RU2502646C1 - Spacecraft hatch sealing device and method of its operation - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to aerospace engineering. Proposed device comprises sealing means composed by tight sleeve from gastight resilient material. Said sleeve is glued to rigid shell by sealing adhesive. Said rigid shell is fitted concentric with the hatch at casing arranged inside spacecraft. Retainer is arranged at tight sleeve edge. Tight sleeve in initial state is laid at rigid shell in the form of circular roll and fixed by band. Proposed method comprises removal of fixing band from tight sleeve, unwrapping it, rolling it and fastening by fixing element and spacecraft pressurisation.

EFFECT: simplified sealing.

2 cl, 4 dwg

Description

The invention relates to space technology, and in particular to means for ensuring the tightness of space objects.

In space technology, it is known to use rubber seals of detachable joints, such as: flanges, bushing electrical connectors, valves, windows, docking devices (RF patent No. 6249517 IPC 7: B64G, 1/64), hatches between compartments, modules, hatches of airlock compartments, through which the crew enters into outer space. These are ring gaskets of rectangular, round or figured cross-section, for example, RF patent No. 2428612 IPC 7: F16J 13/16.

To ensure reliability, the seal is duplicated in the form of two ring concentric gaskets with compression at the ends of the contact metal surface of the hatch [1] (prototype).

The prototype of the method is not identified.

From the practice of space flights it follows that the deterioration in the operational properties of this type of seals is not ruled out for the following reasons:

- mechanical damage and contamination of both rubber gaskets and metal contact surface, including during the passage of astronauts and the passage of equipment through hatches;

- the effect of outer space conditions (temperature, vacuum, various types of radiation) on the gasket material;

- damage to rubber gaskets due to adhesion after a long stay in a compressed state;

- reduction and lack of compression forces of the gaskets due to deformation of the structure under the influence of external forces.

Under the influence of any of these reasons, a decrease or loss in the sealing properties of the gaskets along the perimeter of the hatch, the window in the hatch structure or the destruction of its glazing may occur, which will result in exceeding the permissible level of leaks or a complete loss of tightness of the object.

Obviously, the loss of tightness of the exit hatch of the airlock compartment during reverse locking after the completion of extra-ship activities by the crew is of particular importance. Such an emergency situation is defined as catastrophic and leads to the death of the crew, since there is no means of rescue.

An episode is known that took place on the Mir orbital complex when, during an abnormal (due to crew error) opening of the exit hatch cover of the special compartment lock (HSC) of the Quant-2 module, the hinges of the cover suspension were skewed, as a result of which the manhole tightness was lost. However, the “Quant-2” module contained an adjacent compartment isolated from the others, which could be depressurized and used as a backup. In this episode, the crew managed to go into this compartment and perform a second reverse lock. But at the same time, the airlock remains depressurized, the question of making subsequent exits into the open space is extremely complicated, the unproductive time and energy costs of astronauts increase significantly. This type of situation is considered critical and its outcome is determined by the available time to ensure the life of the astronauts, that is, the resources of the spacesuit.

In the absence of time reserves and spacesuit resources for moving to the reserve compartment for re-locking, the situation is also defined as catastrophic.

The technical result of the invention is the provision of emergency sealing of the hatches of space objects by the crew when the standard sealing means fail, and, as a result, saving the lives of astronauts, as well as continuing the flight program.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the sealing means is made in the form of a hermetic sleeve made of an elastic gas-tight material, which is hermetically connected around the perimeter to the rigid shell by means of adhesive-sealant, while the rigid shell is hermetically mounted concentrically relative to the hatch on the body inside the space object, on the edge of the hermetic sleeve the fixing element is attached, and in the initial state, the sealed sleeve is laid on a rigid shell in the form of an annular roll and is fixed with a bandage.

The method of operation of the device is as follows: the astronauts in the airlock remove the bandage that holds the roll of the hermetic sleeve on the rigid shell, unfold the hermetic sleeve, assemble it into a bundle, bandage and tie it with a fixation element, then pressurize the airlock according to the standard cyclogram reverse locking, as a result of which the sealed sleeve is pressed by the boost pressure to the inner side of the manhole cover, which receives the load from the pressure in the compartment, as a result of which the load on the sealed sleeve is excluded.

Figure 1 shows a diagram of the proposed device in its original state, when the sealed sleeve is formed in the form of an annular roll on a rigid shell.

Figure 2 shows the intermediate expanded state of the sealed sleeve.

Figure 3 shows a sealed sleeve in a state with a formed bundle-twist.

Figure 4 shows the proposed device in the operating position.

In the drawings:

1 - hard shell;

2 - the body of a space object;

3 - a tight sleeve;

4 - adhesive sealant;

5 - bandage;

6 - fixing element;

7 - laying;

8 - contact surface of the hatch;

9 - porthole with glass;

10 - manhole cover.

The rigid shell 1 is hermetically fixed, for example, welded, inside to the body of the space object 2 concentrically with respect to the hatch. A tight sleeve 3 of elastic gas-tight material, for example, rubberized fabric 415 TU-115 1176-87, is sealed to the rigid shell 1 along the perimeter by means of glue-sealant 4, for example, glue SV-1 TU-38305-8-316-92.

The hermetic sleeve 3 is formed in the form of an annular roll, laid on a rigid shell 1 and secured with a bandage 5, for example, with a rubber ring. The standard gaskets 7, for example rubber ones, are crimped by the contact surface of the hatch cover 8, into which a porthole with glass 9 is integrated.

The device is used in the following way. When establishing the fact of a leak in the hatch, the astronauts located in the airlock remove the bandage 5 (Fig. 1), unfold the sealed sleeve 3 (Fig. 2), assemble and twist it into a bundle (Fig. 3), bandage and tie the last element fixation 6, for example with a cord of cotton wool (Fig. 3). Next, the compartment is pressurized by the standard reverse lock routine. As the boost pressure increases, the sealed sleeve 3 with the bundle-strand is pressed against the inner side of the hatch cover 10 (Fig. 4), which perceives the atmospheric pressure in the compartment, as a result of which the load on the sealed sleeve 3 is eliminated.

The properties of an elastic material with high gas impermeability, adhesive sealant, the tightness of the weld, the tight fit of the layers of material of the airtight sleeve in the bundle-twist ensures the tightness of the entire device. As a result, the compartment was sealed, the compartment was naturally pressurized, that is, the crew’s life was saved and the flight program continued.

Actions during the implementation of this method are available for execution by an astronaut in a spacesuit under overpressure in a vacuum, which follows from the experience of implementing extra-ship activities.

Claims (2)

1. The sealing device of the hatches of space objects, containing a sealing means, characterized in that the sealing means is made in the form of a hermetic sleeve made of an elastic gas-tight material, which is hermetically connected around the perimeter to a rigid shell by means of adhesive sealant, while the rigid shell is hermetically mounted concentrically relative to the hatch on the hull inside the space object, a fixing element is attached to the edge of the sealed sleeve, and in the initial state the sealed sleeve is laid En on a rigid shell in the form of an annular roll and is fixed with a bandage. 2. The method of operation of the device for sealing the hatches of space objects, characterized in that they remove the fastening band from the airtight sleeve, which is in the initial state in the form of an annular roll on a rigid shell, unfold the airtight sleeve, assemble the latter into a bundle-bundle, bandage and tie a bundle-bundle a fixing element, after which the pressurized compartment of the space object is pressurized, while the pressurized sleeve in the working position is pressed by the boost pressure to the inner side of the manhole cover, and loading on a sealed sleeve from atmospheric pressure in the compartment is perceived by the manhole cover.

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