Analysis of Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of Multilayer to Protect Against Lightning Strike Effect on Aerospace Applications
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Abstract
When lightning strikes in aerospace applications, the structural integrity and electrical systems of aircraft are put at great risk. Lightning creates very powerful electromagnetic pulses that conventional aluminium structurescan't handle. This work examines how well mesh topologies protect multilayer metal matrix composites (MMCs) that include conductive and ceramic reinforcements, such as Al₂O₃, SiC, and fly ash, within an Al6061 matrix. The composite structure has layers of metallic mesh coated with nickel to improve electromagnetic shielding and heat dissipation further. This investigation presents a theoretical and computational analysis of the efficacy of electromagnetic shielding, utilising Schelkunoff’s theory in conjunction with a transmission-line model to evaluate multilayer MMC mesh structures. The suggested multilayer Al6061-based metal matrix composite (MMC) structures reinforced with SiC, Al₂O₃, and fly ash exhibit improved electromagnetic shielding effectiveness in the X-band frequency range (8-12 GHz). The shielding performance is around 96.12dB better than that of regular aluminium structures due to improved absorption and impedance mismatch. This work demonstrates a useful way to build sophisticated aeronautical structures utilising lightweight, highly effective shielding materials.
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