Analysis of Corona Discharge Interference on Antennas on Composite Airplanes

Static electrification of the airframe can often cause electromagnetic interference on aircraft radios. Triboelectric charging, occurring when an aircraft is operated in precipitation, raises the aircraft potential until corona discharges occur from points of high dc field on the aircraft. These corona discharges generate noise that is coupled into antenna systems installed on the aircraft. The characteristics of electrostatic accumulation on the surface of carbon fiber composite airplanes are studied in this paper. The differences in electrostatic accumulation between carbon fiber composite airplanes and metal airplanes are also demonstrated. Based on the E fields radiated by an electrostatic discharge (ESD) current, a model of ESD in composite airplanes is established. As is shown, the induced currents excited by the ESD can successfully predict the interference to the airborne antennas in the frequency and time domains, providing a reference for composite airplane design.