In this paper, the effectiveness of lightning damage suppression by a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminate with a newly developed polyaniline (PANI)-based conductive thermosetting resin was experimentally examined by conducting simulated lightning tests and evaluated by high-speed imaging and non-destructive testing. The authors developed the PANI-based conductive thermosetting resin using dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) and p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) as dopants and divinylbenzene (DVB) as a crosslinking agent, which improved the electrical conductivity and homogeneity of the resin. The electrical conductivity values for the PANI-based composite were 148 and 0.73S/cm in the in-plane and out-of-plane directions, which are 5.92 times and 27.4 times greater than that of the conventional CF/epoxy composite, respectively. As a result, the PANI-based composite, when subjected to simulated lightning currents of -40 and -100kA, showed dramatic improvements in lightning damage resistance compared to the conventional CF/epoxy composite. Thus, the superior electrical conductivity of the CF/PANI composite quite effectively suppressed lightning damage without applying any lightning strike protection (LSP).
