Acta Astronautica Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 323-333, 1985 0094-5765/85 $3.00+ .

00
Printed in Great Britain. © 1985 Pergamon Press Ltd.

THERMOMECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR OF CFRP TUBES

FOR SPACE STRUCTURESt

G. G. REIBALDI*
Mechanical Systems Division, European Space Agency/ESTEC, Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk,
The Netherlands

(Received 31 January 1984; revised version received 13 June 1984)

Abstract--Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) tubes, with the increasing dimensions and performances
requested for space structures, are becoming a basic building element of boom-type structures for large precision
reflectors, towers and payload support structures such as the Modular Payload Support Structure, the Shuttle
Pallet Satellite or the European Retrievable Carrier. It is very important for such applications that the CFRP
tubes have minimum thermal distortions and very high stiffness.
An extensive test program was performed to characterise the CFRP tubes that are used for such applications.
Measurements of coefficient of thermal expansions, thermal conductivity, thermal cycling, microstructure
behaviour, as well as mechanical tests and outgassing tests were performed. The main purpose was to correlate
the microcracking with the thermal cycling and the coefficient of thermal expansion and thermal conductivity.
These types of activities for the CFRP tubes were performed for the first time in Europe and important results
were found, especially in the area of microcracking generation and correlation with engineering parameters.
The influence of the thermal cycling speed on the microcracking was also studied. Most of the tests were
conducted at ESTEC (European Space Research & Technology Centre, Holland) by the European Space Agency
in the frame of the technology research activities.

I. INTRODUCTION 2. TESTING PROGRAM

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic tubes are important build- In Table 1, the test sequence is shown. Because the
ing elements for many applications such as optical tel- real space structures have long tubes, the tests have been
escopes, telecommunications antenna support structures, performed with the longest possible components in com-
towers, experiment platforms (see Figs. 1-3) because patibility with the test facilities and with the type of test.
of their low mass, high stiffness and thermal stability.
Because of the commonality of these tubes to many space
programs[l, 2], ESA decided to perform a test program 3. MECHANICAL TESTS
to characterise these tubes in the frame of the technology The results of the mechanical and physical tests of the
activities. Special emphasis was given to studying the material used are indicated in Table 2. The fiber content
influence of the space environment on the thermome- measured on the batch is about 62%. The tube is com-
chanical properties in the light of the ever-increasing posed of 80% longitudinal HMS fibers and by two trans-
mission durations envisaged. In particular, the effect of verse layers internal and external of T-300 (high strength)
the thermal cycling on the material properties has been fibers. The resin system is CY203/HT872. The diameter
investigated and correlated with special attention paid to is 40 m m --- 0.2 and the thickness is 1.2 mm --- 0.1; the
the coefficient of thermal expansion. layup is (90 °, 08° 90°).
The coefficient of thermal expansion is dependent on
the operating temperature of the material[2], and for very
4. OUTGASSlNG TEST
stable structures like antenna boom, support structure
and tower it is important to know its variation with the The outgassing test gave the following results:
temperature and with thermal cycling. It is also important
to correlate the coefficient of thermal conductivity with TML%: 0.33% < 1.0% (total mass loss);
thermal cycling because of its influence on the thermal CVCM%: 0.01% < 0.1% (condensed volatile
balance. condensible materials).
Continued emphasis is placed, in fact, on weight,
reliability and materials with long space survivability and The material does not present any problem of contam-
low contamination. Results of the tests performed and ination.
recommendations on the need to perform aging cycles
on the hardware are given. 5. THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY TESTS
The test objective was to measure the longitudinal
thermal conductivity coefficient for a defined range of
tPaper presented at the 34th Congress of the International
Astronautical Federation, Budapest, Hungary, 10-15 October average tube temperatures.
1983. The test philosophy was to establish stable steady-
*Member A.I.A.A., B.1.S. state longitudinal temperature gradients along the tube

323
324 G. G. REIBALDI
AT/Ax : longitudinal temperature gradient;
x = length of thermal path;
K : conductivity (X) of total tube section;
S = total section of tube;
,;~ =longitudinal conductivity coefficient
of material.
The same test was carried out after 3000 thermal cycles.
The results of the test are shown before and after thermal
cycling in Fig. 4.
"'":t

6. COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL EXPANSION TEST

A test setup has been prepared in ESTEC to measure

the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of up to 1 m-
long CFRP tubes and for sandwiches. An important goal
was to investigate the possible influence of thermal cy-
cling tests on the CTE results. The method of measure-
ment of the CTE selected is based on a laser interfero-
meter system.
In Fig. 5 the test setup used is shown. A vacuum
chamber of 550 mm diameter and 1300 mm long was
Fig. 1. 20 GHz multibeam antenna. used. Part of the optics, two retroreflectors, were po-
sitioned inside the shroud unit. The shroud is used to
specimen, by heating one extreme and cooling the op- change the temperature of the tested tube or sandwich.
posite one, in such a way that measuring the stabilized The remote interferometer block was outside the shroud
temperatures and the amount of heat power passing along and was kept at a constant temperature of 54°C during
the tube, the conductance (K) or the longitudinal con- the test to avoid change in the optical path (see Fig. 6).
ductivity coefficient could be determined by It was monitored by a thermocouple. The interferometer
and the retroreflectors were especially prepared for vac-
AT uum use. Venting holes were drilled into the interfero-
Q = K-~, K =)~S,
meter housing and the rubber parts of the retroreflectors
were replaced by stainless steel springs. To perform a
where continuous monitoring of the test parameters, length var-
Q = heat power crossing along the iation and tube temperature, a video recording system
tube main axis (X); was used (see Fig. 7).

Fig. 2. Shuttle pallet satellite, SPAS.

 CFRP tubes for space structures 325
Because of the high number of cycles an accelerated
test was considered. The accelerated thermal cycling
chamber available in ESA/ESTEC was utilised (ATC2).
A description of the system is given in [4]. In Fig. 9
a typical cycle of the accelerated thermal cycling test is
shown.
The useful dimension for the test sample was 500 x
500 x 250 mm. Six tubes were then loaded in this
chamber (see Fig. 10). Their acceleration factor is 50
compared to low orbit condition. The atmosphere in
which the samples are surrounded during the test is dry
nitrogen.
The test was interrupted every 1000 cycles, and more
often, to allow the possibility of cutting sections of tubes
in order to monitor the microcracks.
Fig. 3. European retrievable carrier, EURECA.

8. MECHANICAL TESTING AFTER THERMAL CYCLING

The test starts pumping down the facility, in order to
create a vacuum lower than 10 -5 Tort. In order to " d r y " Besides all the mechanical testing performed before
and de-gas the CFRP tube, the temperature was raised thermal cycling, and shown in Table 2, a set of short
to + 70°C for at least 48 h. Following the heating period compression tests was performed on the tubes after 3000
at + 70°C, the laser system was adjusted to maximum thermal cycles as described in the next paragraph.
beam alignment and the laser reading was set to L = 0.0. The results are presented in Table 3. There is hardly
At the lowest temperature, the nitrogen supply was any influence of the thermal cycling on the short
stopped and a temperature rise was obtained by the par- compression test results. Only the coefficient of variation
asitic heat leaks of the equipment up to about 20°C. At is lower after thermal cycling, as it has been shown also
this temperature, the heating system was activated in for the CTE, due to the microcracking present in the
order to allow the tube to reach + 70°C. material.
In Fig. 8, the average CTE results with its standard
9. SLOW THERMAL CYCLING
deviation are shown before and after thermal cycling.
The coefficients of thermal expansion quoted are always Slow thermal cycles (100), cycles from - 1 5 0 ° C to
longitudinal, that is in the direction of the symmetry axis +80°C every 6 h in vacuum, were performed on the
of the tubes. The CTE is always positive. The influence same type of tubes to see the influence of the cycle's
of the thermal cycling on the CTE results is quite evident. speed on the tube microstructure.
The results after thermal cycling are lower and more
uniform with lower standard deviation, in other words,
I0. MICROSECTIONS
the material behaves in a more homogenous way after
thermal cycling. The objective of this inspection was mainly to observe
change in the microstructure of the tubes before, in-
between and after thermal cycling.
7. FAST THERMAL CYCLING It is known that in carbon fiber reinforced plastic com-
ponents there is a big difference in coefficient of thermal
The purpose of this test was to simulate a life of 10 expansion between the matrix and the fiber and due to
yr for antenna components (CFRP tubes) of a typical thermal cycling, microcracking will originate in the ma-
telecommunication satellite. It was decided to perform trixl5, 6].
thermal cycling tests on the tubes with 3000 cycles be- These cracks occur when the internal stresses exceed
tween - 180 ° to + 100°C. This temperature variation is the transverse strength of an individual lamina. Samples
due to satellite body shadowing. examined were potted in a low-exotherm plastic in both
the transverse and longitudinal direction to the tube axis
(see Fig. 11).
Table 1. Test sequence
Crack density has been computed from the microstruc-
1. Mechanical tests ture observation and all findings are presented in Table
2. Outgassing 4. The crack propagation direction is noted to be from
3. Thermal conductivity tests the outer edge of each layer toward the tube inside sur-
4. Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) test
5. Fast thermal cycling ( - 178/+ 95°C), 3000 cycles face; crack opening displacement is generally wider to-
6. Thermal conductivity tests after 3000 thermal cycles wards the outer tube surface. After 3000 cycles the av-
7. CTE after 3000 thermal cycles erage width (at room temperature) is approximately 5
8. Mechanical testing after 3000 thermal cycles microns. The crack path usually runs radially to the tube
9. Slow thermal cycling ( - 178/+85°C) 100 cycles
axis and passes in the resin matrix so as to separate the
10. Microsections at 0/5/30/60/100/200/700/1000/2000/
3000 cycles graphite fibers. After extended thermal cycling (between
2000 and 3000 cycles) some delamination is observed
 326 G. G. REIBALDI
Table 2. Mechanical properties of HMS/T300 filament/wound tube

Ultimate Tensile Compression Compression Flexural Flexural

Tensile Modulus Strength Modulus Strength Modulus
Strength
[N/MML] [N/MM2] [N/MM2] [N/MM2] [N/MM2] [N/MM2]

1032 213470 585 166800 740 155200

on all specimens between the outer 90 ° layer and the cycling.) The material seems more homogenous after
thick 0 ° layer. The radial crack density in each layer thermal cycling.
increases rapidly during the initial 100 thermal cycles; 3. Microcracking versus thermal cycling in the tubes
after this, further cycling has little effect on such crack- can be seen in "Fable 5. There are no microcracks before
ing, but at around 3000 cycles a different mode of deg- thermal cycling. The crack density increases with the
radation is observed, that is delamination between layers number of thermal cycles, up to 2000 cycles. Between
(see Figs. 12, 13). 2000 and 3000 cycles the total microcracking is com-
It is important to note that the larger resin-rich volumes parable and at 3000 cycles the microcracking becomes
at the tube surfaces always contain cracks after thermal debonding between layers. Microcracking is then mainly
cycling; it is likely that these cracks will propagate into due to thermal fatigue. The results of the microsections
the tube wall thickness. The phenomenology of crack obtained from different tubes seem quite consistent with
generation was found to be the same after 100 cycles. the exception of the transversal microsection at 1000
Slow thermal cycling (6 h) and in vacuum was per- cycles where a large scatter in microcracking is observed.
formed for 100 cycles in order to compare the effect of Microcracking increases with the number of thermal
the thermal cycling speed on the microcracking forma- cycles up to 2000 cycles, where it stabilises, and at 3000
tion. cycles debonding between layers starts. Very few ther-
Comparable numbers of microcracks were found in mal aging cycles (5) performed on the hardware will
both cases. Further microsection was performed also generate a microcracking density comparable with many
with tubes proof-loaded at 46 and 85% of its ultimate more thermal cycles.
tensile strength. No microcracking was observed, due to There are indications showing that thermal aging tests
the fact that 80% of the fiber is at 0 °. to stabilize the tubes needs only very few thermal cycles.
4. The influence of thermal cycles' speed on the mi-
crocracking generation was considered negligible com-
II. CONCLUSIONS
paring the microcrack density after 100 cycles.
The following relations between coefficient of thermal
expansion, thermal cycling and microcracking can be 100 cycles slow (6 h) 100 cycles fast (4 min)
identified. in vacuum in nitrogen
1. Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is decreas- 0.6 microcracks/cm 0.5 microcracks/cm
ing with the decreasing of the temperature and is always
positive.
2. CTE is decreasing with the increasing of thermal v a ~ char.

cycling and CTE coefficient of variation is decreasing ~',

with the increasing of thermal cycling. (50% coefficient ] ° fXq " I..............
of variation before thermal cycling;
t ~,oc
h e 38%
r m after
a l ~ .......... ~ J i l j lJ i ~ "~t" .....

Re~rore f lector.

. . . . . . _z~_ _ r.

~?.,, - ~ : :- " _~; ' . . P . ssoo c .

Fig. 4. Influence of thermal cycling on thermal conductivity. Fig. 5. Coefficient of thermal expansion test setup.
 CFRP tubes for space structures 327

Fig. 6. Shroud and remote interferometer.

Table 3. Effect of thermal cycling on mechanical properties This result indicates that performing accelerated thermal
cycles are representative of longer thermal cycles in vac-
uum for these tubes.
5. CTE is influenced by microcracking and decreases
Before thermal After thermal with the increases of microcracks especially at room
cycling cycling temperature. At low temperature the difference is neg-
ligible.
El 166800 165100 6. Coefficient of thermal expansion is influenced by
[N/MM2]
microcracking and decreases with the increases of mi-
S% 4.18 3.43
crocracks especially at room temperature. The coeffi-
0.072 0~069 cient of variation is lower after the 3000 thermal cycles.
S% 34.5 29. Also this material property is more uniform due to mi-
crocracking.
AA12:5-D
328 G . G . REIBALDI

Fig. 7. Coefficient of thermal expansion measurement facility.

Table 4. Influence of thermal cycling on initiation of cracks

Plane of micro- NUMBERCYCLES (BETWEEN -175 ° and 90°C) AND

section to tube EFFECT ON MICROSTRUCTURE
axis
O(as received) I000 cycles 2000 cycles 3000 cycles

TRANSVERSE No cracks 6 cracks 6 cracks 8 cracks

(fig.12a) per cm. in per cm. in per cm. in
middle l a y , middle l a y , middle lay,
0• O° , wider, 5 cm. wide
(fig.12b) (fig.12c) w i t h dela-
mination
( f i g . Z2d)

LONGITUDINAL No cracks 5 cracks 14 cracks 13 cracks

per cm. in per cm. in per cm. in
periphery periphery periphery
lays, 90 ° lays, 90", l a y s , 90",
wider wider with
del amina-
[ ion
 CFRP tubes for space structures 329

CTE (10-6 )°E-1

. ~ RESULTS BEFORE THERMAL CYCLING

÷ ~ RESULTS AFTER 3000 (-1751+95"[) THERMAL CYCLING

07- f
0,5 ¸

I
0.3
" '->x. T
"",,\I
-. ; ~ T __T~
" "r __ - - - t . . . . *I
01
.L
I I I I
÷20 -I0 -l~0 -70 -I00 -130 T( o C )

Fig. 8. Influence of thermal cycling on the CTE.

7. Mechanical properties do not vary significantly with time and environment-related change. Despite the wide
the thermal cycling. variability of CTE (with temperature) on and between
8. In the thermal distortion analysis, the mechanical individual specimen data, the mean CTE does not vary
and thermal properties derived after thermal cycling should appreciably.
be considered because they are more representative of 11. More work is needed to study the effect of thermal
the orbital condition. cycling on CFRP tubes occurring at low orbit (500-600
9. Because of the CFRP material anisotropy, local km) with very high numbers of thermal cycles, 80 000,
effects are very important for the CTE measurements. on the mechanical/thermal properties and on the dimen-
It is suggested to use components as big as possible sional stability, in view of the future free-flyer reusable
for the CTE measurements in order to have global values, structures like EURECA.
and not local values.
10. Even with extreme care, wide scatter has been
observed in the coupon data and the variability is attrib-
uted to inconsistencies in material's response created by Acknowledgements--The author is grateful to CASA Space Di-
vision who supplied all the CFRP tubes tested and to the Me-
trology Lab, Thermal Control Lab, Metallurgy Section, Solar
Array Section, Testing Division in ESA/ESTEC which collab-
- - ,95-,50C
orated in this work. All the work was performed by the European
Space Agency in the frame of the technology research activities.

Table 5. Microcracking versus thermal cycling

,I Microcracks/cm. N. cycles
Long. Trans.
L ,on.' I /
0.0 0.0
0.0 0.4 5
0.0 0.4 30
0.0 0.4 60
0.0 0.7 100
0.5 1.3 200
1.3 1.1 700
- 178 _* I ° C 6.0 4.0 1000
14.0 7.0 2000
Fig. 9. Typical cycle of the accelerated thermal cycling test. 12.0 8.9 3000
330 G . G . REIBAt,DI

Fig. 10. Accelerated thermal cycling facility.

\
x,x,,x~, f ,,~)¢I.~

Fig. I 1. Orientation of samples taken for microsections.

 CFRPtubesfor spacestructures 331

e~ "O
|

~×
ca.¢~

O4"

/ U

oo

z~
L ,i / ¢q

k~
332 G. G. RE1BALDI

external periphery of tube 90o

middle part of tube 0°

,L
crack direction

Fig. 13. Detail of Fig. 12(d) showing microcrack m resin in the middle part of the tube after 3000 cycle
Crack width approximately 5 ,um( × 600).
 CFRP tubes for space structures 333
REFERENCES 19th Structural and Structural Dynamic Conf., San Diego,
CA, U.S.A. (1978).
4. J. C. Larue, Accelerated thermal cycling of spacecraft struc-
1. CASA ASTP High stability large shaped reflector, Phase 1I, tures, ESA Bulletin 32, 27-34 (1982).
ESA CR-4511 (1982). 5. L. Camahart, Effects of thermal cycling environment on
2. Selenia ASTP 20/30 GHz muhibeam antenna, Phase II, ESA graphite/epoxy composites. ASTM STP 602 (1981).
CR-4550 (1984). 6. E. Bowles, Effects of micro-cracking on the thermal ex-
3. G. T. Hayes, Design of the antenna module structure for pansion of graphite epoxy composites. In Proc. Large Space
lntelsat V Spacecraft, Ford Aerospace. A1AA paper 78-592, Syst. Technol. Conf., Hampton, VA, NASA CP-2193 (1981).