Partial Discharge Testing of High Voltage Wiring Harness for Airborne Displays.
Abstract
The pilots of advanced tactical airplanes must evaluate increasingly more information. Innovations such as the heads-up" display were designed to decrease the visual workload. More flexible helmet- mounted CRTs are now being developed, presenting new design challenges. For example, high voltage leads for helmet-mounted displays must incorporate a quick release, load-break mechanism into the wiring harness to accommodate pilot ejection. The potential presence of flammable vapors resulted in an arc-suppressing, quick-disconnect, connector design which opens the high voltage via hermetically sealed contacts. The sealed contacts contain any arcing and break the circuit before the connector separates. The prototype harness routes two 13.5 kilovolt rated direct current leads along with other wiring via the quick-disconnect connector. The high voltage and compact design motivate concerns about partial discharge degradation of the insulation, particularly at sub-atmospheric pressures. The harness has been tested for partial discharges at simulated altitudes up to 70,000 feet in the Aerospace Power Division's High Power Laboratory.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA289150
Entities
People
- Daniel Schweickart
- Gregory L. Rhoads
- John Horwath
Organizations
- Wright Laboratory