Investigation of lightning incidence on ships

In this paper calculations of lightning incidence on a bulk carrier ship model are presented with comparative application of various lightning attachment models and stroke current distributions. Depending on the ship structure, a lightning strike on coastal areas is expected approximately every two years. Regions exposed to lightning strikes were highlighted with application of the Rolling Sphere Method on the initial structure and after additional measures for the improvement of the external lightning protection system. Furthermore, impulse voltage experiments on a scaled down model of the above ship were conducted to assess the accuracy of lightning interception models. Lightning interception probability and proximity effects arise as factors that should be incorporated in shielding design.