Design of Composite Skin for a Payload Fairing
- Paper number
IAC-09.C2.1.6
- Author
Dr. Cheol-Won Kong, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea, Republic of
- Year
2009
- Abstract
Composite sandwich structures are used in aerospace structures, and accurate prediction of the mechanical properties of composite sandwich structures is important in the design of aerospace structures. Structural, acoustic, thermal, thermal control and separation testing of a payload fairing were done. The skin of the payload fairing comprised composite sandwich structures. The specific bending stiffness of the composite sandwich skin with an aluminum honeycomb core was approximately 1.7 to 2.0 times higher than that of a composite sandwich skin with a glass/phenolic honeycomb core. Predictions of the stiffness were in good agreement with those from experiments. The stiffness and the strength of the payload fairing skin were analyzed in a full-scale payload fairing structural test, and separation tests and acoustic tests were conducted. Thermal insulation materials were coated on the composite skin. Subsequently, the thermal properties and the mechanical properties of the insulation materials and the composite skin were measured and designed. The spring-back factor of the composite skin was also analyzed with the deformation data and strain data of a sub-scaled composite skin and a full-scale composite skin according to the cure cycle. Ground tests of the composite payload fairing designed considering the mechanical strength, the thermal insulation and the degree of manufacturing deformation were performed successfully without damage. These were shown to satisfy the system requirements.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)