Electrical Arc Ignition Testing of Spacesuit Materials
31
1 NASA White Sands Test Facility Electrical Arc Ignition Testing of Spacesuit Materials October 2006 Sarah Smith Tim Gallus Susana Tapia Elizabeth Ball Harold Beeson
Transcript of Electrical Arc Ignition Testing of Spacesuit Materials
1
NA
SA
Whi
te S
ands
Tes
t Fac
ility
Elec
tric
al A
rc Ig
nitio
n Te
stin
g of
Sp
aces
uit M
ater
ials
Oct
ober
200
6
Sar
ah S
mith
Tim
Gal
lus
Susa
na T
apia
Eliz
abet
h Ba
llH
arol
d B
eeso
n
2
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ands
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t Fac
ility
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Bac
kgro
und
•Te
stin
g in
resp
onse
to
fraye
d ca
ble
disc
over
ed
durin
g sp
acew
alk
•R
elia
nce
on A
pollo
-era
arc
te
stin
g–
Lim
ited
appl
icab
ility
to c
urre
nt
mat
eria
ls–
Sig
nific
ant c
hang
es in
vol
tage
an
d ci
rcui
try–
Poo
r und
erst
andi
ng o
f tes
t co
nfig
urat
ion
3
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ands
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ility
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Test
Obj
ectiv
es
•G
ain
bette
r und
erst
andi
ng o
f Apo
llo-e
ra d
ata
•In
vest
igat
e ne
w te
st m
etho
ds•
Cha
ract
eriz
e m
inim
um c
urre
nt le
vels
nec
essa
ry fo
r co
mbu
stio
n of
EM
U m
ater
ials
(at a
giv
en v
olta
ge)
4
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te S
ands
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ility
4
Test
Sam
ple
Mat
eria
ls
5
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ands
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ility
5
6
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te S
ands
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ility
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Test
Met
hods
•M
ultip
le lo
catio
n in
term
itten
t arc
ing
(scr
atch
) tes
t •
Sin
gle
loca
tion
inte
rmitt
ent a
rcin
g (p
oke)
test
•S
ingl
e lo
catio
n w
ire-b
reak
arc
ing
test
7
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te S
ands
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t Fac
ility
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Scra
tch
Test
Obj
ectiv
es
•S
imul
ate
Apo
llo-e
ra te
stin
g•
Det
erm
ine
conf
igur
atio
nale
ffect
s•
Test
mat
eria
ls c
urre
ntly
use
d in
the
EM
U
8
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te S
ands
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t Fac
ility
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9
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te S
ands
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t Fac
ility
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Slit
in T
est S
ampl
e
Styl
us
Cot
ton
Scra
tch
Test
Vid
eo
10
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ands
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t Fac
ility
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Scra
tch
Test
Res
ults
•Te
stin
g yi
elde
d re
sults
sim
ilar t
o A
pollo
-era
test
ing
•Fr
ayed
mat
eria
ls m
ore
reac
tive
•N
o di
stin
guis
habl
e di
ffere
nce
betw
een
horiz
onta
l sa
mpl
es a
nd v
ertic
al s
ampl
es•
Test
s pe
rform
ed a
t 23.
5 ps
ia10
0% O
2, 2
2.5
V–
7 m
ater
ials
test
ed–
Cur
rent
requ
ired
for i
gniti
on ra
nged
from
0
.8 A
to 1
.4 A
11
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ility
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Entir
e D
ata
Plot
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ands
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ility
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Clo
seup
Dat
a Pl
ot
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te S
ands
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t Fac
ility
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Scra
tch
Test
Pro
blem
s
•N
ot p
ossi
ble
to d
eter
min
e w
hich
arc
igni
ted
mat
eria
l•
Arc
ene
rgie
s va
ry w
idel
y fro
m te
st to
test
and
arc
to a
rc•
Diff
icul
t to
ensu
re th
at te
st s
ampl
e m
ater
ial i
s in
intim
ate
cont
act w
ith a
rcin
g ev
ent
•C
onfig
urat
ion
not r
ealis
tic fo
r ins
ide
spac
esui
t bec
ause
of
siz
e of
sty
lus
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ility
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Poke
Tes
t Obj
ectiv
es
•D
eter
min
e w
heth
er m
ore
seve
re to
arc
with
wire
s or
st
ylus
•D
eter
min
e w
heth
er m
ore
seve
re to
arc
in s
ingl
e lo
catio
n (p
oke
test
) or m
ultip
le lo
catio
ns (s
crat
ch te
st)
15
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ility
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Poke
Tes
t Res
ults
•P
oke
test
resu
lts c
onsi
sten
t with
scr
atch
test
resu
lts–
No
dete
ctab
le d
iffer
ence
bet
wee
n ar
cing
in o
ne lo
catio
n or
m
ultip
le lo
catio
ns
•Te
sts
show
ed th
at it
is m
ore
seve
re to
arc
with
a w
ire
than
a s
tylu
s
–W
ires
are
flam
mab
le a
nd c
an b
urn
in o
xyge
n–
Bur
ning
wire
s ea
sily
igni
te te
st m
ater
ials
17
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te S
ands
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t Fac
ility
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Poke
Tes
t Pro
blem
s
•N
ot p
ossi
ble
to d
eter
min
e w
hich
arc
igni
ted
mat
eria
l•
Arc
ene
rgie
s va
ry w
idel
y fro
m te
st to
test
and
arc
to a
rc•
Diff
icul
t to
ensu
re th
at te
st s
ampl
e m
ater
ial i
s in
intim
ate
cont
act w
ith a
rcin
g ev
ent
18
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te S
ands
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ility
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Wire
-bre
ak T
est O
bjec
tives
•R
educ
e va
riabi
lity
in te
sts
•Te
st a
ll m
ater
ials
•D
eter
min
e w
heth
er ig
nitio
n is
dep
ende
nt o
n vo
ltage
or
curr
ent
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ands
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ility
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9.00
1550
0.00
6334
0.35
150.
0006
254
0.45
240.
0007
852
0.50
300.
0008
851
0.63
390.
001
50
0.70
470.
0011
49
0.83
560.
0012
48
0.90
770.
0014
47
1.10
100
0.00
1646
1.30
127
0.00
1845
1.50
156
0.00
244
1.80
189
0.00
2243
2.30
244
0.00
2542
2.60
306
0.00
2841
3.00
375
0.00
3140
3.80
479
0.00
3539
5.00
625
0.00
438
App
roxi
mat
e C
urre
nt
Req
uire
d to
Bre
ak W
ire
(A)
% o
f Flig
ht W
ire C
ross
S
ectio
nal A
rea
Dia
met
er (i
n.)
AW
G S
ize
21
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ands
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t Fac
ility
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Cot
ton
Wire
-Bre
ak T
est V
ideo
22
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ands
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t Fac
ility
22
Hig
h Sp
eed
Cot
ton
Wire
-bre
ak T
est V
ideo
Wire
23
NA
SA
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te S
ands
Tes
t Fac
ility
23
Typi
cal D
ata
Plot
24
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SA
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ands
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t Fac
ility
24
Clo
seup
Dat
a Pl
ot
25
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te S
ands
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t Fac
ility
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Wire
-bre
ak T
est R
esul
ts
•M
uch
mor
e se
vere
than
scr
atch
and
pok
e te
sts
•Te
st c
ondi
tions
–23
.5 p
sia
100%
O2,
22.
5 V
–50
psi
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% O
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d 50
% N
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5 V
•S
ever
al m
ater
ials
faile
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stin
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the
low
est p
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curr
ent,
~0.3
A•
Cur
rent
requ
ired
for i
gniti
on fo
r mos
t mat
eria
ls ra
nged
fro
m <
0.3
A to
0.9
7 A
26
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ands
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t Fac
ility
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Wire
-Bre
ak T
est R
esul
ts (c
ont.)
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ore-
Tex
only
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unde
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h m
ore
seve
re
cond
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s–
100%
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54
psia
–Zi
gzag
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con
figur
atio
n
27
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ands
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ility
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Wire
-bre
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ests
vs.
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atch
Tes
ts
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t Ign
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(A)
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psi
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V
28
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te S
ands
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t Fac
ility
28
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29
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SA
Whi
te S
ands
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t Fac
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29
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31
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te S
ands
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t Fac
ility
31
Con
clus
ions
•W
ire-b
reak
test
is w
orst
-cas
e•
Fuzz
y m
ater
ials
gen
eral
ly e
asie
r to
igni
te•
Cur
rent
app
ears
to h
ave
grea
ter e
ffect
than
vol
tage
•C
ontro
lling
risk
mus
t inc
lude
bot
h–
Phy
sica
l iso
latio
n of
eas
y to
igni
te m
ater
ials
–Li
miti
ng c
urre
nt a
nd v
olta
ge
