Lightning My thoughts went to the Plastic Pig and I went hunting for possible answers

Lightning – My thoughts went to the Plastic Pig (Boeing 787 Dreamliner) and I went hunting for possible answers

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/06/boeing-787-withstands-lightning-strike/

“…The 787 flight test team gathered the unexpected data last month after one of the Dreamliner test aircaft was struck by lightning. Unlike traditional aluminum aircraft where the entire aircraft is conductive, on a composite airplane the charge from a lightning strike would find its way to the conductive parts such as wiring or hinges. In order to avoid the risk of the charge damaging these kinds of parts, Boeing had to add conductive material to the composites in order to provide a pathway for lightning strikes…”

“The added weight to protect the airplane from lightning strikes ended up being more than Boeing anticipated. The material was one of the factors that pushed the Dreamliner past its target weight earlier in the development process.”

“Boeing 787 program manager Scott Fancher told Bloomberg News the strike occurred during a flight in the Seattle area. Fancher said there appears to be no damage to the airplane, adding engineers continue to study how lightning will affect the composite airplane. The company will further test the affects of lightning with simulated strikes while the airplane is on the ground later this year…”

http://blog.seattlepi.com/airlinereporter/2011/04/27/short-take-fasteners-in-boeing-787-dreamliner-wings-require-re-work/

Granted the topic of delay of re-working the fasteners is already on a different thread but it’s relevance to lightning strikes is why this extract is here.

“…thousands of improperly coated fasteners inside the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s wing need to be replaced to help protect against lightning strikes.”

“…The FAA requires that all joints and fasteners not produce sparks around fuel after a lightening strike. Since the majority of the aircraft is made of composites, it is vunerable to arcing from one metal part to another. Boeing flies their test fleet of Boeing 787s with special anti-static additives. When the first Dreamliner, ZA001, was hit with lightening, it received no damage. 35 Boeing 787′s that have already been built which will require the re-work,…”

Here’s an older thread on the same topic on this forum http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=72839