Analysis of Damage in Unidirectional CFRP Circuit Analog Absorbers

This paper explores the effect that various instances and sources of damage have on the reflection coefficient of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) circuit analog absorbers (CAA). To characterize and quantify these changes, five absorbers were constructed for use as radar absorbing materials (RAM). A wet-layup procedure was used to develop the sandwich structure of a single-ply unidirectional CFRP, dielectric slab, and carbon twill weave. The evolution of the reflection coefficient is recorded and presented for four different sources of damage.