Development of a scalable and efficient lightning strike protection system for composite aircraft

为复合材料飞机开发可扩展且高效的雷击防护系统

• 批准号: 550062-2020
• 负责人: Therriault, Daniel
• 金额: $ 8.21万
• 依托单位: École Polytechnique de Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=721224
• 关键词: Development; scalable; efficient; lightning; strike

Protecting aircraft against lightning strike induced damage is a major challenge. Composite aircraft require the integration of additional protection systems to minimize damage caused by lightning strikes. The additional weight of these protection systems must be minimized in order to reduce the weight and fuel consumption of aircraft mostly made of composite materials. The current solution, involving a surface layer composed of a copper mesh embedded in a resin, adds weight, is prone to corrosion and adds complexity to the repairs performed on the aircraft. In collaboration with Bell Textron Canada, this project will investigate two lightweight and scalable lightning strike protection systems tailored to the needs of the market, more specifically for the ducted fan of the vertical take-off air taxis that Bell Textron Canada is currently developing. During this project, a strong emphasis will be put on the scalability of the solutions in the context of its final application. Although other laboratory scale solutions are being developed worldwide, this project differentiates itself through its aims of producing large test panels and demonstrator assemblies, as well as investigating the effect of finishing layers on the effectiveness of the protection system. The main outcomes of this project will be (1) a scalable lightning strike protection system and (2) an investigation of the effect of finishing layers on the performance of lightning strike protection systems. This project will train highly qualified personnel (HQP) with transferable skills (2 PDF and 2 Masters students) in a multidisciplinary environment and in emerging specialized areas corresponding to the needs of the Canadian aerospace industry. The next step of this project will be for Bell Textron Canada to apply these results to their ducted fan design for their vertical take-off vehicle.

保护飞机免受雷击造成的损害是一个重大挑战。复合飞机需要集成其他保护系统，以最大程度地减少雷击造成的损害。这些保护系统的额外重量必须最小化，以减少主要由复合材料制成的飞机的重量和燃油消耗。当前的溶液涉及由树脂中嵌入的铜网组成的表面层，增加了重量，容易腐蚀，并为飞机上进行的维修增加了复杂性。该项目与加拿大贝尔Textron合作，调查了针对市场需求量身定制的两个轻巧且可扩展的雷击保护系统，更具体地是针对贝尔·德克萨斯（Bell Textron）当前正在开发的垂直起飞航空出租车的风扇。在此项目期间，将在最终应用中非常重视解决方案的可扩展性。尽管其他实验室规模解决方案正在全球开发，但该项目通过生产大型测试面板和演示器组件的目的与其区分了自身，并研究了完成层对保护系统有效性的影响。该项目的主要结果将是（1）可扩展的雷击保护系统，以及（2）对完成层对雷击系统性能的影响的研究。该项目将在多学科环境以及与加拿大航空航天行业需求相对应的新兴专业领域中培训具有可转移技能（2 pdf和2名硕士学生）的高素质人员（HQP）。该项目的下一步将是贝尔·德克萨斯（Bell Textron）加拿大（Bell Textron Canada）将这些结果应用于其垂直起飞车辆的风扇设计。