Bright spark spots short circuits

A device that emits a high-voltage spark lasting for nanoseconds could help locate potentially dangerous intermittent wiring faults in aging aircraft before they become a problem. The product, called PASD (Pulsed Arrested Spark Discharge) has been patented by US government research facility Sandia National Laboratories.

Using PASD could make it financially feasible for airlines to quickly diagnose and repair the hard-to-locate intermittent faults that have plagued the industry and proven costly in lost revenue due to aircraft downtime.

Sporadic short circuits occur where two exposed conductors, or a conductor and aircraft frame, make temporary contact during flight. Vibrations caused by turbulence may cause wires to touch, interrupting power to sensitive electronics and possibly damaging wires.

These conditions are tricky to diagnose when the aircraft is stationary because the shorting wires have often shifted back to a non-shorted state. Sometimes these breaks or missing insulation can barely be seen by the naked eye. Traditional wire-test systems have great difficulty finding these faults.