The performance characterization of carbon fiber–reinforced plastic for space applications

In this paper, the excellent dimensional stability and vacuum outgassing of high-performance carbon fiber–reinforced plastic (CFRP) were discussed. First, the high-performance resin matrix was obtained by modifying cyanate resin, and the modified cyanate ester was used to make prepreg and laminates. Then, the mechanical property retention rate of laminates reached 90.79% under proton and electron irradiation. The average values of total mass loss and collected volatile condensable material of high-performance CFRP were 0.116% and 0.008%, respectively. Finally, the candidate tube and frame were fabricated based on the ply lay-up design. The candidate tube and frame were subjected to a series of experiments of thermal deformation and hygroscopic deformation to verify the dimensional stability. The thermal deformations of the tube and frame reached 0.468 μm/m and 4.579 μm/m, respectively, with a temperature variation of 4°C. The measured hygroscopic deformation of the tube reached 8.16 μm/m in nearly 3 months. The experimental results show that the high-performance CFRP can be used for precision optical structures of space telescopes.