3rd AIAA Atmospheric Space Environments Conference AIAA 2011-3674

27 - 30 June 2011, Honolulu, Hawaii

Contamination Simulation of Elastomer Space Seals

with Foreign Object Debris

Nicholas G. Garafolo and Christopher C. Daniels

The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA

Foreign object debris (FOD) is an ever increasing risk to spacecraft and its occupants.
Space seals, being the barrier between the FOD filled environment and the spacecraft cabin,
are vulnerable to failure from FOD exposure. A series of experiments were conducted to
study the effects of several FOD simulants on the leak rate performance of elastomeric space
seals. In this study, FOD contamination was placed on a subscale, candidate space seal
and characterized for leak rate. Four FOD simulants were utilized independently: nickel-
titanium wire, lunar regolith simulant, common laboratory dust, and latex-based paint
chip. Results suggested that the leak rate is extremely susceptible to the presence of FOD,
regardless of size and quantity. The two most influential FOD simulants investigated were
nickel-titanium wire and lunar regolith simulant. In both cases, modest amount of simulant
resulted in drastic increases from the baseline leak rates. The seal was less susceptible to
latex-based paint chips and common laboratory dust.

Nomenclature
a1 , a0 regression coefficients
B bias error
lbm pounds mass
m mass
m mass leak rate
P precision error
p absolute pressure
R specific gas constant
T temperature
t time
Z compressibility factor

I. Introduction
he performance of elastomer space seals is essential to the success of manned space flight missions.
T Elastomer seals provide the barrier between the inhabitable vacuum of space and the crucial cabin
atmosphere of the spacecraft. With over 19,000 man-made objects in orbit, foreign object debris (FOD) is 1

an ever-growing threat to the performance and viability of seals.

As the leak rate requirements for elastomer seals vary with mission and vehicle, there is little margin for
FOD effects. Make-up air systems are limited in the amount of breathable air that can be supplied to the
spacecraft. For example, the leak rate limit for the main interface of NASAs Low Impact Docking System
(LIDS) was approximately 14 106 lbm,dry air per day per linear inch of seal.2
FOD may manifest in many forms. Poorly maintained facilities and inadequate operational practices can
contribute to the collection of FOD during spacecraft assembly and ground-based maintenance.3 FOD can
Research Assistant Professor, College of Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, and AIAA Member.
Associate Research Professor, College of Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, and AIAA Senior Member.

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accumulate during in-orbit operations from the over 5 million kg of orbiting debris stemming from breakup
fragments, collisions, operational dumping, etc.4 During a planetary mission (e.g., to the Moon or Mars),
environmental dust can cause seal failures and has proven to fail space suit seals during the Apollo missions.5
Seals are common on spacecraft. They are the primary interface for inter-vehicle mating in the form of
docking seals.6, 7 Similar to the dynamic seals in docking, seals are required for hatches.8 In addition, view
ports are often a mission necessity and require static seals.9, 10
Silicone elastomer is the common material for space seal applications. While not the best for minimiz-
ing air loss when compared to other materials, such as Buna-N,11 silicone elastomers meet other essential
performance and programmatic requirements. These requirements range from operating temperature and
required compression force2, 12 to low-outgassing standards.13, 14
Previous studies in leak rate performance of elastomer space seals have not considered the effects of FOD,
but rather investigate geometric issues and natural space environmental exposure. A significant number of
experimental investigations focused on various mating conditions of clean, pristine seals.15, 16, 17, 18, 19 Studies
of the effects of the space environment on elastomer seals focused on atomic oxygen (AO) and ultra-violet
(UV) radiation.20, 21 In low Earth orbit, silicone based elastomers react with the environmental AO. Although
the resulting surface is beneficial for mitigation the seal interface adhesion, it increases the leak rate.22 UV
radiation, emitted directly from the Sun or from the albedo of planetary surfaces, embrittles the elastomer
by breaking the long flexible molecular chains. These brittle, short, inflexible molecular chains lead to seal
failure through cracking.
Lacking in the each experimental investigation noted above was a consideration for the debris-filled
operational environment. As one of the primary missions of spacecraft is discovery, it is expected that the
environmental conditions will be filled with FOD, whether man-made or not. The objective of the research
presented herein was to characterize the effects of contamination representative of in-orbit and planetary
FOD on the leak rate performance of silicone elastomer space seals. A series of leak rate experiments
are described with several FOD simulants, namely nickel-titanium wire, lunar regolith simulant, common
laboratory dust, and latex-based paint chip.

II. Technical Approach

A series of experiments were conducted to characterize the leak rate of silicone space seals with various
representative FOD contaminants. The experimental setup, procedure, and data reduction techniques are
detailed herein.

A. Test Specimen
Test specimens consisted of two Gask-O-Seal R
designs, manufactured by the Composite Sealing Systems
Division of the Parker Hannifin Corporation. 23
Both proprietary Gask-O-Seal R
designs were composites
seals having elastomer bulbs vacuumed molded into a metallic retainer, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. As silicone
elastomer S0383-70 is a currently utilized space seal material, it meets total mass loss (TML) and collected
volatile condensable material (CVCM) requirements for space flight13 and was chosen for the bulb material.
The two test specimens, denoted as CBM and EDU58, were subscale candidate designs for the main interface
docking seal of LIDS and were chosen for their availability. Both subscale designs were approximately 12 in.
on the major diameter. The CBM has only the primary bulb, while EDU58 has an a primary (inner) and
redundant (outer) bulb; however only the primary bulbs of the EDU58 were tested.

B. Test Apparatus
The test apparatus consisted of two stainless steel platens, pressure and temperature transducers, and near
hermetic plumbing; all having a helium leak rate of below 109 atm cc/sec. Clamping the test specimen
between two stainless steel platens with a surface finish of 16 in, or better created an internal control
volume, Fig. 3. Pressure transducers and a resistance temperature device (RTD) monitored pressure and
temperature, respectively. A vent port was located between the primary (inner) and redundant (outer) seal
bulb locations to characterize the performance of only the primary seal bulb. A foam cover insulated the
apparatus from the laboratory environment.

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.

Figure 1. Illustration of EDU58 test specimen.

Figure 2. Photograph of CBM test specimen.

Figure 3. Illustration of test apparatus cross section with EDU58 installed.

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C. FOD Simulators
This study utilized four containments in various quantities: nickel-titanium (NiTI) wire, lunar regolith
simulant, common laboratory dust, and latex-based paint chip

1. Nickel-titanium wire
NiTi wire of various diameters were placed across the seal, Fig. 4(c), representative of manmade FOD. The
NiTi wire diameter ranged from 0.0015 to 0.010 in..

2. Lunar regolith simulant

In order to simulate contamination from planetary foreign object debris, JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant
uniformly coated the test specimen, Fig. 4(a). JSC-1A is a common lunar simulant, having a particle size
of less than 0.04 in. The regolith was applied in two iterations; the masses of simulant used were 1.1 104
lbm and 3.3 104 lbm . In addition, a third test included a cleaned test specimen, where the test specimen
was cleaned with pressurized air; 2.2 104 lbm of lunar regolith simulant remained.

3. Common laboratory dust

The effect of environmental cleanliness was investigated by allowing a test specimen to rest in a common
laboratory, unprotected for approximately 2.5 years. The test specimen collected dust, as it was not covered,
nor protected. The accumulation of the common laboratory dust on the seal was immeasurable with a mass
balance sensitive to 2.2 106 lbm , and is shown in Fig. 4(b). A microscope image of the common laboratory
dust is shown in Fig. 5.

4. Paint chips
A latex-based paint chip, common to spacecraft, was applied to the seal bulb as another representative
manmade FOD, Fig. 4(d). The paint chips were 0.002, 0.006, 0.013, and 0.024 in.2 .

(a) Lunar regolith simulant (b) Common laboratory dust

(c) Nickel-titanium wire (d) Square paint chip

Figure 4. FOD stimulants.

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 .

Figure 5. Microscope image of common laboratory dust on the EDU58 test specimen.

D. Mass Point Leak Rate Technique

The leak rate performance of each seal, under corresponding FOD conditions, were characterized through
the mass point leak rate technique.24, 25 In this method, mass was calculated directly through measurements
of pressure, temperature, volume, compressibility factor, and gas composition through the ideal gas law:
pV
m= (1)
ZRT
A compressibility factor equal to unity was appropriate for this application, as temperature was below
3140 F .26 Mass and time were populated for a desired pressure differential across the seal bulb, namely 14.7
psid. For a small mass drop, the linear decay model was appropriate. Here, a1 is the leak rate of the control
volume and a0 is the inconsequential initial mass of the system, shown Eqn. 2. A least-squares regression of
the mass-time population on the linear decay model yielded leak rate performance of the seal bulb, Eqn. 3.

m (t) = a1 t + a0 (2)
Pn Pn Pn
n i=1(ti mi ) i=1 (ti ) i=1 (mi )
a1 = Pn Pn 2 (3)
n i=1 (t2i ) ( i=1 (ti ))
Recent advances in regression analysis now afford the ability to perform an uncertainty analysis on the
leak rate calculation, where none was previously developed.27, 28, 29 Specific to the mass point leak rate
technique, the detailed uncertainty of the leak rate follows Eqn. 4. For brevity, the development of the
uncertainty parameter is not shown, but is found by reference.25, 30, 31

n  2 n  2
2
X m 2
X m
Um = Pm + Pt2i
i=1
mi i
i=1
ti
n  2 nn1  
X m 2
X X m m
+ Bm
+2 Bmi mk
i=1
mi i
i=1 k=i+1
mi mk
n  2 n1 n   
X m X X m m
+ Bt2i + 2 Bti tk
i=1
ti i=1 k=i+1
ti tk
n1 n   
X X m m
+ 2 Bti mk (4)
i=1
ti mk
k=i+1

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E. Experimental Approach
As noted above, the leak rates of the elastomeric space seal were characterized with the mass point leak rate
technique at laboratory room temperature. A test specimen was thoroughly cleaned with isopropyl alcohol.
Once dry, the test specimen was installed in the rigid component of the test apparatus (i.e., the lower test
section) with #8-32 retaining screws. For each experiment, a single FOD simulate was placed on the primary
bulb of test specimen. The upper test plate was installed into the test apparatus and clamped with 1/4-20
bolts. The internal control volume was cycle purged and pressurized with dry air. After three cycle purges,
the test apparatus was filled the dry air. The test apparatus was enclosed in foam with no other means of
temperature control. The mass of the control volume was allowed to decay and the data reduction techniques
were implemented for a pressure differential of 14.7 psid. Total leak rates were observed, then reported the
normalized per linear length of seal bulb.

III. Experimental Results and Discussion

The leak rate performance of a subscale elastomer space seal was quantified with a 95% confidence at room
temperature with various FOD simulants. The effect of each FOD simulant was characterized individually,
as no combinations of FOD were considered.
The effects of NiTi wire were striking and pose a great threat to the dependability of the subscale seals.
With the addition of NiTi wire lying across the seal bulb, the leak rate increased several orders of magnitude,
as shown in Fig. 6. Depending on the leak rate requirements, the addition of a small wire across the bulb
caused a leak rate failure. For a 0.004 in. diameter wire, an increase in leak rate of approximately 150
times the baseline was observed, from 8.3 107 lbm /day/in. to 1.3 104 lbm /day/in.. Fig. 7 illustrates
that even the addition of a 0.002 in. diameter NiTi wire exceeded the leak rate requirements of LIDS.2 It
is suggested that although the elastomer seal was a compliant interface, the seal was not able to conform
around the wires, and created a Poiseuille-type leak flow.
Lunar regolith simulant proved to be an influential FOD for increasing the leak rate. With as little as
3.3 104 lbm of simulant, the leak rate increased approximately 350 times from the baseline, clean seal;
from 1.4106 lbm /day/in. to a 4.6104 lbm /day/in. leak rate value. Even after cleaning with pressurized
air, the leak rate remained 5 times the baseline measurement, as a 6.7 106 lbm /day/in. leak rate value
was observed. Fig. 8 illustrates the effect of lunar regolith on leak rate, as compared to LIDS requirement.
Common laboratory dust did not significantly alter the leak rate of seal from the baseline, as the difference
between uncertainty intervals was approximately 1%. This is evident in Fig. 9. While the seal was visually

Figure 7. Effect of NiTi wire FOD on leak rate

Figure 6. Effect of NiTi wire FOD on leak rate. compared to LIDS requirements.

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Figure 8. Effect of lunar regolith simulant on
baseline leak rate. Figure 9. Effect of common laboratory dust on
leak rate.

Figure 10. Leak rates with various paint chip FOD.

covered with laboratory dust, Fig. 5 shows a comparably large surface area for sealing the interface. The
increase in leak rate was attributed to this minute reduction of pristine surface area.
The seal leak rate was less susceptible to rogue paint chips. There was a noticeable increase in leak
rate as the paint chip size increased, however, the uncertainty in the measurement resulted in no statistical
difference, Figure 10. It is suggested that refinements in the data acquisition system would greatly decrease
the uncertainty intervals and support the increasing trend in leak rate with paint chip size.

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 IV. Conclusions
Safety and reliability are a major concern for spacecraft. An ever-growing risk to the spacecraft and
astronauts is the accumulation of FOD. With the number of in-orbit debris increasing and planned missions
to harsh planetary environments, it is essential to investigate FOD influences on vital, integral components,
such as elastomeric seals.
Results of each FOD contaminant suggest that there is striking need for FOD mitigation for elastomeric
space seals. This experimental investigation supported the following conclusions:
The leak rate of an elastomer space increases dramatically with Ni-Ti wire, lying across the seal bulb.
As little as 3.3 104 lbm of lunar regolith simulant uniformly applied to the elastomeric seal increased
the observed leak rate approximately 350 times the baseline. Cleaning with compressed air did not
return the leak rate to baseline level.
Common laboratory dust did not significantly change the leak rate from a baseline level.
The leak rates of space seals exposed to latex-based paint chips increased with increasing size.

Acknowledgments
The authors greatly appreciate the contributions of Richard Tashjian for his technical support. The
authors thank Ian M. Smith, Janice Wasowski, and Ashley Veroff for their preliminary investigation in the
effects of lunar regolith FOD. The material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration under Contract Number NNC08CA35C.

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