Numerical simulation of aircraft lightning attachment zone using the enclosing ball method

Abstract

The initial stage in aircraft lightning protection design and safety certification involves delineating the lightning attachment zone. The lightning leader’s development is inherently random, favoring the shortest path to the aircraft fuselage. In response, we employ the enclosing ball method to establish the lightning attachment zone. First, define the center point of the aircraft as the coordinate position for the sphere’s center, creating a sphere with a specified radius. The leader’s initial position is then selected from any point on the sphere. Second, by calculating distances between the leader’s position and various areas on the aircraft surface, we determine the shortest path. The corresponding aircraft surface area along this path is identified as the lightning attachment zone for the leader. Subsequently, choose a new leading position on the sphere and iterate through the calculation process until all sphere positions are considered. Finally, tally the occurrence frequencies for all calculated attachment areas, representing the attachment probability of each area based on its frequency of occurrence. This paper not only compares our method with the electrostatic field simulation method but also contrasts it with the probability distribution of lightning attachment points obtained from aircraft flight experiments. The comparison results are highly favorable, providing robust verification for the correctness of our approach.