| Customer: ESA/ESTEC (2005 – 2007) | |
 | Final aim of the study is to develop an "EMI-tight" electronic housing made from CFRP material, in order to provide specific space missions with high mass restrictions an ultra lightweight solution. For that, also a huge sample test program has been performed including carbon nanotube based composite materials. |
The overall objective of the activity was to investigate the state of the art, to define optimised bonding and shielding methods to be used in the presence of composite materials, to characterise the electromagnetic properties of target materials, to develop measurement techniques, and develop analytical tools for electromagnetic properties extraction.
The scope of the present work included:
- Performing a survey of the bonding and shielding methods used on current spacecrafts involving CFRP skin / aluminium honeycomb panels;
- Performing a critical analysis of the bonding and shielding methods used on current spacecrafts involving CFRP skin / aluminium honeycomb panels;
- Performing quantitative analyses of the differences between CFRP skin and aluminium skin for aluminium honeycomb panels: inserts bonding, common mode impedance and current path, fault current return path sizing.
- Performing a survey and critical analysis of the various existing ways of describing the electromagnetic properties of conductive composite materials (including joints), relative to both electromagnetic shielding and electrical bonding.
- Extracting a few key parameters that can easily be measured and used in analyses to derive shielding efficiency values.
- Performing a survey and a critical review of corresponding measuring techniques: accuracy, reproducibility, and easiness of implementation, for the key parameters that will have been selected.
- Performing a survey of existing electromagnetic databases to determine known electrical characteristics of composite materials either already used or proposed as substitutes for spacecraft metallic structures.
- Performing experimental characterisation of a set of target materials either already used or proposed as substitutes for spacecraft metallic structures, using the most suitable characterisation techniques; same for a set of jointing techniques (either composite to composite or composite to metal).
- Developing an analytical tool allowing the user to calculate the relevant electromagnetic characteristics of a multilayer composite material starting from its physical and geometrical description.
- Investigating the bonding and jointing techniques which can be applied to a spacecraft composite equipment housing.
- Development and manufacturing of a full size CFRP electronic housing.
- Investigating the electromagnetic implication of using CFRP for equipment case: on a unit elegant breadboard, experimental comparison of the electromagnetic performances of a classic aluminium housing and of a carbon composite housing (shielding and bonding).
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