Influence of laser-treated copper cladding on mode-Ⅰ fracture toughness in conformal antennas

doi:10.19936/j.cnki.2096-8000.20260828.017

Abstract

Abstract: The copper-clad surface of antennas is typically smooth, requiring surface treatment when preparing conformal load-bearing antenna structures. Compared to sandblasting, laser surface treatment offers higher reliability and controllability. In this study, a nanosecond infrared laser was used to treat the copper-clad surface of a PI-copper film. The resulting quasi-conformal load-bearing antenna structure wasevaluatedusing double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens todeterminethe mode-Ⅰ fracture toughness (G_ⅠC).The results show that laser surface treatment increases G_ⅠC by 542%. Additionally, it was observed that cracks, which initially propagated along the copper-clad interface, shifted to other interfaces after laser treatment. Numerical simulations were conducted using ABAQUS software, where a DCB model was established with cohesive elements. The simulation results indicate that when the cohesive element thickness is 0.1 mm, the maximum delamination failure force reaches 64.9 N, with an 11.3% deviation from experimental results.

Key words: conformal load-bearing antenna structure, copper-clad surface, laser surface treatment, interlaminar fracture toughness, numerical simulation

CLC Number:

TB332

XU Liang, YUAN Guoqing. Influence of laser-treated copper cladding on mode-Ⅰ fracture toughness in conformal antennas[J]. COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, 2026, 0(8): 136-143.

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