Towards the conception and optimisation of the current return path in a composite aircraft

Future aircrafts start seeing the replacement of their existing metal skin by composite materials. The emergence of these new materials in this environment requires a paradigm shift in the electrical network design, especially regarding the current return path. The composite fuselage cannot comply anymore with all the functionalities of the current aluminum skin because of the imposed maximum admissible current density in the composite structure. The aim of this paper is to propose a solution for the design and the optimization of a current return path in this new aeronautical environment, using several coupled methods: PEEC modeling method, an automatic cabling design tool and optimization algorithms.