Piezoresistive nanocomposites for sensing MMOD impact damage in inflatable space structures

Abstract

Future space exploration requires easy-to-transport, easy-to-build and deployable space habitats. One of the biggest threats faced by the habitat structures is the impact damage caused by micrometeoroid orbital debris (MMOD) traveling at high velocities of few km/s. This work presents fabrication and testing of hybrid nanocomposites with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) as fillers in a flexible epoxy matrix, that are proposed to be used for sensing the impact damage by MMOD on inflatable space structures. CNTs and GNPs are chosen as fillers owing to their excellent electrical properties and piezoresistivity. A hypervelocity impact is conducted on the nanocomposite sensors to study their functionality in the space environment. The results prove that the piezoresistive nanocomposites can be utilized as a part of damage detection system, which would not only detect the impact damage caused by MMOD of 3 mm diameter traveling at 7 km/s but also discern its location and depth within the inflatable structural layers.