The worldwide aerospace market for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials is large and growing due to the large weight benefit over metals. However, use of composites is problematic from an electromagnetic environmental effects standpoint. EMA has several recent projects involving aerospace integrators in which composites play a critical role. EMA is involved in simulating vehicle performance in E3 environments, such as lightning, aiding designers in mitigating damage, and qualifying vehicle designs.

Qualification of aircraft composites has required a thorough understanding of the current flow through composite layers. EMA has worked to validate simulation and measurement methods for carbon fiber materials on projects since the 1980s. EMA has prepared full-wave simulations of individual composite layers and has measured individual composite components and complete panels. Our simulations can self-consistently connect the sub-mm layer properties to the bulk measurements. EMA has world-class expertise about how electric currents propagate through composite panels as a function of injection location, frequency, and geometry.

EMA composite panel measurement

An example of EM simulation of a composite panel