Lightning damage of composite material driven by multi-physics coupling

Lightning damage of carbon fiber/epoxy composite material results from multi-physics coupling effects including electricity, magnetism, heat and force, etc. Physical behaviors of lightning magnetic fluid and structural response of composite laminate are numerical simulated based on Magneto Hydro Dynamics (MHD) and thermo-electric coupling theory, respectively. The radial basis function (RBF) and high precision dynamic mesh technology are proposed to exchange data of multi-physics and structural response at the interface. Temperature dependent material parameters and latent heat of phase change are considered to reveal lightning damage mechanism of composite laminate. Thermal decomposition, ablation area and depth of composite laminate are predicted by numerical approach and verified through lightning test.

Automated summary

This article discusses the lightning damage mechanism of carbon fiber/epoxy composite materials and proposes numerical simulation methods to predict the thermal decomposition, ablation area, and depth of the composite laminate. The simulations are based on the multi-physics coupling effects and structural response analysis, and the results are verified through lightning tests.