Comparative Thermomechanical Performance of CFRP and PETG for UAV Structures under Thermal Extremes

Comparative Thermomechanical Performance of CFRP and PETG for UAV Structures under Thermal Extremes | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Comparative Thermomechanical Performance of CFRP and PETG for UAV Structures under Thermal Extremes Juneed Yawar, Mohammad Mursaleen This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792151/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The selection of structurally resilient and thermally stable materials is critical in the design of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) frames that operate in varied environmental conditions. In this study, two candidate materials, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) and Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG), were systematically evaluated for their thermomechanical performance. Standardized ASTM tests were conducted on samples conditioned at − 10°C, 40°C, and 55°C for 12 hours, simulating the typical operational environments experienced by UAVs. CFRP specimens were tested using ASTM D3039-17 (tensile), ASTM D7264/D7264M-21 (flexural), and ASTM D2344/D2344M-22 (short-beam shear), while PETG samples were tested using ASTM D638-14 for tensile behavior. Mechanical properties including ultimate tensile strength, flexural strength, and interlaminar shear strength were recorded and analyzed in megapascals (MPa). The results reveal that CFRP retained approximately 91.7% of its tensile strength across temperatures with minimal degradation, while PETG showed a tensile strength reduction ranging from 11.1% to 20.2%, along with a marked shift from brittle to ductile failure behavior. Fractographic analysis confirmed distinct failure patterns across temperature regimes. These findings establish a material selection benchmark and support CFRP as the preferred material for UAV structures in harsh or variable thermal environments. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol Thermomechanical properties ASTM mechanical testing Temperature-dependent behavior Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8792151","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":603588047,"identity":"c5124533-d21d-4723-aa1c-43fc806e3b90","order_by":0,"name":"Juneed Yawar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBAC9gYQyQZmMz5gMABSzGCOBE4tjEhamA0YDAxI08IGVGZA2GGMM3IPPvhQdlje4PjZZ9UFBX/szdsZGD/8YLDIw60lL9lwxrnDhhvOpJvdnmFgkDjnMAOzZA+DRDFuLTlm0rxthxm3HUhju81jYJAgAfSLNNAviQ24tZj//tt22H7b+WdsxUAt9kAtzL/xaREE2sLM2HY4cduNNDZmoBbGGcwMbHhtkeZ5YyzZcy49ef+NZ8zSPAbGiTOAJlj2GODWwseeY/jhR5m17cz+NMbPPH/k7CX4Dx++8aOiDqcWKGhG8V8DMfFTR1DFKBgFo2AUjGAAAA4ZTWHLT+hYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"National Institute of Technology Srinagar","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Juneed","middleName":"","lastName":"Yawar","suffix":""},{"id":603588048,"identity":"b3b6c46a-1e6d-4fd7-ab4f-c9da27d954c0","order_by":1,"name":"Mohammad Mursaleen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Institute of Technology Srinagar","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammad","middleName":"","lastName":"Mursaleen","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-05 04:38:38","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792151/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792151/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":105715404,"identity":"a4484e43-ec9f-4c23-a6e6-fa3bebd92a78","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-30 08:43:42","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1401960,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"FinalManuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8792151/v1_covered_5af3a317-35a0-47ff-bed5-19b592abc091.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Comparative Thermomechanical Performance of CFRP and PETG for UAV Structures under Thermal Extremes","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer, Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol, Thermomechanical properties, ASTM mechanical testing, Temperature-dependent behavior","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792151/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792151/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe selection of structurally resilient and thermally stable materials is critical in the design of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) frames that operate in varied environmental conditions. In this study, two candidate materials, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) and Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG), were systematically evaluated for their thermomechanical performance. Standardized ASTM tests were conducted on samples conditioned at \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;10\u0026deg;C, 40\u0026deg;C, and 55\u0026deg;C for 12 hours, simulating the typical operational environments experienced by UAVs. CFRP specimens were tested using ASTM D3039-17 (tensile), ASTM D7264/D7264M-21 (flexural), and ASTM D2344/D2344M-22 (short-beam shear), while PETG samples were tested using ASTM D638-14 for tensile behavior. Mechanical properties including ultimate tensile strength, flexural strength, and interlaminar shear strength were recorded and analyzed in megapascals (MPa). The results reveal that CFRP retained approximately 91.7% of its tensile strength across temperatures with minimal degradation, while PETG showed a tensile strength reduction ranging from 11.1% to 20.2%, along with a marked shift from brittle to ductile failure behavior. Fractographic analysis confirmed distinct failure patterns across temperature regimes. 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