{"id":2519,"date":"2019-11-07T10:53:43","date_gmt":"2019-11-07T15:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/?p=2519"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:00:39","slug":"can-modern-planes-still-manage-high-intensity-radiated-fields-lightning-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/thought-leadership\/can-modern-planes-still-manage-high-intensity-radiated-fields-lightning-strikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Can modern planes still manage high intensity radiated fields, lightning strikes?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Airplanes are designed to take the jolt of a lightning\nstrike. But changes in material and influx of electronics systems are making\nthe design increasingly complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once aircraft were built from highly-conductive aluminum,\nbut now the more modern aircraft are designed with less-conductive composites\nor non-conductive fiberglass. Meanwhile, today\u2019s airplanes are flying super\ncomputers with complex electronic systems and integrated communication and\npower systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boeing\nrecently reported in its AERO magazine<\/a> that an airplane flies farther than\nits own length in the time it takes a strike to begin and end. This means that\nthe entry point changes allowing the charge to reattach to other locations aft\nof the initial strike and can result in multiple burn areas impacting the\naircraft\u2019s structural integrity. Indirect effects are particularly dangerous\nfor \u201csafety critical\u201d electronic systems like avionic and engine control\nequipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This alters how engineers, designers and system architects\ncreate the aircraft and how they can receive certification by proving its\neffectiveness in managing electromagnetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s critical to address indirect effects of\nlightning (IEL) issues early in the design process. The earlier these issues\nare discovered, the more cost- and time-efficient it will be to fix these\nproblems and not hold back its certification process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adopting a digital twin with electromagnetic simulation capabilities early in the process helps engineers evaluate these issues and account for indirect effects of lightning in the aircraft design. This can prevent overdesign or inappropriate design of equipment, systems and aircraft protection items. Global aerospace industry manufacturers are increasingly adopting a digital twin approach to reduce expensive and time-consuming late-stage testing by addressing these issues early in the design phase and well before creating a physical prototype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of the design phase, the validated digital twin can be used to effectively manage the certification of updated aircraft configurations. Should lightning strike the aircraft, aerospace manufacturers can demonstrate their aircraft equipment\u2019s ability to continue performing safety-critical functions and maintain its transient current and voltage levels below the qualification values. Figure 1 provides manufacturers with a clear scheme for certifying IEL compliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fig. 1: IEL regulations and the route to certifying compliance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The trouble with\nradio frequency<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lightning is one extreme form of an electromagnetic threat, however,\nmore commonplace is electromagnetic interference generated from external radio frequency\n(RF) energy sources, such as from radio, television and radar emitters. As products\ninclude more electronics, engineers must understand how external electromagnetic\nradiation can potentially affect and interfere with the performance of the product\nthey are developing. Electrical motors, sensors and antennas are all examples\nof common products or components and can benefit from electromagnetic\nsimulation\u2019s role in the development process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High intensity radiated fields (HIRF), also known as external\nelectromagnetic RF fields, can enter the aircraft structure through specific\npoints of entry such as apertures, gaskets and composite materials with low\nshielding effectiveness. These fields may couple to cable harnesses or directly\ninterfere with electronic units. Just like when developing for IEL, it\u2019s\nimportant to consider the electromagnetic shielding properties of the internal\nand external structures of the aircraft since from the initial design stages to\nbest demonstrate compliance with the HIRF certification requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing complex HIRF\nand IEL aircraft design and<\/strong> certification\nwith digital twin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Certification authorities have recognized numerical analysis\nand simulation as an option to support IEL and HIRF compliance. The digital\ntwin process for IEL and HIRF certification compliance starts with a\nhigh-fidelity simulation model of the aircraft, known as a digital mock-up.\nThis model is validated by a defined set of physical tests, setting the\nfoundation for the certification phases. Prior to executing and achieving\ncertification, a compliance analysis plan must be prepared and approved by the\nvarious certification authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To meet certification, the simulation must be highly\naccurate and account for any different physical regime dominating the frequency\nspectrum of interest, such as DC, skin effect and high-frequency scattering.\nMany physical observables such as electric fields and bundle currents and voltages\nhave to be computed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accuracy requires a multi-method approach meaning simulation\nmust be as complete as possible. Modeling the smallest details, such as bonding\nand grounding contact resistances, apertures, seams and gaskets throughout the\nentire aircraft structure is critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This multiscale problem poses significant requirements for\nCAD processing capabilities. Just think about the computational challenge of\ngenerating and managing meshes composed of millions of elements and managing\nnumerical ill-conditioning. Don\u2019t forget accounting for software and hardware\nacceleration methods based on iterative solvers, preconditioners and parallel\ncoding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, engineers need a simulation suite with advanced\nand diverse computing capabilities and seamless interaction between CAD and CAE\ntools for high-fidelity modeling and traceability without losing data\nintelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the challenges don\u2019t stop there. The digital twin needs\nto automatically import cable harness electrical CAD models, including the\nharness architectures and 3D routing, bundles composition, cables\ncross-section, cable jackets and braids, junctions and loading terminations.\nThen it must translate them into models suitable for hybrid 3D electromagnetic\nMulticonductor Transmission Line Network simulation (see figure 2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considering material modeling based on equivalent\nparameters, such as shielding effectiveness for penetration problems, surface\nimpedance or transfer impedance for scattering\/induced currents problems can\nreduce the complexity of the model (Figure 3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fig. 2: The seamless interface to electrical CAD model <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
  • \"\"
    Fig. 3: Aircraft fuselage mock-up for validating lightning tools: meshed model, harness and currents (courtesy of SAFRAN-Labinal)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    When looking at this example, two key electromagnetic\ndevelopment elements have been addressed: complexity and scalability. By\ncombining various digital and simulation tools and electromagnetic usage\nlevels, designers, engineers and system architects can create a workable and\naccurate digital twin that seamlessly connects to a PLM backbone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cLeading companies today realize the value simulation can bring to the product development process in terms of cost, speed, and impact to innovation.\u201d Jan Leuridan, Senior Vice President, Simulation and Test Solutions, Siemens Digital Industries Software.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    About the Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mauro Bandinelli <\/strong>received his degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Florence and the annual Italian Telecom Company award for his thesis work on \u201cNumerical methods for antenna array design\u201d in 1986. Presently he is Director of the ElectroMagnetic Engineering Division in IDS S.p.A (Italy). His professional activity has been focused on different aspects of applied electromagnetism: development of numerical\/asymptotic computational methods and CAE tools for electromagnetic modelling, EMC\/EMI, system integration, antenna and smart materials design, propagation and scattering.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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