring material itself provides the arc-resistant property, making the system self-sufficient and reducing installation and maintenance complexity
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
The highly resistive wires effectively prevent ignition and structural damage by limiting current flow during transient events, ensuring a spark-free environment and enabling crack detection in composite structures without being compromised by electrical transients.
Implementation Method 1
a highly resistive wire includes a non-metallic wire material, wherein the non-metallic wire material has a resistance higher than ten kilo-ohms per meter
Data Source
AI summary
A highly resistive wire includes a non-metallic wire material having a resistance of at least ten kilo-ohms per meter. In one embodiment, the wire material can be fashioned from a carbon-loaded plastic material, having an inclusion of carbon particles in a quantity that yields a resistance of no less than 10 kilo-ohms per meter. In another embodiment, the wire can include a plurality of strands of wire material where each of the strands is surrounded by a thin layer of conductive or semi-conductive material. The highly resistive wire can be used as a single strand, or as a bundle of strands, as wiring in a structure prone to transient electrical or electromagnetic events, such as static discharge or lightning strikes, that might otherwise lead to damage of the structure.