Lightning strike dispersion for composite aircraft structures
AssigneeGoodrich Corporation
InventorRyan Schmidt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lightning strike dispersion structure may include a composite component having an outboard surface, wherein the composite component is electrically nonconductive. The lightning strike dispersion structure may include a metal sheet coupled to and extending across a minority portion of the outboard surface of the composite component, wherein the metal sheet is electrically conductive. The lightning strike dispersion structure may also include a metal stud coupled to and in electrical contact with the metal sheet, the metal stud extending completely through the composite component, wherein the metal stud is electrically conductive.
Claims3
A method of manufacturing a packboard, the method comprising:
- coupling a head of a metal stud that is electrically conductive to a metal sheet that is electrically conductive such that the metal stud is in electrical contact with the metal sheet and the head of the metal stud is substantially flush with a first surface of the metal sheet;
- laying plies of electrically nonconductive material across a second surface, opposite the first surface, of the metal sheet, wherein laying the plies comprises:
- molding the plies to shape a packboard housing form having an inboard surface and an outboard surface, the second surface of the metal sheet extending across a minority portion of the outboard surface of the packboard housing form;
- and
- extending the metal stud completely through the plies;
- coupling a metal mesh that is electrically conductive across the first surface of the metal sheet and across a majority portion of the outboard surface of the packboard housing form, wherein the metal mesh is in electrical contact with the first surface of the metal sheet;
- and
- curing the plies to set the packboard housing form.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.