While its weight is only a few ounces, the job of a C-5 Galaxy airflow sensor is critical in keeping the huge aircraft safely flying.
When parts are no longer available to replace items such as this, the
402nd Electronics Maintenance Group's Reverse Engineering team has the
repair capabilities to help solve parts obsolescence challenges in order
to sustain crucial items for years to come.
The team of electronics and mechanical engineers, technical writers,
draftsmen, project managers and engineering technicians repair the
irreparable, performing consulting work at other Air Force bases as
needed.
Karl Zack, a 402nd EMXG electrical engineer, is working on a cooling
effects detector redesign project, ensuring that the newer version has
the same shape, size and function as the original.
"It's a real treat to be working on something that's a complete
redesign," he said. "In this case, we wanted to make the sensor a little
more robust."
The airflow sensor is basically a warning sensor for over-temperature or
under-airflow. The greater the airflow, the better. The lower the
temperature, the better.
The sensor sits within an assembly in an air duct. If it gets too hot
inside an air duct as a result of avionics overheating, an alarm is
triggered as indicated on a flight engineer's panel. The sensor detects a
temperature from 170 degrees to 220 degrees Fahrenheit.
Until it detects heat that's too high or too low, it will stay out of alarm, said Zack.
In the case of this particular redesign, a mechanical switch located
inside the sensor had been subject to failure, and was one of the main
components that had been breaking.
"Our design will have no motion involved, thereby eliminating the mechanical aspect of it," he said.
In the world of aviation electronics, the cavernous warehouse known as
Bldg. 645 is filled with some of the latest and most exciting
technologies. When avionics need to be upgraded, the work is performed
here.
With reverse engineering, typically its main function is to stand up
test sets here, developing more of a test engineering environment, said
Zack.
Their role is unique, creating organic repair capabilities that didn't
previously exist. When you change something on a part, for example,
there can be various testing involved.
"We have to really go back to way the original asset was qualified, and
replicate those tests that were performed on it if we've changed
something in it," he said. "With the cooling effects detector, that
requires a full re-certification because everything is new."
The project is scheduled to be completed in March 2015.
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