Diamond-Grid Conductive Screen for Uniform Lightning Energy Redirection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional expanded metal screens for lightning strike protection exhibit unequal interior angles, leading to uneven conductivity in the X and Y directions, making it difficult to evenly direct the energy of a lightning strike away from critical areas on an aircraft.
Innovation Solution
A Conductive Lightning Protective Screen (CLPS) is developed with a screen structure featuring a diamond-shaped pattern of openings with equal internal angles, ensuring equal conductivity in both X and Y directions. The screen is fabricated using aluminum or copper alloys, processed to remove contaminants, and coated to enhance conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional expanded metal screen with unequal interior angles is used, then manufacturing is easier, but conductivity is uneven in X and Y directions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry principle by deliberately designing the expanded metal screen with equal interior angles (α=β=γ=δ) to create symmetric conductivity properties in both X and Y directions, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and conductivity uniformity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the openings from unequal angles to equal angles, specifically setting all interior angles to 90 degrees, which transforms the conductivity distribution from uneven to uniform across different directions
2Reliability
If conventional expanded foil mesh is used to direct lightning energy, then protection is provided, but energy redirection is uneven due to directional conductivity differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates equipotentiality in conductivity by designing the screen with equal interior angles, ensuring that electrical potential distributes evenly in all directions during lightning strike, improving both protection reliability and energy redirection uniformity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The CLPS effectively redirects the energy of a lightning strike evenly in both directions, reducing the risk of damage to aircraft components and ensuring the structural and operational integrity of the aircraft.
Implementation Method 1
an aluminum or copper screen that is expanded into a square pattern that creates a screen with equal properties in X and Y directions
Data Source
AI summary
A Conductive Lightning Protective Screen (CLPS) and a method for fabricating the CLPS is provided, wherein the CLPS includes a screen structure having a structure thickness of between about 0.002 inches and about 0.006 inches, wherein the screen structure includes a plurality of openings. Each of the plurality of openings are defined by a plurality of sidewalls each having a sidewall width of between about 0.005 inches and 0.009 inches, wherein each of the plurality of openings shares at least one sidewall of the plurality of sidewalls of an adjacent opening. Moreover, each of the plurality of openings includes an opening width and an opening length of substantially equal size, and wherein each of the plurality of openings include a plurality of substantially equal internal angles.