TESTING AND RANKING COMPOSITES FOR LIQUID OXYGEN COMPATIBILITY

摘要

NASA, the United States Air Force, and others, have a strong desire to lighten the weight of theirrnrockets in order to use less fuel. Many different avenues are being investigated that will allow arnlighter rocket with no loss of function. One of the ways under investigation is the substitution ofrnlightweight composite materials for heavier metals. This idea is promising in many areas, butrnthe substitution of composites for metals in cryogenic tanks, especially oxygen tanks, introducesrnsome possible safety hazards. An all-composite tank for liquid oxygen storage has tremendousrnpotential for vehicle mass reduction. Past composite tank programs have relied on the testing andrndown-selection of off-the-shelf materials. These materials are ranked for compatibility in a liquidrnoxygen impact test; however, there is no true insight as to why some composite materials farernbetter than others. A methodical approach has been initiated to help understand the compatibilityrnof composite materials with liquid oxygen. This method involves the testing of compositernlaminates from commonly known materials and the testing of formulated neat resins. The neatrnresin tests allow precise control of the constituents to understand how different base resins,rncuring agents and tougheners respond to liquid oxygen. The resin tests are in parallel with testsrnon composite laminates where the resin is held constant and different fibers are used.