Improving Impact Endangered CFRP Structures by Metal-Hybridisation

In CFRP primary spacecraft structures the fraction of fibres aligned in load direction is limited due to the material’s notch and impact sensitivity. As a result, stiffness and strength per unit weight of the laminate on a given direction are lower than the corresponding values for a unidirectional composite. The present investigations show that the on-axis residual strength after impact can be increased significantly by interleaving thin steel foils in the UD-laminate. Grit-blasting, as a common pre-treatment process for stainless steel surfaces, is not feasible for thin foils due to the increased risk of damaging the metallic substrate. Therefore, different pickling processes are investigated as a non-mechanical alternative pre-treatment. Thus, superior adhesion properties are achieved compared to mechanical pre-treatments