Study on the pre-ignition temperature variations of wire insulation under overload conditions in microgravity by the functional simulation method

A functional simulation method was applied to study the pre-ignition temperature variations of wire insulation under overload conditions in normal gravity. A simplified heating mode was proposed to theoretically investigate the wire heating process. Results of the temperature variations of wire insulation prior to ignition in normal gravity, but under reduced pressures, were obtained and compared with microgravity experimental results in order to investigate the effects of pressure and current on the pre-ignition thermal features of the wire insulation. Results show that the functional simulation method was effective to simulate the natural convection heat transfer effect on the wire insulation, which is a useful alternative approach to predict the pre-ignition thermal features of wire insulation by overload over a long duration in a microgravity environment.