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Implementation of statistical process control: evaluating the mechanical performance of a candidate silicone elastomer docking seal
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Daniels, Christopher C. Oravec, Heather Ann |
| Copyright Year | 2014 |
| Description | The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been developing a novel docking system to meet the requirements of future exploration missions to low-Earth orbit and beyond. A dynamic gas pressure seal is located at the main interface between the active and passive mating components of the new docking system. This seal is designed to operate in the harsh space environment, but is also to perform within strict loading requirements while maintaining an acceptable level of leak rate. In this study, a candidate silicone elastomer seal was designed, and multiple subscale test articles were manufactured for evaluation purposes. The force required to fully compress each test article at room temperature was quantified and found to be below the maximum allowable load for the docking system. However, a significant amount of scatter was observed in the test results. Due to the stochastic nature of the mechanical performance of this candidate docking seal, a statistical process control technique was implemented to isolate unusual compression behavior from typical mechanical performance. The results of this statistical analysis indicated a lack of process control, suggesting a variation in the manufacturing phase of the process. Further investigation revealed that changes in the manufacturing molding process had occurred which may have influenced the mechanical performance of the seal. This knowledge improves the chance of this and future space seals to satisfy or exceed design specifications. |
| File Size | 562407 |
| Page Count | 7 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20150000874 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t3c01648j |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2014-07-28 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Docking Seal Process Control Silicone Elastomer Actuators Spacecraft Performance Low Earth Orbits Aerospace Environments Systems Engineering Compression Tests Elastomers Spacecraft Docking Mechanical Engineering Spacecraft Design Sealing Loads Forces Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
