Black Box |What Are Black Boxes On An Aircraft And Why is it called a “black box”?Flight Data Recorder!!The Aviation
What Are Black Boxes On An Aircraft And Why Are They Important?
Airplane fatalities are statistically rare. When they do happen, however, they are often fatal and people want answers as to why their loved ones died, and that is where black boxes come into play.
What is a black box?
* A black box is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft for to facilitate the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents.
* Black boxes are actually known as flight data recorders.
* There are two different flight
devices: the flight data recorder (FDR) preserves the recent history of the flight through the recording of dozens of parameters collected several times per second; the cockpit voice
(CVR) preserves the recent history of the sounds in the cockpit, including the conversation of the pilots.
* The two devices may be combined in a single unit.
What does a black box do?
* The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder are compulsory on every commercial flight or corporate jet, and are usually kept in the tail of an aircraft, where they are more likely to survive a
crash
.
* FDRs record things like airspeed, altitude, vertical acceleration and fuel flow and has about 25 hours of recording storage.
Capacity of Black box record:
The DFDR can store the last 25 h data, at least. It stores this data on a fireproof and shockproof device.
An underwater locator beacon (ULB) is attached to the DFDR.
All CVRs shall retain the information recorded during at least the last 2 hours of their operation.
All aeroplanes of a maximum certificated take-off mass of over 27000 kg for which the individual certificate of airworthiness is first issued on or after 1 January 2021 shall be equipped with a CVR which shall retain the information recorded during at least the last 25 hours of its operation.
Black box is not black then
Why is it called a “black box”?
* The term “black box” was a World War II British phrase, originating with the development of radio, radar, and electronic navigational aids in British and Allied combat aircraft. These often-secret electronic devices were literally encased in non-reflective black boxes or housings, hence the name
“black box”.
* These black boxes are of fluorescent flame-orange in colour.
* The recorders are bright orange so to make them more visually conspicuous in the debris after an accident.
Meanwhile, the name “black box” is what most people refer to as aviation experts prefer to call them electronic flight data recorders. A flight data recorder’s job is to keep a detailed track of flight information such as position, altitude, speed, and cockpit conversations.
In modern aircraft, civil airliners have multiple devices to carry out these tasks so that all the information is available to investigators in the event of a crash.
Each frame contains data received during one second. The DFDR includes BITE functions. The DFDR status signal is sent to the Centralized Fault Display Interface Unit (CFDIU) through the FDIU-part and to the Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitoring (ECAM) through the System Data Acquisition Concentrators(SDACs).
The DFDR energization is controlled through the power interlock circuit. The underwater locator beacon installed on the front face of the DFDR gives the location of the recorder if the aircraft is immersed in water following an accident.
The underwater locator beacon has a battery, which is activated by both fresh and salt water.
Black box Frequency-: aeroplanes used for commercial operation such device shall be operating at a frequency of 37.5 kHz. this device shall operate for a minimum of 90 days.
The recording system is automatically active
:
‐On the ground, during the first five minutes after the aircraft electric network is energized.
‐On the ground, after the first engine start.
‐In flight (whether the engines are running or not).
On the ground, the recording system stops automatically five minutes after the second engine shuts down.
* Together, the FDR and CVR objectively document the aircraft’s flight history, which may assist in any later investigation.
* The CVR records the conversation between the pilots as well as with the
air traffic control
tower. The sounds of switches and engine are also recorded by the device.
* However, a cockpit video recorder can store only two hours of cockpit voice recording.
* The CVRs store the crew’s interactions with each other and air traffic control, but also background noise that can give vital clues to investigators in case of a crash.
How is a black box traced?
* Equipped with an underwater locator beacon (ULB), if an aircraft crashes into water, the beacon sends out an ultrasonic pulse that is detectable by sonar and audio equipment to depths to approximately 14,000 feet.
* Incredibly, the beacon is powered by a battery that has a shelf life of six years; once the beacon begins pinging, it pings once per second for 30 days until its battery runs out.
* The black box works in depths up to 6,000 metres of saltwater.
* If a plane crash takes place on land and not on water, the locator beacons of the black box will not send out the ultrasonic pings, signalling the investigators to look for the unit around the crash site.
Black box RECORDING SYSTEM COMPONENT LOCATION :
The SSFDR is installed immediately above the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), in an unpressurized area of the rear fuselage.
How robust are these units?
* These are highly resilient pieces of kit, able to withstand extreme heat, jarring crashes and tonnes of pressure.
* Before being put into use, they are tested to see if they can withstand an impact with a concrete wall at 750 kilometers per hour (about 466 miles/hour), a static load of 2.25 tons for at least five minutes, a maximum temperature of 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 Fahrenheit) for one hour and water pressure found in depths of up to 6,000 meters (about 19,700 feet).
Will black box be replaced?
* It’s looking increasingly likely that the little black box will be replaced by streaming all essential data directly to a ground-based station.
* Air-to-ground systems can send flight data to a home base via satellite, which help to eliminate the desperate search for a box, and saving time that might lead to support being provided to a flight in trouble much sooner – possibly averting a crisis.
* However, satellite and GPS capacity, data storage speeds and the length of battery life are all areas that are being developed by scientists to support new innovations that are faster and lighter.
* The challenge is the need to build the systems to manage the high volumes of data that are needed to make it possible to track all commercial flight activity, especially the use of satellites and data storage.
