Damage properties of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite subjected to multiple continuous lightning current strikes

The lightning damage properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CF/EP) laminates subjected to the single lightning impulse and multiple lightning component strikes with different combinations were experimentally evaluated to explore the flowing process and interaction mechanism of multiple continuous lightning components on CF/EP laminates. The experimental results indicate that CF/EP laminates suffer serious lightning damage, including fractures and erosion of carbon fibers, resin pyrolysis and layer delamination. The damage area and depth are approximately 2 790 mm² and 1.28 mm in the "ABCD" test mode. In the multiple continuous lightning current test, the lightning damage depth of CF/EP is closely related to the impact force effect and the breakdown effect of lightning components A, B and D. The thermal effect of the lightning component C with long-duration and large amount of transferred charge contributes nearly 40% to the damage area. The combination and application sequence of multiple lightning components are important factors for evaluating the lightning damage of CF/EP laminates. The lightning damage effect of the single lightning impulse differs greatly from the lightning damage when the lightning component is a part of the multiple continuous lightning component sequence. The study on the damage effect of CF/EP under the multiple continuous lightning components can deepen the understanding of the lightning interaction process and provide experimental and theoretical basis for studying the mechanism of the lightning effect and the establishment of lightning test methods.