As the search continues for missing Air France Flight 447, which disappeared during a thunderstorm over the Atlantic Ocean, speculation is rising that the Airbus A330-200 could have been hit by lightning. NASA has long done lightning research focusing on aircraft, launches, and ground equipment.
Studies from Langley Research Center show:
... traditional aircraft act as Faraday cages when struck by lightning, which means that the charge stays on the exterior of the aircraft. However, as more aircraft are built using composite materials, we will need to understand the direct and indirect effects of lightning on those aircraft. The researchers at LaRC are studying the hazards of lightning on composite aircraft. Some of the issues include the fact that magnetic flux can penetrate avionics wiring, and that lightning damage is often more severe than tests would predict
The Air France flight sent an automatic signal noting electrical problems just before it vanished about 190 miles northeast of Natal, Brazil. The aircraft carried 288 people.
RELATED: Denver Weather Examiner Tony Hake has background on lightning-related air accidents.
Developed as an outgrowth of an earlier Aerobus model, the Aerobus was marketed as a fuel-saver due to its large-scale composite structure, according to Rutgers University:
Airbus also recognised the necessity to minimise trip fuel costs and so introduced 'fly-by-wire' technology as well as a glass cockpit (EFIS), a two-person flight deck, a centre of gravity control using fuel, and composite primary structures in the A320. In the end, the A320 managed to save Airbus costs by utilising 50% less fuel than the Boeing 727.
From the Langley study, video of an aircraft being struck by lightning in Oskaka
0 comments:
Post a Comment