Analysis of the failure of a polyester peripheral drive belt on the Mariner Mars 1971 flight tape recorderA peripheral drive belt on the Mariner Mars 1971 tape recorder failed when a thin longitudinal strip separated off one edge. Analysis showed that the most probable cause of failure occurred from flexural fatigue initiating in mechanically weak locations which are introduced into the belt during fabrication. Methyl ethyl ketone, which is employed as a cleaning solvent during fabrication, was found to cause permanent reduction in engineering properties of polyester and could have contributed to the reduction of the fatigue resistance. Fatigue properties of the polyester drive belt are reviewed for the operating condition, as well as the sensitivity of polyester to cleaning solvents and the origin of mechanically weak locations.
Document ID
19720021299
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Other
Authors
Cuddihy, E. F. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)