• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.21-26
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• 2003

In this research, the change of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of graphite/epoxy composite laminate under space environment was measured using fiber optic sensors. Two fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors have been adopted for the simultaneous measurement of thermal strain and temperature. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) conditions with high vacuum, ultraviolet and thermal cycling environments were simulated in a thermal vacuum chamber. As a pre-test, a FBG temperature sensor was calibrated and a FBG strain sensor was verified through the comparison with the electric strain gauge (ESG) attached on an aluminun specimen at high and low temperature respectively. The change of the CTE in a composite laminate exposed to space environment was measured for intervals of aging cycles in real time. As a whole, there was no abrupt change of the CTE after 1000 aging cycles. After aging, however, the CTE decreased a Little all over the test temperature range. These changes are caused by outgassing, moisture desorption, matrix cracking etc.