Frequency Domain Transmitometry for Corrosion Damage Detection and Evaluation of the Effect of Corrosion on Reflected Signals in Aircraft Data Transmission Lines

Abstract

Corrosion in aircraft wiring continues to be a significant concern in the aerospace industry due to its impact on reliability and safety. Aircraft data transmission lines (ADTL) are particularly vulnerable to damage and corrosion. Conventional Time and Frequency Domain Reflectometry (TDR & FDR) methods for detecting damage and corrosion in ADTL use reflected signals, which are electromagnetic waves reflected from discontinuities or defect in the line. These conventional methods require additional circuitry to analyze the reflected signals, increasing system complexity. This paper presents novel approach, referred to as Frequency Domain Transmitometry (FDT), that utilizes transmitted signals (S21) in frequency domain, eliminating the need for additional circuitry. In this approach, by applying Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to S21 signal, pseudo-time domain response is derived with peaks corresponding to discontinuities within the line. ADTL with three types of induced damage were placed in a Q-Fog corrosion chamber for 14 weeks using ASTM G85-A5 standard. FDT response of the ADTL with Exposed Outer Conductor (EOC) and Exposed Center Conductor (ECC) damages showed three peaks corresponding to two connection points and the damage point. Square root of the area under the curve of damage peak in FDT response is proportional to corrosion propagation width. After 7 weeks of exposure, corrosive material stopped propagating within the ADTL. Reflected signals (S11) magnitude of ADTL with EOC and ECC damages increased from ∼−30 dB to −20 dB at 10 MHz to 2.6 GHz. Simulation of damage showed harsh damage causes cable to maintain more than one electromagnetic wave propagation modes.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Second Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Comments

Missouri University of Science and Technology, Grant None

Keywords and Phrases

Accelerated corrosion testing; Aging aircraft maintenance; Aircraft data transmission line-coaxial cable health monitoring; Corrosion damage detection; Frequency domain Transmitometry; High-frequency structure simulation; Reflected and transmitted signals

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0263-2241

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

30 Jun 2025

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