Don Nolan-Proxmire

Headquarters, Washington, DC November 1, 1995

(Phone: 202/358-1983)

Lori Rachul
Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH
(Phone: 216/433-8806)

RELEASE: 95-197

TESTS MAY PROVIDE INSIGHT ON SEVERE WEATHER EFFECTS ON

AIRCRAFT

NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH, has

simulated severe weather conditions in a wind tunnel --
rain, ice and lightning--and the tests may lead to improved
flight safety.

Severe weather tests were conducted in the Icing

Research Tunnel (IRT) at Lewis for the Joint Program on
Improvement of Lightning and Static Protection of Radomes,
led by a consortium of government agencies and commercial
companies in the U.S. and Europe.

Aircraft nose radomes, the fiberglass shell that forms

the housing for radar equipment, are susceptible to damage
from lightning strikes because they are constructed from
non-electrically conducting materials. Without adequate
protection, the radome is vulnerable to being punctured or
shattered by a lightning strike, which could damage the
weather radar. To minimize the possibility of damage,
radomes are usually fitted with an arrangement of solid
metal bars, called diverters, that intercept lightning
strikes and conduct them safely to the airframe. Although
these diverters provide adequate protection, they sometimes
interfere with radar performance.

Tests in the IRT were conducted on a newer protection

device, called segmented diverters, which are designed not
to interfere with radar performance. Simulated lightning
tests were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the
segmented diverters in rain and/or icing conditions.

This was the first time that lightning tests have been
applied to an aircraft component in a wind tunnel in
combination with severe weather conditions. The tests in
NASA's IRT simulated the typical in-flight environmental
conditions that occur at the altitudes and temperatures
where most lightning strikes to airplanes have occurred.

-more-

-2-

The IRT underwent minor modifications to accommodate a

500 kilovolt (kV) Marx-type lightning generator which was
positioned outside the tunnel. The generator produced high
voltage impulses reaching a peak amplitude of 500 to 750 kV
for times ranging from 1 to 20 microseconds. The voltage
test was simulated in the tunnel via a porcelain insulated
feed through a bushing installed in the tunnel floor. The
simulated lightning strike was applied from an electrode
attached to the bushing and positioned adjacent to the
radome being tested in the tunnel. Over 80 lightning
strikes were applied to radomes typical of the radomes
currently in use on general aviation, regional and large
transport aircraft.

Prime contractor to the consortium is AEA Technology in

the UK. Major subcontractors are DGA/CEAT in Toulouse,
France and Lightning Technologies, Inc., in Pittsfield, MA,
who provided the lightning simulation equipment for the
tunnel tests.

-end-

EDITOR'S NOTE: Images accompanying this release are

available to news media representatives by calling the
Headquarters Imaging Branch at 202/358-1900. NASA Photo
Numbers are:
Color B&W
Lightning Protection Device 95-HC-642 95-H-655
Transport Radome 95-HC-643 95-H-656

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