Nondestructive Evaluation of Aircraft and Spacecraft Wiring

ABSTRACT SpacecraB, and especially aircraft, often fry well past their original design lives ad therefore, the need to develop nondestructive evaluation procedures for inspection of vital structures in these crajl is extremely important. One of the more recent problems is the &gr&tion of wiring and wiring insulation. me present paper describes several nondeshwctive characterization methd which aford the possibility to detect wiring and insulation degra&tion in-situ prior to major problems with the safety of aircraft clllci pcecrafi: Keywords: aircrajl wiring, wire insulation, KaptonB, inpared thermography, time domain reflectometry, pulsed x-radiography INTRODUCTION Civilian and military aircraft, as well as spacecraft, often fly well past their original design lives. A major problem that ensues is the aging of the wiring and associated electrical components, which are vital for control and operation. Destructive testing of the wiring systems Materials Science and Engineering Department, The