Abstract:

The properties and service life of composite materials used for space structure are affected by atomic oxygen irradiation， ultraviolet radiation and other space rays in the space environment. It′s important to prepare a composite material with space radiation resistance for the operation safety of space structure. Here， the ultra-thin prepreg with fiber mass per unit area of （35±2） g/m² was prepared by using the space radiation resistant epoxy resin as the matrix and carbon fiber （T300） as the reinforcement. The space radiation resistant composite laminates were prepared by ultra-thin prepreg， and the atomic oxygen resistance， ultraviolet radiation resistance and vacuum escape properties of the composite laminates were characterized. The results indicate that the tensile strength of 0（°） and 90（°） decreased by11% and 5.5%， respectively， and mass loss less than 0.35% after exposure under atomic oxygen （5×10²⁰ atoms/cm²）. After UV exposure （3000 ESH）， the tensile strength of 0（°） loss 1.6%. However， the tensile strength of 90（°） increased from 65.9 to 75.3 MPa. In addition， the Total Mass Loss （TML） and Collected Volatile Condensable Materials （CVCM） of the composite from outgassing in a vacuum environment for 24 h are less than 1% and 0.1%， respectively（the material is placed at 125 ℃， less than 7×10^-3 Pa）. The carbon fiber reinforced composites prepared in this paper have excellent resistance to space radiation and can be used as candidate composite materials for large-scale space structures.

Key words: Space structure, Composite, Mechanical property, Space radiation