Characterisation of integrated microstrip lines in aerospace composite structure

Abstract

The electromagnetic and mechanical performance of microstrip lines integrated into aerospace composite structure is discussed. The microstrip lines were manufactured using either an embroidery (with a conductive thread) or stencil transfer (with a conductive veil) technique. Both manufacturing techniques are fully compatible with existing aerospace pre-preg materials and autoclave processing. The embroidered microstrip line exhibited superior electromagnetic performance over the veil microstrip line. However, the electromagnetic performance of the embroidered microstrip line deteriorated rapidly when mechanically deformed unlike the veil microstrip line. Both manufacturing techniques resulted in a reduction of the maximum flexural stress at failure for the multifunctional composite. This suggests a trade between electromagnetic performance and mechanical durability governs which manufacturing approach is better suited to the integration of microwave componentry (such as antennas and feed networks) into aerospace composite structure.