Experimental and simulation study on shaped-charge cutting of CFRP separation plates between spacecraft stages

Abstract At present, the separation plate of the shaped-charge separation device in spacecraft stages is mainly made of metal materials, resulting in the low lightweight efficiency of the device. If Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite materials are used instead of metal materials, the lightweight of the device can be significantly improved, thereby improving the carrying capacity of the rocket body. However, challenges remain in accurately conducting shaped-charge cutting tests on CFRP, monitoring test data and improving simulation accuracy. Since the shaped-charge cutting process is accompanied by smoke, usually only the final test state can be observed, and the cutting and separation process is difficult to record. To address this challenge, this paper establishes an experimental platform for the shaped-charge cutting of the CFRP separation plate. On this platform, a high-speed camera is used to capture the cutting and separation process of the CFRP separation plate and a Displacement Interferometer System for Any Reflector (DISAR) monitoring system is employed to obtain the separation velocity at the characteristic position. In addition, an accurate simulation model is established to reproduce the entire shaped-charge cutting and separation process of the separation plate. The results show that the established simulation model can effectively guide the development of the test, and the test combined with simulation analysis further clarifies the shaped-charge cutting and separation mechanism of the CFRP separation plate, providing experimental guidance and simulation support for the design of the shaped-charge separation devices of the CFRP separation plate.