Numerical Code for Modeling Electrothermal Effects of Lightning Strike on CFRP Composites

This article aims to model some of the lightning strikes effects on a composite material modeled through numerical simulation. The simulation is based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method which allows the analysis of the electromagnetic and thermal effects related to the problem. The thermal distribution is evaluated based on the results obtained from the electromagnetic simulation. Results show that the composite’s fiber direction plays a crucial role in the current density pattern and that the lightning strike effects concentrate on the outermost layers of the composite. In addition, from the thermal simulation, it is shown that the lightning strike can cause a rise in the composite temperature over 900 °C with only 1 s of interaction with the material for a current of 200 kA.