INVESTIGATION OF STRUCTURAL SEALING PARAMETERS AND CONCEPTS FOR SPACECRAFT. PART 1. DESIGN CRITERIA

Abstract

The many factors that influence the leakage of gases past a seal are discussed and analyzed to apprise the designer of pressurized spacecraft compartments of the problems of achieving and maintaining a seal when extremely low leakage rates are desired. The nature of the leakage path is described, and the ways in which leakage occurs are categorized as interstitial, interfacial, and permeation flow. Methods of predicting leakage for these flow regimes are given with greatest emphasis placed on the interfacial flow phenomenon which is characteristic of lightly loaded, demountable seals. In the experimental phase of this program, the sealing characteristics of elastomers were studied to determine relationships between contact stress and leakage with hardness as a parameter. It is concluded that the analytical techniques presented are applicable to the evaluation or design of spacecraft seals.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1965
Accession Number
AD0620044

Entities

People

  • Anton Hehn
  • Frank Iwatsuki

Organizations

  • IIT Research Institute

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aging (Materials)
  • Biomedical And Dental Materials
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Cosmic Rays
  • Fluid Flow
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Mechanical Working
  • Mechanics
  • Modulus Of Elasticity
  • Polymeric Films
  • Quantum Yields
  • Space Systems
  • Spacecraft

Readers

  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.
  • Tribology (the study of the boundary interaction between sliding surfaces, lubrication, wear and friction).

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster