Understanding the behavior of carbon fiber reinforced composites in extreme thermal cycling space environment and development of conductive structural adhesive for same

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This research proposal has two objectives: One is to obtain an understanding for the failure mechanism of composite structures used in extreme thermal cycling fatigue due to exposure to space environment. The second objective is to develop structural adhesives that exhibit good electrical conductivity while maintaining good bond strength. The project will consist of three aspects. One is the manufacturing of laminates in both forms: solid laminates and sandwiched laminates. Secondly structural adhesives with high electrical conductivity while maintaining good bond strength will be developed. Third the solid laminates and sandwiched laminates using the structural adhesives will be tested in thermal cycling fatigue, simulating the space environment. The development of cracks due to this thermal loading will be observed. Mechanism responsible for the development of these cracks will be formulated. Fourth and last is the development of models that provide guidelines for either predicting the life of the composite structures subject to the loading environment, or to design to prolong the life of the structure. Solution to the crack problem will be attempted by the development of new resins with enhanced crack resistance. This will be done by the addition of nanoparticles. The results of this investigation will have applications for composite structures used in satellite in space. They also have applications for composite structures used in aircraft or other equipment that are subjected to extreme thermal cycling environment.