Adhesion between Rocket Solid Propellant and EPDM Rubber treated by RF Plasma: an alternative for flexible thermal protections
- Paper number
IAC-07-C2.4.08
- Author
Ms. Joana Moraes, LPP/ITA - CTA, Brazil
- Coauthor
Prof. Homero Maciel, ISIS - Innovative Solutions In Space B.V., Brazil
- Coauthor
Dr. Jorge Dutra, Brazil
- Coauthor
Ms. Sandra Mello, Brazil
- Coauthor
Dr. Argemiro da Silva Sobrinho, ISIS - Innovative Solutions In Space B.V., Brazil
- Coauthor
Prof. Marcos Massi, ISIS - Innovative Solutions In Space B.V., Brazil
- Year
2007
- Abstract
The actual technology of solid propellant rocket of the Brazilian Space Program uses NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene) rubber as thermal protection of the rocket chamber. However, the NBR rubber has high density, is very expensive, and liberates toxic byproducts during the propellant burning. One interesting alternative to the NBR rubber is the EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene monomer) rubber, which possesses excellent mechanical and thermal properties, low density, low process cost and is environment friendly. Nevertheless, it has non-polar surface and consequently low adhesion properties. In order to improve the adhesion of the propellant to the EPDM rubber surface, the later must be activated. Cold plasma is a technology that offers a more economical, rapid, and environmental friendly rubber surface treatment, once the treatment is done using non-toxic gases. This technique also allows us to treat the rubber surface without affect the rubber bulk properties. In this work we present the results on the plasma surface treatment of EPDM rubber performed in RF (13.54MHz) glow discharge using gas mixtures of O2/Ar, N2/H2/Ar and N2/Ar. The treated and non-treated rubber surface was analyzed by contact angle measurement and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results show a significant reduction of the contact angle for the treated surfaces concomitantly with an increase of the surface energy and enhancement of the adhesion properties attributed to the polar C-O, C=O, C-N, C=N and CºN groups. The rubber/solid propellant adhesion test indicates an improvement of the adhesion strength for plasma treated EPDM/solid propellant interface, which is related to the increased EPDM rubber surface energy due to the plasma treatment. The adhesion strength of the EPDM/solid propellant is similar the one obtained for the NBR/solid propellant, indicating that EPDM rubber can safely be used as thermal protection of solid propellant rocket chamber.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-C2.4.08.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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