Study on Thermal Vacuum Outgassing Data of Nonmetallic Sealing Materials for Space Connector

Abstract

The aerospace connector is an important connecting element between the components of the aerospace device. Its general structure includes contacts, insulators, shells, potting compounds and other accessories.Except for the contacts and shells, the rest are made of nonmetallic materials. In deep space environment, non-metallic sealing materials release gases of certain compositions commonly referred to as thermal vacuum outgassing. The re-condensation of these gases may cause system failure, and also affect the structural characteristics of the connector itself. Therefore, there are strict performance requirements for the thermal vacuum outgassing of its non-metallic components. In this study, TML (total mass loss), CVCM (collected volatile condensable materials) and WVR (water vapor regained) parameters in the thermal vacuum outgassing test were taken as the research objects.A thermal vacuum outgassing database for non-metallic materials were established and analyzed, compared the test data of external binder materials, protective coating materials, potting materials, PTFE and other materials at home and abroad.Through data analysis, it can be found that the qualified proportion of adhesives, protective coatings and potting materials in foreign data is relatively low, and the qualified proportion of domestic similar products is relatively high. So that more companies need pay attention to the parameters of outgassing, develop more raw sealing materials and improve the number of domestic thermal vacuum outgassing data.