Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Clatterbuck, C..
Report describes work with concentrations down to 0.07 percent and is useful when applying adhesives in terrestrial and space applications. Cured Silicone retains low-outgassing properties as well as its snap, elongation, and resilience. Tests for hardness of silicone material also showed good results. No gross hysteresis observable on recovery from stretching nor was there any decrease in hardness.
Epoxy-compatible surface primer system permits room-temperature cure of high-strenth aluminum-to-aluminum bondes without using corrosive chromate. System eliminates risk involved in acid systems.
Gap, where cable joins connector housing, is shielded effectively by composite RF shielding made from suitable potting resin material (fumed silica, thixotropic prepolymer composition), conductive coating (silver-filled, flexible, polyurethane resin), and protective jacket (wax coated housing formed around another wax form having contours shaped to match configuration).
Test results and data for achieving a low-outgassing polymer resin suitable for potting or a paint pigment are presented. The resin, prepared in 0.5-kg (1-lb) batches, is acceptable for spacecraft use; its weight loss is less than 0.5 percent, and the volatile condensable materials are less than 0.05 percent. The paint adheres to a primed fiber glass or aluminum substrate. Results of UV irradiation, electron and proton radiation, and thermal cycling are presented.
Commercial silicon resin was devolatilized by vacuum distillation, cured at room temperature and tested favorably for outgassing criteria. Applications of the devolatilized resin are potting compounds and conformal coatings.