Quantitative Analysis of the Effect of Nanoforging on the Shielding Effectiveness of Building Construction Materials

High intensity electric and magnetic fields produced by lightning discharge can penetrate through any structure in the vicinity. In the exposure environment, the wall materials play significant role in deciding the extent of field penetration allowed by structures. Any sensitive equipment inside such structures may respond unintentionally to the field exposed and it is advisable to know the shielding provided to the equipment to ensure safe operation. The paper quantifies the shielding effectiveness provided by structure made of concrete and glass fiber reinforced gypsum (GFRG) against lightning electromagnetic field penetration in time domain. Simulation study is conducted in FEKO electromagnetic simulation software. To study the effect of nano forging on the shielding properties of structures, the base concrete is modified with addition of carbon nano tubes (CNT). Substantial increase in shielding effectiveness is noted on nano forged base concrete material. Besides, CNT mixed concrete fillers promises improvement in the electric field shielding offered by GFRG panels thus adding to the installation advantage. For magnetic field, construction material does not render considerable shielding.