A lightning strike (and strong surges and fields created by it) can damage sensitive electrical components if the equipment is not adequately protected.
According to the best meteorological forecasts, the surface of the earth is hit with lightning about 100 times per second, which means that it drops about 8 million lightning a day. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration reports that an average lightning strike once per 1000 hours of flight completed by the average commercial aircraft, which happens approximately once a year.
With such statistics, it is very important to ensure adequate lightning protection for electrical components, whether on the plane or as part of a plant installed on land. Thanks to our lightning simulation and modeling services, companies can develop high-quality products that comply with the relevant compliance regulations, from military and defense to standards published by Airbus and Boeing.
Ultimately, we conduct lightning protection tests due to the disastrous effects of lightning on poorly protected systems. Whether it is a direct hit or indirect effect of this strong energy release, a critical electrical system that is part of an aircraft or a ground-based facility potentially requires extensive protection against this system-wide response.
Direct effects: The direct effects of lightning include extreme heat, such as both 35.000 to 50.000 degrees Fahrenheit produced in the lighting channel - and high electrical current exceeding 200.000 amperes. At EUROLAB, we use Marx-type impulse generators that can produce more than 2 million volts to accurately simulate the effects of direct lightning strike.
Indirect effects: Testing the indirect effects of lightning with voltage spikes and subsequent component damage, even a kilometer away from a direct lightning drop, includes special testing methods that our engineers are highly skilled at. We can apply a wide range of tests. methods including pin injection, capacitive injection, transformer injection, ground circuit injection and various field immersion techniques.
Our team uses the simulation test to analyze lightning protection designs. By creating models, we can predict lightning risks and behaviors on your product early in the design process. These models will enable evaluation of alternative designs and use of similarities between designs.
Lightning protection simulation and modeling provides a safer and more cost-effective process to verify your lightning protection design. Most protection designs need to be applied during the overall design phase of a project before a physical test is possible. Protecting something causes considerable cost and timing delays, and some designs cannot support "real" protection designs.
EUROLAB uses Maxwell's equations to estimate the distribution of the lightning current, calculate voltages, and ultimately measure the risks of damage (spark, spark, etc.). In most cases, simulation and modeling provides higher accuracy data than testing due to its ability to precisely adjust material parameters and run dozens of design configurations permutations for a short period of time.
Lightning protection models are converted from CAD-level data to COMSOL native shapes. We determine what is electromagnetically important and make clear and concise assumptions about what features need to be included. Models simulate physics through Maxwell's equations (the basis for electromagnetism, optics and electrical circuits) and copy the actual test setup (eg paths to the generator).
Modeling comparisons are covered in a detailed verification report that serves as the "go or go" part of the projects. If the model shows adequate compatibility with the measured data, it can be said that the model is an appropriate representation of the actual test product. If the model does not agree, alternative modeling approaches may be applied or the project may stop to reduce program risk. A model that does not correspond well with the measured data has not been developed yet.
After the model is approved, it is returned to a general purpose layout. Boundary returns are used to eliminate the effect of any art setup specific artifacts that may be included, and physics and boundary conditions do not change. The model can then be manipulated as desired without undergoing further tests.
Fully developed models reduce certification risk, verify design methods for future (similar) aircraft designs, and reduce tests, etc. Allows for early life cycle data that can be used for similarity analysis in future designs. Also, fully developed models allow inspection.
You can contact us immediately to learn more about lightning protection and COMSOL analytical modeling.
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