Potential for EMU Fabric Damage by Electron Beam and Molten Metal During Space Welding for the International Space Welding Experiment

As a consequence of preparations concerning the International Space Welding Experiment (ISWE), studies were performed to better understand the effect of molten metal contact and electron beam impingement with various fabrics for space suit applications. The question arose as to what would occur if the electron beam from the Ukrainian Universal Hand Tool (UHT) designed for welding in space were to impinge upon a piece of Nextel AF-62 ceramic cloth designed to withstand temperatures up to 1427 C. The expectation was that the electron beam would lay down a static charge pattern with no damage to the ceramic fabric. The electron beam is capable of spraying the fabric with enough negative charge to repel further electrons from the fabric before significant heating occurs. The static charge pattern would deflect any further charge accumulation except for a small initial amount of leakage to the grounded surface of the welder. However, when studies were made of the effect of the electron beam on the insulating ceramic fabric it was surprisingly found that the electron beam did indeed burn through the ceramic fabric. It was also found that the shorter electron beam standoff distances had longer burnthrough times than did some greater electron beam standoff distances. A possible explanation for the longer burnthrough times for the small electron beam standoff distance would be outgassing of the fabric which caused the electron beam hand-tool to cycle on and off to provide some protection for the cathodes. The electron beam hand tool was observed to cycle off at the short standoff distance of two inches likely due to vapors being outgassed. During the electron beam welding process there is an electron leakage, or current leakage, flow from the fabric. A static charge pattern is initially laid down by the electron beam current flow. The static charge makes up the current leakage flow which initially slightly heats up the fabric. The initially laid down surface charge leaks a small amount of current. The rate at which the current charge leaks from the fabric controls how fast the fabric heats up. As the ceramic fabric is heated it begins to outgass primarily from contamination/impurities atoms or molecules on and below the fabric surface. The contaminant gases ionize to create extra charge carriers and multiply a current of electrons. The emitted gas which ionized in the electron leakage flow promotes further leakage. Thus, the small leakage of charge from the fabric surface is enhanced by outgassing. When the electron beam current makes up the lost current, the incoming electrons heat the fabric and further enhance the outgassing. The additional leakage promotes additional heating up of the ceramic fabric. The electrons bound to the ceramic fabric surface leak off more and more as the surface gets hotter promoting even greater leakage. The additional electrons that result also gain energy in the field and produce further electrons. Eventually the process becomes unstable and accelerates to the point where a hole is burned through the fabric.