Sensors for lightning measurements on aircraft

Lightning strikes a commercial airliner on the average once a year. The European project ldquoIn-flight Lightning Strike Damage Assessment System (ILDAS)rdquo [1] aims to develop and validate a prototype of a system capable to 1) reconstruct the current intensity and wave form, 2) determine of the region of impact on the aircraft, 3) build a maintenance database. Suitable sensors rely on determination of the magnetic field during a strike. Probes considered are inductive coils and solid state sensors, combined in such a way that these cover the full dynamic range in amplitudes (1 A/m up to 40 kA/m) and the full bandwidth (approx. 1 Hz up to 20 MHz). External sensors should be avoided if possible

Sensors for in-flight lightning detection on aircrafts

In the EU FP6 project ILDAS a prototype In-flight Lightning Damage Assessment System is developed for passenger aircraft and helicopter. The project aims to localize the attachment and the severity of the strokes during flight to assist maintenance. A database of events will be constructed to substantiate requirements for aircraft lightning immunity. Inductive magnetic field sensors are put at various positions on the aircraft. The sensors are followed by passive/active integrators to deal with the large dynamic range and bandwidth, and by high speed data conversion/storage. The paper focuses on design and tests of three types of sensors

Design of sensors for in-flight lightning detection on aircrafts

In the EU FP6 project ILDAS a prototype In-flight Lightning Damage Assessment System is developed for passenger aircraft and helicopter. The project aims to localize the attachment and the severity of the strokes during flight to assist maintenance. A database of events will be constructed to substantiate requirements for aircraft lightning immunity. Inductive magnetic field sensors are put at various positions on the aircraft. The sensors are followed by passive/active integrators to deal with the large dynamic range and bandwidth, and by high speed data conversion/storage. The paper focuses on design and tests of three types of sensor

A case study on lightning protection, current injection measurements, and model

A newly built pharmaceutical plant has been investigated by measurements. Currents of 0.3 kA were injected in the lightning protection grid on the roof. Inside the building, test cables of 100 m length followed a path typical for cables belonging to the installation. We measured induced cable currents and voltages. A reduced model of the building incorporated most of the designed current paths. Measurements and model showed that the roof steel skeleton carried about 80% of the current and the intended lightning conductors 20%. The calculated current through a cable support was larger than measured. This is explained by also considering a nearby nonintended conductor. For three types of cables, we determined the transfer impedances. The measurements and model have been combined and extrapolated to actual lightning