Optimizing the Accuracy and Method of Detecting Lightning Damage to Aerospace Composite Material Using Electrical Impedance Analysis

In line with the trends of reducing emissions in transport, the aviation industry has adopted significant use of composite materials in aircraft design. The use of composite materials for construction can also enhance material resistance to lightning strikes, where it is necessary to improve electrical conductivity and structural integrity. This article presents the results of research to use Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) to measure the properties of structural aviation materials with the aim of achieving higher accuracy and reliability of detecting material failure caused by electrical voltage discharges. Procedures for diagnosing the state of glass fiber reinforced polymer composite materials in the event of a possible lightning strike and the possibilities of automatic diagnostics based on measuring conductive layers of the material by impedance methods are presented. Our approach to reduce measurement uncertainty in detecting material failures by high-voltage discharges is discussed which can be used to determine which material designs have better resistance to lightning strikes. The results of our modeling and analysis were verified practically in a high-voltage laboratory to demonstrate the potential use of EIT in aircraft design.