HOPAR

The aim of the HOPAR project is to develop a high-temperature carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) for the temperature-critical areas of space aircraft. Space aircraft enable the efficient transport of satellites, astronauts and cargo, as they are almost entirely reusable after a mission. Their aircraft-like operation allows for take-offs and landings at conventional airports, thereby offering significantly greater operational flexibility than rocket systems. However, a key challenge is the extreme thermal and mechanical stress encountered during hypersonic flight and re-entry, during which structural temperatures range from several hundred to over a thousand degrees Celsius. Conventional metallic materials reach their limits in this context due to their high weight, high thermal expansion, susceptibility to oxidation and cyclic damage. These properties impair the payload capacity, reusability and cost-effectiveness of spaceplanes. The HOPAR project aims to utilize the advantages of CFRP over metallic components. The initial focus is on temperature-critical areas, particularly around the leading edges of the wings and the winglets. Once the boundary conditions have been defined and the resulting thermal and mechanical stresses are simulated, test specimen made of CFRP with a high-temperature matrix will be manufactured and characterised. The temperature dependent property behaviour determined throughout characterisation is incorporated into a finite element model (FEM) for structural simulation. This is followed by the development of a complex mould to manufacture and demonstrate the leading edges using the new material. A particular challenge here is the complex geometry of the components. More…