Investigation into Nanocomposites for Applications in Lightning Strike Protection

Aircraft manufacturers are currently looking to use composite materials for aircraft wing skins. Nonconductive composite materials offer little protection against lightning strikes. Conductive nanocomposites are being developed for lightning strike protection. This thesis explores a variety of composites including nickel coated carbon fabric (NiCCF) alone as lightning strike protection and with additional protection systems: nickel-nanostrand veil (NiNS), aligned buckypaper (ABP), non-aligned or random buckypaper (RBP), and a mixed buckypaper (MBP) made up of vapor grown carbon fibers (VGCF) and single walled nanotubes (SWNT). Each of the systems are tested under monotonic compression for ultimate compressive strength as well as compressive fatigue loading conditions before and after a simulated lightning strike. Their behaviors are compared to determine which system provides the best lightning strike protection. Overall results of testing conclude that RBP lends a 20% increase in effectiveness to lightning strike protection over the NiCCF only. NINS decreases effectiveness of lightning strike protection by 20%. Other systems tested showed effectiveness between these two cases. The most common failure in specimens after strike is delamination along the longitudinal fibers of the NiCCF and is thus deemed the weakest point of all systems which should be mitigated in future systems to improve effectiveness.