Numerical modelling of the damage caused by a lightning strike to carbon fibre composites

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Description/Abstract

A one dimensional numerical model has been constructed which predicts the damage caused to a piece of CFC as a result of a lightning strike. The damage predicted in this paper is as a result of the heat flux from the plasma arc due to the continuous component of a lightning strike. The numerical model considers the damage caused via the thermal degradation from polymer pyrolysis. The model includes the transport of the gas products through the decomposing CFC. The numerical model predicts that the gas pressure inside the CFC is roughly 3 orders of magnitude greater than that of atmospheric pressure. This could certainly go towards explaining the delamination and fibre splitting which is seen in damaged CFC panels.