Electromagnetic Characterization of Conductive Aircraft CFRP Composite
for Lightning Strike Protection and EMI Shielding
Abstract
This paper presents the electromagnetic characterization of new carbon
fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite applied in aircraft for
tackling the lightning direct effect and enhancing the electromagnetic
shielding effectiveness. The CFRP composite design is deliberated for
ameliorating the electrical conductivity of composite. With the aid of
equivalent medium modeling, the inherent electromagnetic properties of
CFRP composite have been investigated. The simulated results illustrate
that the lightning strike protection (LSP) capability and the
electromagnetic shielding behavior of the newly developed aircraft
composite have been improved as compared to the original CFRP composite,
and comparable to that with copper mesh as a protective layer on top. In
addition to simulation, an artificial lightning experiment has been
carried out in accordance with SAE ARP5416 by mimicking the natural
lightning strike attachment and also the measurement of the shielding
effectiveness of the proposed CFRP composite has been conducted by using
electromagnetic waveguide transmission line method. The experiment data
has validated the simulation results and demonstrated the feasibility of
the proposed CFRP composite design.