RED 4 MARS · Rubber & Elastomer Development for MArtian enviRonment applicationS

Rubber & Elastomer Development for MArtian enviRonment applicationS

Imagine a truck-size Mars rover carrying a crew of astronauts and a decent amount of cargo. The weight of such a rover would have to be much higher than the weight of currently used rovers. Also, the rover’s speed needs to be much faster than the current maximum of 0.18 km/h. Therefore, such a vehicle will require high-performance tires and a damping system to ensure safe travel on the rocky surface of Mars and reduce vibrations, which might damage sensitive equipment. When a technical application requires both elastic and damping properties the obvious material of choice is rubber because of its unique visco-elastic properties. Tires are not the only ones where rubber elements can be applied. Rubber gaskets are needed for spacesuits and habitat sealing. Electric cables require elastic covers to provide insulation and protection. Finally, rubberized textiles will be needed for the pressurized Mars spacesuit design. The environment on Mars is much more hostile than on Earth. The temperature ranges from -120°C to 30°C with a daily amplitude reaching 100°C. There is no ozone layer and magnetosphere to protect against UV and particulate radiation, respectively. Also, the pressure on Mars is around 150 times lower than on Earth. Because of this, rubber designed for Mars missions has to exhibit proper environmental resistance and the ability to preserve its performance in the challenging conditions of Mars. To face these conditions, the RED 4 MARS project aims to develop butadiene (BR) / silicone rubber (VMQ) blends that can preserve viscoelastic properties in a wide range of temperatures. Both rubbers are characterized by the lowest glass transition temperature values from all elastomers, which makes them the most suitable ones to preserve elasticity at low temperatures on Mars. The designed BR/VMQ compounds are free of volatile ingredients to prevent outgassing on Mars and during space travel. Also, simulated radiation aging and low-temperature performance are tested to foresee their long-term behavior on Mars. However, blending BR with VMQ is very challenging because of their thermodynamic incompatibility. Also, the vulcanization of the blends is difficult due to the differences in the chemical structure of both elastomers. Therefore, this project aims to optimize the composition of the BR/VMQ compounds to maximize their performance in the Martian environment. The main objective of this project is to design a family of rubber materials of high performance withstanding Martian conditions. There are also two secondary objectives: 1. Increased independency from materials transported from Earth and reduced costs by involving local materials in the design; 2. Ensured sustainable use of rubber by high recyclability of the materials.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union