Lightning currents passing through fuel system tubing and other conductors in fuel tanks have long been recognized as potential fuel vapor ignition sources. Tests have been conducted on joints, interfaces, and flexible couplers to verify their ability to conduct lightning currents without creating ignition hazards. Prior to the work reported here, there has been very little data upon which to select representative current and voltage levels for these tests.Using the worst case data (amplitudes and durations) obtained from tests on a Bombardier Dash 8 Q100 representative wing box fuel system, test levels for internal plumbing components were proposed. Using a 6 dB margin on amplitude and a 6 dB margin on duration (2 to 3 times the measured amplitudes and durations for a 12 dB margin overall), the following test levels and waveforms were suggested for testing fuel system components used in this type of medium-sized commuter aircraft:
Lightning Current Levels in Aircraft Fuel System Plumbing
Sae Technical Papers
International Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity ; 2001
2001-09-11
Conference paper
English
ELECTRICAL BONDING OF AIRCRAFT FUEL SYSTEM PLUMBING SYSTEMS
SAE Technical Papers | 2007