Periodic Reporting for period 3 - SpaceCarbon (European Carbon Fibres and Pre-Impregnated Materials for Space Applications)
Período documentado: 2021-01-01 hasta 2022-06-30
The European Space Industry faces risks of supply restrictions and shortages of raw materials used in the manufacturing of Spacecraft structures, due to its high dependency from non-European countries. In particular, continuous carbon fibres (CF) and related pre-impregnated materials, compliant with Space needs, are still not supplied by any European company. The current global carbon fibre manufacturing industry is predominately located in the United States, Japan, Europe, and China. ISpaceCarbon project aims to implement industrial, and research and development facilities to make Europe independent from non-European sources of carbon fibre and pre-impregnated materials. In SpaceCarbon project, two types of carbon fibres are being targeted: high modulus (HM) for satellite applications and intermediate modulus-high strength (IM) for launcher applications.
A consortium highly specialised in all required fields is working together to achieve such ambitious goals, also based on experience and lessons learnt in a previous project (EUCARBON), where European carbon fibres entering the high modulus range had been successfully produced. The scope covered by SpaceCarbon project includes carbon fibre industrial process optimization and stabilisation at SGL Composites, laboratorial scale prepreg manufacturing and resin formulation at INEGI, industrial scale prepreg manufacturing at AVIO, continuous material characterization at AAC (under Space relevant conditions) and NTUA (advanced characterization) and demonstrator requirements and assembly by both AVIO (launchers) and ASE (satellites).
A consortium highly specialised in all required fields is working together to achieve such ambitious goals, also based on experience and lessons learnt in a previous project (EUCARBON), where European carbon fibres entering the high modulus range had been successfully produced. The scope covered by SpaceCarbon project includes carbon fibre industrial process optimization and stabilisation at SGL Composites, laboratorial scale prepreg manufacturing and resin formulation at INEGI, industrial scale prepreg manufacturing at AVIO, continuous material characterization at AAC (under Space relevant conditions) and NTUA (advanced characterization) and demonstrator requirements and assembly by both AVIO (launchers) and ASE (satellites).
During the first 36th months of the project, the following main results were achieved:
- The demonstrators that will be manufactured with European CF were identified. The selected demonstrators for the IM fibres to be developed by SGL are: (i) a module of a cable duct, requiring 12k IM fibres that will be used in a fabric form and (ii) a scaled pressure vessel made from 24k fibres;
- Materials that meet such stablished requirements are being developed – CF, prepregs and laminates – and tested using techniques such as mechanical testing, ultrasonic inspections, Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentiation or SEM observations;
- So far, IM modulus with 50k and 24k filaments in the range of 320 GPa of tensile modulus and 5500-5900 GPa of tensile strength were manufactured at SGL Composites; laminates manufactured with both fibres were compliant with the targeted properties (tensile strength and modulus in both fibre direction and normal to fibre direction).
- Regarding the CF production, the manufacturing process is being optimized and the subsequent surface treatments and sizing to promote adhesion to the selected resin formulation are being performed;
- The optimization of polymer precursor for high modulus fibres is being explored, taking into account experience gained in EUCARBON project; SGL team is also focusing their efforts in reducing filament numbers;
- A life cycle assessment is being conducted as a mean to explore ways of reducing SpaceCarbon’s ecological footprint; the initial exercise already confirmed that the main environmental impacts for the development of pre-impregnation formulations are dominated by the used CF.
- SGL has completed the manufacturing of both 12k and 24k fibres, targeting the launcher applications; INEGI will provide laminates for full mechanical validation of the 24k fibres, while the 12k laminates will be validated in AVIO´s facilities;
- The consortium defined dates, location and agenda for the project workshop, that will be held on 2021;
- The second project newsletter was released;
- The demonstrators that will be manufactured with European CF were identified. The selected demonstrators for the IM fibres to be developed by SGL are: (i) a module of a cable duct, requiring 12k IM fibres that will be used in a fabric form and (ii) a scaled pressure vessel made from 24k fibres;
- Materials that meet such stablished requirements are being developed – CF, prepregs and laminates – and tested using techniques such as mechanical testing, ultrasonic inspections, Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentiation or SEM observations;
- So far, IM modulus with 50k and 24k filaments in the range of 320 GPa of tensile modulus and 5500-5900 GPa of tensile strength were manufactured at SGL Composites; laminates manufactured with both fibres were compliant with the targeted properties (tensile strength and modulus in both fibre direction and normal to fibre direction).
- Regarding the CF production, the manufacturing process is being optimized and the subsequent surface treatments and sizing to promote adhesion to the selected resin formulation are being performed;
- The optimization of polymer precursor for high modulus fibres is being explored, taking into account experience gained in EUCARBON project; SGL team is also focusing their efforts in reducing filament numbers;
- A life cycle assessment is being conducted as a mean to explore ways of reducing SpaceCarbon’s ecological footprint; the initial exercise already confirmed that the main environmental impacts for the development of pre-impregnation formulations are dominated by the used CF.
- SGL has completed the manufacturing of both 12k and 24k fibres, targeting the launcher applications; INEGI will provide laminates for full mechanical validation of the 24k fibres, while the 12k laminates will be validated in AVIO´s facilities;
- The consortium defined dates, location and agenda for the project workshop, that will be held on 2021;
- The second project newsletter was released;
Currently, the consortium was able to produce European-based IMCF and the mechanical testing confirmed that they are in the range of the defined requirements for launchers.
Although additional optimization work still needs to be performed, the fibre properties already achieved for IM CF (in the figure, shown in pink, references E2021, E2022 and E2045) can be related with the ones from the fibres commercialized by non-European companies (mostly Hexcel and Toray), as demonstrated in the picture below (Figure 4), showing a good progress regarding the state of the art of materials availability at Europe. This is representative of a significant progress of the European capacity to manufacture these specialty materials, potentially boosting the economy, besides opening more opportunities for emerging markets to benefit by the use of these fibres and prepregs.
Tensile properties are lower than launcher’s requirements, in the three types of tested CF (50, 24 and 12k), in the case of elongation, except for 50k CF, which reaches the requirement for some of the performed trials, the obtained results were lower than requirements.
First uni-directional laminate plates, manufactured at INEGI with SGL IMCF using 50k and 24k filament fibres, were successfully tested with respect to its tensile properties parallel and normal to the fibre direction. Both values were above the required values for AVIO´s launcher application.
Furthermore, a number of suitable resin systems for prepreg production selected by INEGI were subjected to outgassing test (at AAC facilities) in order to validate its applicability to Space applications. All four resin systems demonstrated their suitability to be used in composite parts for Space components.
The fibres manufactured by SGL during 2020 for the launcher demonstrators (cable duct and pressure vessel) show tensile strength values lower than the requirements (4900-5150 MPa), very similar to the previously manufactured fibres E2045 and E2022. After an involvement of AVIO`s design department, it was decided that a reduction of about 10% in the tensile strength values could be accepted, however, the payload mass to be launched would need to be reduced accordingly. For the cable duct demonstrator, AVIO accepts lower TS fibres, since this parameter is not so critical. Cable ducts require materials that withstand to aerodynamic environment and forces acting on the external surfaces of the launcher and the acceleration of the launcher during the ascent phase, therefore not so high mechanical properties are needed.
Current efforts are being made in order to produce high modulus precursor and fibre, taking into consideration the very large amount required for testing purposes and demonstrator manufacturing, and the tight mechanical property range.
The consortium gathered in a roundtable for the exploitation of the SpaceCarbon results. For that, NUTA was responsible for gathering the data previously ad after the meeting, based on the partners input, namely industrial ones (AVIO, AIRBUS and SGL). A document containing important information concerning the project materials was gathered for the effect, with data such as product cost, market coverage, production capacity, among others. On the meeting, the partners were encouraged to share their opinions regarding the future market, potential buyers and applications. The impact of this exploitation results is that the industrial members may see their materials/processes shortly becoming commercially available and competitive, compared with existing materials, For instance, SGL can become a supplier of carbon fibres for demanding sectors such as the space one, and AVIO can use these fibres to produce semiproducts (prepregs) for other applications that are not currently included in their portfolio.
Although additional optimization work still needs to be performed, the fibre properties already achieved for IM CF (in the figure, shown in pink, references E2021, E2022 and E2045) can be related with the ones from the fibres commercialized by non-European companies (mostly Hexcel and Toray), as demonstrated in the picture below (Figure 4), showing a good progress regarding the state of the art of materials availability at Europe. This is representative of a significant progress of the European capacity to manufacture these specialty materials, potentially boosting the economy, besides opening more opportunities for emerging markets to benefit by the use of these fibres and prepregs.
Tensile properties are lower than launcher’s requirements, in the three types of tested CF (50, 24 and 12k), in the case of elongation, except for 50k CF, which reaches the requirement for some of the performed trials, the obtained results were lower than requirements.
First uni-directional laminate plates, manufactured at INEGI with SGL IMCF using 50k and 24k filament fibres, were successfully tested with respect to its tensile properties parallel and normal to the fibre direction. Both values were above the required values for AVIO´s launcher application.
Furthermore, a number of suitable resin systems for prepreg production selected by INEGI were subjected to outgassing test (at AAC facilities) in order to validate its applicability to Space applications. All four resin systems demonstrated their suitability to be used in composite parts for Space components.
The fibres manufactured by SGL during 2020 for the launcher demonstrators (cable duct and pressure vessel) show tensile strength values lower than the requirements (4900-5150 MPa), very similar to the previously manufactured fibres E2045 and E2022. After an involvement of AVIO`s design department, it was decided that a reduction of about 10% in the tensile strength values could be accepted, however, the payload mass to be launched would need to be reduced accordingly. For the cable duct demonstrator, AVIO accepts lower TS fibres, since this parameter is not so critical. Cable ducts require materials that withstand to aerodynamic environment and forces acting on the external surfaces of the launcher and the acceleration of the launcher during the ascent phase, therefore not so high mechanical properties are needed.
Current efforts are being made in order to produce high modulus precursor and fibre, taking into consideration the very large amount required for testing purposes and demonstrator manufacturing, and the tight mechanical property range.
The consortium gathered in a roundtable for the exploitation of the SpaceCarbon results. For that, NUTA was responsible for gathering the data previously ad after the meeting, based on the partners input, namely industrial ones (AVIO, AIRBUS and SGL). A document containing important information concerning the project materials was gathered for the effect, with data such as product cost, market coverage, production capacity, among others. On the meeting, the partners were encouraged to share their opinions regarding the future market, potential buyers and applications. The impact of this exploitation results is that the industrial members may see their materials/processes shortly becoming commercially available and competitive, compared with existing materials, For instance, SGL can become a supplier of carbon fibres for demanding sectors such as the space one, and AVIO can use these fibres to produce semiproducts (prepregs) for other applications that are not currently included in their portfolio.