%0 Journal Article
%T Comparison of lightning protection performance of carbon/epoxy laminates with a non
%A Charles U Pittman
%A Juhyeong Lee
%A Michael S Mazzola
%A Thomas E Lacy Jr
%J Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites
%@ 1530-7964
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0731684418817144
%X This study shows how a lightning protection layer can be designed to effectively mitigate lightning damage in underlying composite structures. A parametric study was performed to characterize critical lightning protection layer properties that improve composite lightning damage resistance. Simulated 50 kA and 200 kA lightning strikes to pitch-based carbon fiber paper (PCFP)-protected AS4/3506 carbon/epoxy composites were considered in this study. The lightning protection characteristics of various PCFP outer layers were assessed by varying in-plane and through-thickness properties: electrical and thermal conductivities, and electrical and thermal gap conductances. The predicted matrix decomposition in the outermost AS4/3506 ply was significantly reduced by increasing the PCFP in-plane electrical conductivity. While predicted lightning damage decreased slightly with a decrease in thermal gap conductance, varying the electrical gap conductance and the in-plane and through-thickness thermal conductivities did not significantly affect the damage development. Among various PCFP properties, the PCFP in-plane electrical conductivity was the most critical factor in reducing thermal damage development (thus, protecting the underlying AS4/3506 laminate). This parametric study demonstrates that it may be possible to tailor lightweight non-metallic lightning protection layers as an effective alternative to traditional metallic projection layers
%K Lightning damage prediction
%K non-metallic lightning protection system
%K finite element parametric study
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0731684418817144