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Use of Several Thermal Analysis Techniques on a Hypalon Paint Coating for the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) of the Space ShuttleWhite Hypalon paint is brush-applied as a moisture barrier coating over cork surfaces on each of the two Space Shuttle SRBs. Fine cracks have been observed in the Hypalon coating three times historically on laboratory witness panels, but never on flight hardware. Samples of the cracked and standard ("good") Hypalon were removed from witness panel cork surfaces, and were tested in 1998 by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), TMA and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) thermal analysis techniques. The TGA data showed that at 700C, where only paint pigment solids remain, the cracked material had about 9 weight percent more material remaining than the standard material, probably indicating incomplete mixing of the paint before it was brush-applied to produce the cracked material. Use of the TMA film/fiber technique showed that the average modulus (stiffness) vs. temperature was about 3 to 6 times higher for the cracked material than for the standard material. The TMA data also showed that an increase in coating thickness for the cracked Hypalon was not a factor in the anomaly.
Document ID
20000108787
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Wingard, Charles D.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Whitaker, Ann F.
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2000
Subject Category
Nonmetallic Materials
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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