The biennial conference, which was held 13-15 September, brought together global experts on the subject of lightning and static electricity, with this year’s event focusing on how lightning interacts with ground, air and sea systems.
TWI’s paper, written by Melissa Riley, Andy Tabecki, Paul Burling and Dave Harvey, discussed the use of thermal spray coatings as a lightning strike protection system for composite aircraft components. This process uses metallic coatings post-manufacture, offering significant benefits for performance, ease of manufacture and also damage tolerance and repair when compared to the traditional, costly protection method of embedding expanded metal foil just below the surface of fibre-reinforced composites during manufacture.
The paper was well received at the conference and Melissa was able to make contact with several major companies in the aerospace, automotive, and wind turbine industries, including TWI Member and non-Member companies alike.
As planned, Melissa was also able to visit four Member companies on-site while in Japan, where she discussed surface engineering applications and additive manufacturing.
Overall, the visit was a success as Melissa helped to strengthen industry links in one of TWI’s largest markets outside of the UK.
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