Double Lap Shear Testing of Coating Modified Ice Adhesion to Liquid Oxygen Food Line Bracket, Space Shuttle External Tank

• Main Authors: Ferrick, M. G., Mulherin, N. D., Haehnel, R. B., Coutermarsh, B. A., Durell, G. D., Tantillo, T. J., St.Clair, T. L., Welser, E. S., Cano, R. J., Smith, T. M., Martinez, E. C.
• Other Authors: ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER HANOVER NH COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Inorganic Chemistry; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Containers and Packaging; Test Facilities; Equipment and Methods; *ICE FORMATION; *COATINGS; *TANKS(CONTAINERS); *LIQUID OXYGEN; *SPACE SHUTTLES; *SHEAR TESTS; TEST AND EVALUATION; POSITION(LOCATION); TEMPERATURE; ICE; TEMPERATURE CONTROL; MOUNTING BRACKETS; FEEDING; RANGE(EXTREMES); FROST; PATTERNS; EXTERNAL STORES; ALUMINUM; REDUCTION; CONSISTENCY; ADHESION; PROTOTYPES; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA447148; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA447148

The brackets that secure the liquid oxygen feed line to the external tank are known locations of frost and ice growth during the period following fuel loading. This experiment quantified the reduced adhesion when ice phobic coating were applied to test coupons simulating the bracket surface. Double lap shear testing of coated and uncoated coupons provided robust test specimens and consistent load response patterns with exceptional resolution. For these tests ice was grown as strong and consistently as possible, subject to temperature decreases comparable to those of the prototype bracket, and tested at a controlled temperature of -112 degrees C. The tests evolved in three phases, with uncoated controls included in each group of tested samples. The first phase of testing evaluated a wide range of coatings, and showed that Rain-X mixed with MP-55 powdered Teflon (RXM) was outstanding coating to reduce ice adhesion to Koropon coated aluminum. The original document contains color images.