A Method of Plotting Component A Scaled Waveform for Aircraft Lightning Test

Abstract

Lightning can deliver large amounts of energy to the aircraft in a short period of time, resulting in catastrophic consequence. In particular, lightning strikes accompanied by high temperature heat and current can damage aircraft surface and internal electronic equipment, seriously affecting flight safety. Lightning experiments to analyze this effect use a Component A waveform with a maximum current of 200 kA as specified in SAE ARP 5412B. However, the actual lightning occurs mostly below 35kA and lightning indirect tests are conducted by reducing waveforms to prevent damage to internal electronic equipment. In this study, we examine previous methods to plot the Component A reduced waveform and identify their limitations. We then propose a new method to plot the reduced waveform based on adjusting the correction factor of the aircraft lightning Component A waveform. Finally, the electromagnetic analysis software EMA3D was used to compare the internal induced current size reduction ratio of the internal cable harness of the EC-155B helicopter.