Modelling of lightning strike damage of CFRP laminates caused by sudden surface plasma expansion

![CDATA[Carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) composites have been widely used in modern airplanes due to their high strength-weight ratio and high stiffness-weight ratio in performance. However, the use of CFRP composites poses a risk of lightning strike damage even when surface protection systems were used. In this work, a finite element (FE) model was presented to predict the mechanical damage in a CFRP laminate caused by the surface plasma expansion. The plasma arc radius together with the pressure pulse was determined by a surface explosion model. Then, the pressure pulse was applied in the FE model to determine the impact behaviour and failure mechanisms in the CFRP laminate, such as intra-laminar damage and inter-laminar delamination. It is found that a 200 kA lightning current can induce a pressure magnitude up to 158 MPa. The highest deflection and velocity occurs at the centre of the bottom ply were 9.72 mm and 317.4 m/s, respectively. In addition, the severe interlaminar delamination and intra-laminar damage were found in the bottom plies.]]