High-Performance Composites - July 2006

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Lightning Strike Protection For Composite Structures

Composite structures are more vulnerable to damage than metal, but today's LSP products offer proven protection.

General aviation aircraft, large commercial jets and wind turbines are vulnerable to lightning strike. FAA-certified aircraft, for example, are typically struck once or twice a year. Unlike their metal counterparts, composite structures in these applications do not readily conduct away the extreme electrical currents and electromagnetic forces generated by lightning strikes. Composite materials are either not conductive at all (e.g., fiberglass) or are significantly less conductive than metals (e.g., carbon fiber), so current from a lightning strike seeks the metal paths available. For that reason, lightning strike protection (LSP) has been a significant concern since the first composites were used on aircraft more than 30 years ago. Read More ...

Features

Protection Requirements
Lightning Stike Protection Sidebar

Static Charge Protection
Supplementary Web Content

SAMPE Europe Conference
Change of venue, dates does much to enrich the organization's annual Paris conclave.

JEC Composites 2006 Product Showcase
Advanced composites continue to lead the economic upswing in the composites industry.

SAMPE 2006 Product Showcase
SAMPE's annual Symposium welcomes 4,300 composites professionals to Long Beach, looks ahead to Baltimore.

Tooling And Toolmaking Innovations Continue
New products and practices advance the efficiency and economy of advanced composite part production.

Taking Up Tooling Boards
Tooling Board ManufacturersEpoxy and polyurethane tooling boards are a standby for creating models or low-run-production tooling.

Composite Spoilers Brake Airbus For Landing
New RTM'd carbon composite center hinge fitting withstands 20-ton air load in commercial jet spoiler assembly.

Function And Operation Of Aircraft Spoilers
Further Explanation

Composite Wing Spars Carry The Western World's Biggest Turboprop Engines
Airbus A400M aircraft prompts new spar design and new manufacturing system designed to make it.