Volcanic Ash Effects on Avionics - Identification of Electromagnetic Hazards and Design of Test Bench

Abstract

Volcanic ash can affect avionic systems, as indicated by reports of aircraft encounters with volcanic ash clouds. Taking into account the recent emphasis on a risk-based approach for allowing flights into volcanic ash contaminated airspace, a more comprehensive safety assessment could consider these effects. At the DLR Institute of Flight Systems past incidents have been analysed, and mechanisms leading to failures of avionics have been investigated, focusing on navigation and communication systems and the triboelectric charging caused by the impact of volcanic ash particles into the airframe. A test bench is proposed to investigate the influence of volcanic ash on aircraft systems, including the triboelectric effect. Different encounter scenarios could be replicated for the estimation of parameters related to the charging current of the aircraft.