A Comparison of Natural Lightning and the Long Laboratory Spark with Application to Lightning Testing

摘要

Laboratory sparks a few meters in length can be used to simulate lightning current rates-of-rise and peak values and to simulate some of the temporal characteristics of the lightning channel temperature. Long spark generators are inadequate for producing a simulation of the continuing current phase of lightning. Long sparks cannot be used to produce a simulation of the shock wave due to lightning except in that the spark data can be scaled by theory to predict the characteristics of the lightning shock wave. A short discussion is given of the several types of lightning which might be encountered by an a rcraft. The validity of long-spark testing in determining the likely points of strike of a lightning discharge to an aircraft or other sturcture is briefly considered. (Author)