STATIC DISCHARGERS

Static Dischargers or Static Wicks are installed on the trailing edge structure of an aircraft, like, ailerons, wings, rudder, vertical stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer, to maintain the overall charge of the aircraft and dissipate the extra charge accumulated, mainly due to lightning strikes.

The discharge creates a broad band radio frequency noise upto 1000 MHz

The small static wicks have near about 5 to 50 megaohms of electrical resistance whereas the bigger ones have approximately 500 megaohms of electrical resistance.

Static dischargers must be properly bonded and connected to the aircraft so that excess charge accumulated in any part of an aircraft can easily get transferred to the wicks and get discharged.

On an A320,

• Wings having sharklets, there are:

  4 static wicks on sharklet

  1 static wicks on the tip

  4 static wicks on aileron

  
  

  1+1+1 on each actuator

That equals to 12 static wicks on each side of the wing,

12 x 2= 24 on both wings

• On the aft section,

5 + 5 static wicks in the corner of each elevator

3 static wicks in the corner of the rudder

That equals to (5+5)+3= 13 static wicks on the aft section.

Therefore, the total number of static wicks,

A320 have is,24+13= 37 static wicks