Lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of antenna protection equipment discloses a kind of lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome, including the cover body made of thermoplastic composite material, hollow interlayer structure is arranged in the wall of the cover body;Thermoplastic composite material is with thermoplastic resin as matrix, and with fibre fabric as reinforcing material.A kind of lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome, all adopt thermoplastic material, product life cycle end can be recycled by heating melting and realize the recycling of material, solve the environmental pollution problem of thermosetting composite material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of antenna protection equipment, and in particular to a lightweight, recyclable thermoplastic radome. Background Technology

[0002] A radome is a crucial protective component of an antenna system, primarily functioning to shield the antenna from external environmental factors such as wind, rain, snow, dust, and ultraviolet radiation. This is essential for ensuring the long-term stable operation of the antenna. Widely used in aerospace, radar communications, and meteorological observation, radomes not only need high wave transmittance to ensure effective electromagnetic wave transmission but also must possess sufficient mechanical strength to withstand external impacts and harsh weather conditions. With the development of modern technology, lightweight design and resistance to environmental aging have become important considerations in radome design. An ideal radome should maintain excellent electromagnetic performance while effectively reducing its weight, extending its service life, and resisting potential threats to the antenna system from various natural and human factors.

[0003] A search revealed existing patents disclosing a lightweight, recyclable thermoplastic radome, comprising connectors and functional components, which are fixedly connected. The thermoplastic radome proposed in this invention allows for separate optimization of the functional components and connectors, or they can be integrated into a single structure. Designing the main wall thickness of the functional components can significantly reduce product weight. By employing different fixed connection methods, lightweighting can be achieved while maintaining airtightness.

[0004] In the existing technology, traditional radomes are mostly made of thermosetting composite materials. Although thermosetting composite materials have excellent mechanical properties and heat resistance, they have problems such as being non-recyclable, having long production cycles, being difficult to repair, and being difficult to dispose of waste, which do not meet the current requirements of green environmental protection and sustainable development. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the aforementioned problems of non-recyclable and difficult waste disposal, this utility model is proposed.

[0006] Therefore, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a lightweight and recyclable thermoplastic radome, which is made entirely of thermoplastic materials and can be recycled and reused by heating and melting after the product life cycle, thus solving the environmental pollution problem of thermosetting composite materials.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome, comprising a radome body made of thermoplastic composite material, wherein a hollow sandwich structure is provided inside the wall of the radome body;

[0008] The thermoplastic composite material uses thermoplastic resin as the matrix and fiber fabric as the reinforcing material.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model, the sandwich structure is a honeycomb, foam, or corrugated structure uniformly distributed within the radome wall, which effectively reduces weight and improves overall rigidity and compressive strength.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model, the thermoplastic resin is one of polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polycarbonate or polypropylene, which has good mechanical properties, heat resistance and dielectric properties.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model, the fiber fabric is one of glass fiber, carbon fiber or aramid fiber fabric, providing a high-strength and high-modulus reinforcement effect.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model, the inner and outer surfaces of the radome are covered with a skin made of continuous fiber thermoplastic prepreg.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model, the thickness of the skin is 0.1mm~0.5mm to improve surface strength and impact resistance.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model, the outer surface of the radome is further coated with a weather-resistant protective coating to further enhance its resistance to ultraviolet radiation, corrosion, and rain erosion.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model, the radome body is manufactured integrally by injection molding or hot pressing, which results in high production efficiency and low cost.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. This utility model adopts a hollow sandwich structure design, which significantly reduces the overall weight of the radome while ensuring structural strength.

[0018] 2. This utility model uses thermoplastic materials throughout. After the product life cycle ends, the materials can be recycled and reused by heating and melting, which solves the environmental pollution problem of thermosetting composite materials and conforms to the concept of green manufacturing.

[0019] 3. In this invention, the thermoplastic material itself has good toughness and is not prone to overall cracking after impact. Localized damage can be repaired by methods such as heat welding, extending the product's service life.

[0020] 4. This utility model has a short molding cycle for thermoplastic composite materials, making it particularly suitable for injection molding or hot pressing integrated molding, which is beneficial for large-scale production and reduces costs.

[0021] 5. By selecting different thermoplastic resins and reinforcing fibers, the dielectric properties, mechanical properties, and environmental resistance of the radome can be flexibly adjusted to meet the needs of different application scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sandwich structure of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cover and skin structure of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome and its protective coating.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0027] 1. Cover; 2. Sandwich structure; 3. Skin; 4. Protective coating. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] Reference Figures 1-2 This is the first embodiment of the present invention, which provides a lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome. The lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome includes a radome body 1 made of thermoplastic composite material. A hollow sandwich structure 2 is provided inside the wall of the radome body 1. By constructing a cavity inside the material, the weight of the product can be significantly reduced while maintaining or even increasing the overall thickness.

[0031] Thermoplastic composites use thermoplastic resin as the matrix. Thermoplastic resin can be remelted and reshaped by heating, thus realizing the recycling and reuse of materials. This solves the environmental problem that traditional thermosetting radomes become solid waste that cannot be recycled after they are scrapped. Thermoplastic resin usually has the advantages of short molding cycle, good toughness and fatigue resistance. With fiber fabric as the reinforcing material, the product is lightweight while having sufficient mechanical strength and rigidity to meet the structural load-bearing requirements of the radome and prevent deformation or damage in environments such as wind load and vibration.

[0032] The sandwich structure 2 is a honeycomb, foam, or corrugated structure that is uniformly distributed within the cover wall;

[0033] Honeycomb structures possess extremely high specific strength and specific stiffness;

[0034] Foam-like structures are easy to mold and have low cost;

[0035] Corrugated structures exhibit excellent compressive strength in specific directions, and their diverse structures allow for the selection of the most suitable structure based on specific performance, cost, and process requirements.

[0036] This ensures the isotropic and consistent mechanical properties and electromagnetic wave transmission performance of the radome, avoiding weak points or differences in electromagnetic performance caused by structural inhomogeneity.

[0037] The thermoplastic resin is one of polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polycarbonate, or polypropylene;

[0038] Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) have excellent high-temperature resistance, flame retardancy, and mechanical properties.

[0039] Polycarbonate has excellent impact resistance and transparency, good mechanical properties, and is suitable for a variety of environments;

[0040] Polypropylene is inexpensive and has good chemical resistance, making it suitable for applications where performance requirements are not high and cost control is a priority.

[0041] The fiber fabric is one of glass fiber, carbon fiber, or aramid fiber fabric;

[0042] Glass fiber offers the best cost-effectiveness, with high strength and good insulation.

[0043] Carbon fiber has the highest specific strength and specific modulus, providing ultimate lightweight and stiffness;

[0044] Aramid fibers have excellent impact resistance, toughness, and fatigue resistance.

[0045] Example 2

[0046] Reference Figures 1-4This is the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the inner and outer surfaces of the radome 1 are covered with a skin 3 made of continuous fiber thermoplastic prepreg. The skin mainly bears bending stress, while the core layer mainly bears shear stress and maintains the spacing. This allows the radome to achieve extremely high bending stiffness and strength while being extremely lightweight, effectively resisting deformation and protecting the internal antenna.

[0047] The thickness of the skin 3 is 0.1mm~0.5mm, which ensures that basic mechanical and functional requirements are met while optimizing weight.

[0048] The outer surface of the radome 1 is also coated with a weather-resistant protective coating 4, which solves the environmental aging problem faced by the radome when used outdoors for a long time, and significantly improves the durability and service life of the product.

[0049] The cover 1 is manufactured as a single piece through injection molding or hot pressing, avoiding secondary processes such as bonding, reducing production steps, improving structural integrity and consistency, and avoiding the risk of delamination due to adhesive aging.

[0050] The remaining structure is the same as that in Example 1.

[0051] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solution of this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of this utility model, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A lightweight, recyclable thermoplastic radome, comprising a radome body (1) made of thermoplastic composite material, characterized in that: The inner wall of the cover (1) is provided with a hollow sandwich structure (2). The thermoplastic composite material uses thermoplastic resin as the matrix and fiber fabric as the reinforcing material.

2. The lightweight, recyclable thermoplastic radome according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sandwich structure (2) is a honeycomb, foam or corrugated structure uniformly distributed in the wall of the cover.

3. The lightweight, recyclable thermoplastic radome according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thermoplastic resin is one of polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polycarbonate, or polypropylene.

4. The lightweight, recyclable thermoplastic radome according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fiber fabric is one of glass fiber, carbon fiber, or aramid fiber fabric.

5. The lightweight, recyclable thermoplastic radome according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner and outer surfaces of the cover (1) are covered with a skin (3) made of continuous fiber thermoplastic prepreg.

6. The lightweight, recyclable thermoplastic radome according to claim 5, characterized in that: The thickness of the skin (3) is 0.1mm~0.5mm.

7. The lightweight, recyclable thermoplastic radome according to claim 5, characterized in that: The outer surface of the cover (1) is also coated with a weather-resistant protective coating (4).

8. The lightweight recyclable thermoplastic radome according to claim 7, characterized in that: The cover (1) is manufactured as a single piece by injection molding or hot pressing.

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