Fracture failure analysis and prevention of carbon fiber thin wall crossbar

Abstract

The fracture failure of a crossbar occurred in a routine deployment test of a satellite ring antenna truss structure. In this study, the fracture cause of the carbon fiber thin wall crossbar was analyzed using body microscope observation, scanning electron microscope observation, metallographic analysis, hardness analysis, XRD analysis, and other methods. The analysis results show that the failure bar had interlaminar damage and local crack or breakage before this deployment test. This defect has further expanded and intensified in the multiple deployment tests of the circular antenna, resulting in the gradual decline of the local stiffness of the crossbar, and finally the buckling failure. By using the bottom plate reflection method to carry out non-destructive testing on the rod, it can effectively avoid false inspection and missing inspection of defects.