Lightning strike test of CFRP coatings with different conductivity

Abstract

Objectives With the wide application of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) in industry, the problem of poor lightning strike protection has become more and more serious. In order to study the lightning strike protection effect of coatings with different conductivity, Methods based on the shock current generation device and the lightning damage effect test bench, a comparative test is carried out on three types of CFRP samples by using 8/20 μs double-exponential pulse with the peak value of 100 kA, and the damage mechanism of CFRP subject to lightning strikes is analyzed. Results The test results show that, the CFRP structure is more severely damaged after lightning strikes and the lightning strike protection fails to be achieved if a material with low conductivity such as epoxy resin is used as the protective coating; but the damage of the CFRP structure caused by the lightning strikes can be effectively reduced if a material with high conductivity such as copper mesh is used as the protective coating. Conclusions The study results can provide technical support for the follow-up CFRP lightning strike protection researches.