Characterization of Materials Durability against AO Erosion and MMOD Impact

A large number of space vehicles operate in the harsh environment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where organic materials and some metals are eroded by atomic oxygen (AO), often in combination with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation. We are developing several classes of polymer-based materials and their composites with enhanced resistance to AO erosion, as well as embedded chemistries that enable self-passivation and protection of polymeric materials exposed to AO in space. These integrated self-passivation strategies are designed to be repeatable, activating even after micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) impacts destroy the initial surface passivation.​

We conduct ground-based AO exposure studies in our laboratory facilities and perform in situ experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In addition, we investigate the science and engineering of hypervelocity impacts by MMOD traveling at ~7 km/s through (i) laboratory experiments with laser-driven flyers at the millimeter scale, using high-energy lasers to accelerate aluminum discs to ~5 km/s, and with a two-stage light gas gun to drive larger projectiles to orbital debris velocities (~7 km/s), and (ii) large-scale adaptive finite element and hydrodynamic computer simulations. Our work emphasizes lightweight hybrid-material designs that can simultaneously mitigate multiple threats encountered in LEO.​

​Team members: Profs. Chasiotis, Sottos, Ning​

Sponsors: AFOSR, ONR, NASA​