IX International Symposium on Lightning Protection

The increasing aviation world market demand for more economical aircraft has motivated, since the 50’s, a search for lighter and with lower operational cost materials. In this context, the development of aircraft parts made of composite materials is mandatory for aircraft manufacturers. Hence, the overall objective of this work is to analyse the impact of a composite structure from the lightning effects point of view and its main consequences, focusing on some possible design considerations of carbon fiber composite wings. The basic effects of lightning mechanisms will be explained as the chief electrical characteristics of carbon fiber composite materials. Furthermore, a few possible structural configurations of a carbon fiber wing will be analysed with the aid of a computational tool. Thereby, different current distributions, based on different structural approaches, such as the materials of ribs, spars and possible alternative current paths (trailing and leading edges) will be analysed and compared, provided the lower power dissipated into carbon fiber structure, the lower is the chance of arching inside of the tank, all these points have a relevant role in this context. The results are quite conclusive, showing that some configurations decrease the amount of current which flows through the carbon fiber structure considerably and others prevent high surface current levels from occurring, which may reduce the chance of arching in metal carbon joints, mostly along bolts lines