First realistic simulation of effects of electromagnetic coupling in commercial aircraft wiring

Reports on a new software package which has demonstrated for the first time the ability to simulate the effects of the internal electromagnetic radiated fields (such as EMP pulses and lightning) in commercial aircraft wiring. Electromagnetic coupling (EMC) has long been of concern to the commercial aviation industry as a pulse caused by lightning can generate spurious signals or damage electronic equipment and put the aircraft at risk. Conventional techniques were not appropriate to modelling this problem. A theory that was originally developed in the USA in the 1970s by Dr Carl Baum, called Electromagnetic Topology (EMT), has been recently used by ONERA researchers to model a Boeing 707 wiring system using a code that encapsulates this theory. The results showed excellent agreement with experiments, demonstrating for the first time that EMC can be accurately predicted.