CFRP - New Material for Telescope Manufacturing

Carbon Fiber Re-enforced Polymer (CFRP) has replaced steel, especially for mobile devices. As CFRP is stiff and light-weight, it has been applied to airplane, sport car, golf clubs, semiconductor transporter, satellites, etc. In the telescope, the plastic material was introduced to the supporting tubes or rods connecting the primary mirror assembly and the secondary mirror structure. Nowadays, even the mirror itself is produced by CFRP. In this poster, material properties and production of CFRP telescopes are presented, and pros and cons are discussed.