Protecting black boxes
Protecting black boxes
Keywords Black boxes, Protection
Star Wars technology originally developed to protect satellites from laser and directed-energy-beam attack has found commercial application in protecting flight data recorder boxes so-called black boxes from the destructive heat of airplane crashes.
The proprietary heat-absorbing materials, which include both phase-change compounds and substances that undergo endothermic chemical decomposition, were developed by Claude Hayes of Hayes and Associates in San Diego.
The composite fabric endothermic material (CFEM) and related heat-absorbing agents were licensed to Smiths Industries Aerospace and Defence Systems (formerly Litton Industries) of Grand Rapids, Michigan, for use in flight recorder heat sinks. The new technology resulted in heat sink components that cost 83 per cent less to manufacture than the previous beryllium-based units. The CFEM process also provides up to four times better cooling effectiveness. The Hayes technology is,in addition, more environmentally friendly than earlier systems.
