Conductive radius filler system and method

A conductive radius filler system for an aircraft, the conductive radius filler system comprising:

• an aircraft composite assembly comprising one or more composite structures, the one or more composite structures comprising at least one composite wing with a plurality of stringers and a plurality of spars forming one or more radius filler regions;
• one or more conductive radius fillers filling the one or more radius filler regions, each of the conductive radius fillers having a conductive element comprising electrically conductive material, and each of the one or more conductive radius fillers being adjacent a laminate;
• and
• one or more conductive radius filler connections connecting the one or more conductive radius fillers to one of, a fastener system, a fuel tank system, and a current generating system, in the aircraft, to form one or more current handling systems of the conductive radius filler system for the aircraft, the one or more conductive radius filler connections cured into the laminate, and the one or more conductive radius filler connections comprising one of, a clip, a metallic contact point, a thin foil contact, and a wire connection, and the one or more current handling systems providing one of, edge glow mitigation of edge glow as a secondary effect of one or more lightning strikes, electrostatic discharge mitigation of electrostatic discharge caused by refueling electrification and fuel slosh, and current return handling to provide a minimized dedicated conductive system.

A method of making a conductive radius filler system for a composite assembly of an air vehicle, to handle one or more of edge glow, electrostatic discharge, and current return, in the composite assembly, the method comprising the steps of:

• adding a conductive element comprising electrically conductive material to one or more radius fillers, to obtain one or more conductive radius fillers;
• installing the one or more conductive radius fillers into one or more radius filler regions formed in a composite structure of the composite assembly of the air vehicle, each of the one or more conductive radius fillers being adjacent a laminate of the composite structure;
• connecting the one or more conductive radius fillers to one of, a fastener system, a fuel tank system, and a current generating system in the air vehicle, via one or more conductive radius filler connections, to form one or more current handling systems, the one or more conductive radius filler connections cured into the laminate, and the one or more conductive radius filler connections comprising one of, a clip, a metallic contact point, a thin foil contact, and a wire connection;
• and
• using the one or more current handling systems to provide one of, edge glow mitigation of edge glow as a secondary effect of one or more lightning strikes, electrostatic discharge mitigation of electrostatic discharge caused by refueling electrification and fuel slosh, and current return handling to provide a minimized dedicated conductive system, in the composite assembly of the air vehicle.