The role of fibre orientation on the electromagnetic performance of waveguides manufactured from carbon fibre reinforced plastic

Aircraft skins manufactured from carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) can simultaneously support structural load and act as antennas. This offers the potential for disproportionately large antenna elements and arrays, and thus enhanced aircraft capability. The efficient design of such structures requires that the link between CFRP microstructure and electromagnetic performance be established. This paper presents a method of predicting the electromagnetic attenuation of waveguides manufactured from CFRP. The method considers both the orthotropic, complex conductivity of CFRP, high in the fibre direction and low transverse to it, and the local electric fields in waveguides, which vary with location and frequency. The method was validated experimentally using waveguides manufactured from aerospace grade IM7/977-3 prepreg tape with [0 90]s, [90 0]s and [±45]s ply stacking sequences