Safety Analysis of Carbon Composite-body Against Lightning Strikes

탄소섬유 복합차체의 낙뢰에 대한 안전성 분석

Light weight of vehicles by composite materials makes possible high speed, energy saving, and low repair cost. As Bimodal Tram and Tilting Train eXpress(TTX) use carbon composite material for their bodies, safety for passengers and electrical devices against unexpected failures has been issued more than ever. Lightning strike which generates high voltages and large currents is the worst case for the safety of passengers and devices. With this background, we experimentally investigated the insulation breakdown phenomena on carbon composite materials by the application of lightning surge voltage and current. From the experimental results, we could estimate whether the composite body is safe or not for the inside passengers and devices against lightning strikes.