Nondestructive and electromagnetic evaluations of stealth structures damaged by lightning strike

Abstract

Stealth technology is very important for the survival of military aircraft. A stealth aircraft structure has both electromagnetic and mechanical functions. Lightning can cause failure on both the points. In this study, we claim that the stealth structure should be evaluated nondestructively and electromagnetically, and we propose a method for full-field evaluations of both the functions. First, a radar absorbing structure was designed and fabricated with stealth capability in the X-band. The radar absorbing structure consisted of a carbon nanotube layer (glass/epoxy dispersed with multiwalled carbon nanotubes), a spacer layer (glass/epoxy) and a perfect electrical conductor layer. A lightning test was performed using an impulse current generator according to standard regulations. Then, nondestructive damage and electromagnetic performance evaluations were performed using a pulse-echo laser ultrasonic propagation imager and a scanning free-space measurement system, respectively. The results showed that neither structural damage nor changes in the electromagnetic properties were observed during the two evaluations. In general, the composites were severely damaged by lightning. However, it turned out that the radar absorbing structure with the carbon nanotube layer could prevent serious damage to stealth function as well as material damage owing to the high conductivity of the carbon nanotubes dispersed in its surface layer.