| Smart Structures and Systems Volume 2, Number 1, January 2006, pages 25-46 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/sss.2006.2.1.025 | |
A critical comparison of reflectometry methods for location of wiring faults | |
Cynthia Furse, You Chung Chung, Chet Lo and Praveen Pendayala
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| Abstract [Buy Article] | |
| Aging wiring in buildings, aircraft and transportation systems, consumer products, industrial machinery, etc. is among the most significant potential causes of catastrophic failure and maintenance cost in these structures. Smart wire health monitoring can therefore have a substantial impact on the overall health monitoring of the system. Reflectometry is commonly used for locating faults on wire and cables. This paper compares Time domain reflectometry (TDR), frequency domain reflectometry (FDR), mixed signal reflectometry (MSR), sequence time domain reflectometry (STDR), spread spectrum time domain reflectometry (SSTDR) and capacitance sensors in terms of their accuracy, convenience, cost, size, and ease of use. Advantages and limitations of each method are outlined and evaluated for several types of aircraft cables. The results in this paper can be extrapolated to other types of wire and cable systems. | |
| Key Words | |
| electrical wiring; reflectometry; nondestructive evaluation; aircraft maintenance. | |
| Address | |
| Cynthia Furse; University of Utah Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 50 S Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA You Chung Chung; Information and Communication Engineering Department, Daegu University, Kyungsan, Kyungbuk 712-714, Korea Chet Lo and Praveen Pendayala; University of Utah Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 50 S Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA | |
