Abstract：This study focuses on the lightning protection design and effectiveness evaluation of composite laminates with protective layers. Through electro-thermal-ablation coupled numerical simulation and experimental testing, the damage areas and failure modes of the materials under Zone 2 lightning current were analyzed. Compression tests were conducted on post-lightning specimens to assess the protective performance. The results show that the designed protection scheme effectively maintains the mechanical properties of the material after lightning strike, with only a 4.51% reduction in compressive residual strength, indicating a controllable level of degradation. Regarding the damage mechanism, lightning strike did not alter the core failure path of the material, which remains "uniform compression–shear dominance–composite failure." The final failure mode is still composite failure dominated by shear with supplemental compression, demonstrating that the main load-bearing mechanism remains intact. Lightning-induced damage only introduces local effects, such as residual microcracks leading to slightly uneven stress distribution, accelerated local strain growth in later stages, and slight reduction in shear band integrity. The overall mechanical behavior did not undergo qualitative changes, confirming good protective performance and controllable impact. This work provides a feasible solution for lightning protection design of composite materials.
2026, Vol. 47 
