Development of an experimental setup to study carbon/epoxy composite subjected to simulated lightning current

A series of artificial lightning strike tests were performed on AS4/8552 carbon/epoxy laminated composites, at various peak currents. The objective of this work is to characterize lightning induced damage to carbon/epoxy composites. There has been a rising trend in using composites in modern aircrafts because these materials introduce many advantages over conventional materials. However, composites are not excellent conductors, and relatively insulating components affect their response and make them vulnerable to lightning strikes. To experimentally simulate the lightning discharge, an impulse current generator was designed and tuned to produce the artificial lightning discharges at 50, 125, and 200 kA nominal peak currents for lightning effects testing on composite structures. The lightning-induced damages and dielectric behavior of the specimen were investigated.