Generating Radome Geometries for Full Lightning Protection Studies

Lightning strike protection is critical for aircraft made from carbon fiber composites that are less conductive than metals. In areas prone to initial lightning attachment, such as the wingtips and the nose radome, additional protection in the form of solid metallic or segmented diverter strips is typically required. However, generating a realistic model geometry of a wingtip or a radome nose with full lightning protection is a significant task in its own right as the diverter strips and the simulation mesh need to be aligned onto a non-developable surface. The paper explores the use of geometric techniques for the spatial manipulation of three-dimensional objects in order to generate realistic aircraft nose radome models incorporating lightning protection features. These models are then used to explore the effectiveness of a lightning protection scheme when high voltage is directly injected into the radome nose.