AIR FRANCE INDUSTRIES - BEFORE THE FLIGHTS, CONNECTIVITY IS GROUNDED!



Whatever the size, activity, use of different airplanes of the Air France fleet, the maintenance operations take place within the hangars of Air France Industries in Roissy-CDG95.  On a daily basis, the technical teams are faced with demand for electrical power and equipment mobility in order to control all systems and equipment on board the aircraft, including the A380.


A multi-site plug with multiple applications!

MARECHAL ELECTRIC’s historic partner since 1953, Air France Industries chose these industrial plugs, sockets and boxes to cover all their requirements on site.

There are three main Air France bases -Roissy/Orly/Toulouse - where plugs and sockets are installed for the following applications:

  • Power for the hot and/or cold pre-conditioning of aircraft in areas away from terminals (ground pits equipped with MARECHAL® sockets for the connection of mobile units at the foot of the plane),
  • Mobile lighting banks for the A380 and for safety  when parking the airplanes, to ensure maintenance, loading and unloading
  • Electrical power connections for fire engines of Paris airport
  • The terminals: doors equipped with DS9 on tracks and footbridges with a micro-switch for heating (passenger comfort) or emergency cooling (backup power via mobile devices), in the case of the malfunctioning of the heating and cooling element sleeves for the preparation of the aircraft before embarkation of passengers,
  • The maintenance (connection of tools and docks) of airplanes in the Air France Industries hangars (H6 at Roissy for the 6 A380 Air France aircraft).

 

Planning and maintenance of power in 3x8

Within the H6 hangar, dedicated to the maintenance of the long-haul AIR FRANCE fleet and more particularly the A380, the maintenance departments comprises approximately one hundred technicians.  These technical teams take it in turns for 2 consecutive weeks in groups of 3x8 and use these plugs at medium and high power.

 

These plugs were deployed:

 

  • on Bollards or in pits   

Featuring plugs, computers, telephones, fibre optics, water and air, they were designed to provide the energy necessary for the proper functioning proper functioning of the aircraft’s circuits whilst on the ground.  When the pits are closed, they withstand the weight of the aircraft.

DN1 30A, DN3 50A

DECONTACTORTM Metal casing with integrated on load making & breaking performance; impact resistance IK09

DS9 125A (PBT casing), DS2 250A (metal casing)

DECONTACTORTM with latch for secure and quick connection of motors or generators

 

  • Access docks (nose, hold, superstructure, tail and wings)

Platforms on the ground or in the air allowing access to any point of the plane to allow maintenance to be carried out.  Electrical maintenance is carried out both on and off load.  

DS2 250A (metal casing)

DECONTACTORTM with latch for secure and quick connection of motors or generators

DN8 20A at 24V

DECONTACTORTM Metal casing with integrated on load making & breaking performance, impact resistance IK09

 

  • Electrical boxes

Located on various docks and access gateways to the A380.

DN1 30A, DN8 20A at 24V

DECONTACTORTM Metal casing with integrated on load making & breaking performance, impact resistance IK09

 

  • Pits placed in the ground (23 in total in the H6 hangar)

Provide the services to several types of smaller aircraft (excluding A380) thus allowing the completion of maintenance within the H6 hangar and to be closer to the parking stand of each of these in the hangar.

DS2 250A DECONTACTORTM with latch for secure and quick connection of motors or generators

 

  • Power Distribution Boards

Provide power into the aircraft aisles for both hand tools and portable lighting systems

DN1 30A - 230V

 

Each of the above applications has its own benefits. In one they provide user safety, electrical performance and reliability whether used frequently or infrequently. Over periods of time they guarantee the user sound connections with time-saving load-break performance be it on the ground or on the access structures around the aircraft.


  

Impact resistance, pollutants and corrosive liquids

The deployment of distribution boxes and other mobile enclosures necessitate the use of and space for numerous cables both on the hangar floor and on the access rigs.  These cables are regularly used on the floor together with their Marechal plugs and sockets. Being designed to withstand harsh environments, they resist the typical wear and tear caused by daily use on the hangar floor offering up to IK09 depending on the socket range.

Moreover, all hydraulic circuits of the aircraft are filled with a liquid called Skydrol.  This hydraulic fluid is both fire-resistant and non-corrosive and is widely used in aeronautics.

As the industrial plugs are in contact in numerous areas where Skydrol is present, they have been tested by immersion in it to meet the needs of resistance and sealing (IP66/IP67) to this highly corrosive product.