Self Healing Spacecraft Epoxy

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When our skin gets a major cut, our bodies bleed and heals itself. This stops the invasion of damaging bacteria into the body. Then the body works vigorously to contain and stop any spreading of damage from the site. Our bodies are simply amazing. There are, however, many times when our bodies sustain minor cuts. In these cases, the body still reacts just as vigorously. Small problems can add up to big problems. Engineers and researchers know this all too well. Spacecrafts are constantly being bombarded by space debris. This debris, even if it really small, can add up to big problems in the long run.

But now engineers have a new weapon in the battle. Self healing epoxies are being tested at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, UK. Scientists thought about how the body heals itself and knew they could mimic the results. “When we cut ourselves we don’t have to glue ourselves back together, instead we have a self-healing mechanism. Our blood hardens to form a protective seal for new skin to form underneath,” says Dr Christopher Semprimoschnig. (Source: European Space Agency) But how could they accomplish the body?

Dr. Semprimoschnig started replacing a percentage of the fibers that are embedded within the spacecraft’s composite body. And they turned to a common household item for the replacement – glass. Inside the glass tubes lies epoxy resins and a chemical agent. When the tiny glass tubes break, they mix these substances. The result is a clot. This is similar to the way blood clotting works. As blood interacts with air, it starts a process that ends in a scab.

This paves the way for longer spacecraft life. Though the commercial applications are probably a decade away, manufacturers are already salivating at the prospects. And considering the costs of building spacecraft and putting them in orbit, I would say they’re justified.

Photo Source: ESA

[tags]self healing spacecraft, self healing epoxy, self healing composites[/tags]

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