On the 50th anniversary of the first human embarkation on the moon, let's take a look at Solvay materials that have made various contributions to it since space exploration!
Did you know that Solvay's materials sent humans to the moon for the first time during the Apollo 11 mission? The Udel® polysulfone (PSU) polymer, developed by the group in 1965, produced space suit visors for Aldrin and Armstrong when they stepped on the moon in July 1969. Udel®PSU is a tough, transparent plastic that can withstand extreme temperatures. Today, it is also widely used on the planet, such as healthcare, water, electronics, consumer goods and construction.
But Solvay's exploration of space exploration goes far beyond that. In the 1950s, scientists working on the first space programs were looking for materials that could withstand the extremely high temperatures generated by rocket engines and return to the Earth's atmosphere. The materials they found were related to the welding industry. Not surprisingly, these materials were produced by Solvay.
Ablation and protection
These materials, called ablation, can withstand high temperatures of 2700 ° C for several minutes. The ablation layer protects the material behind it by forming a structural carbon shell on the surface. Another advantage of these ablated materials is "controlled corrosion", which means that materials scientists can accurately estimate the proportion of burnt material over a certain period of time to predict the thickness of the material layer. Don Wantock, product portfolio manager for the Solvay Composites business unit, concludes, "In short, ablative materials are used in very hot places, most commonly the exhaust nozzles of rocket engines."
For decades, Solvay's ablative materials have been used in many space programs, such as Gemini, Saturn and Apollo. They even appeared in the moon landing module, which safely landed Neil Armstrong and his astronauts on the moon in 1969, helping the rocket engine slow down and land. From the 1970s to 2011, Solvay provided ablation materials for the NASA space shuttle. Ablation materials are mainly used in space shuttles and require 14,500 kg of ablation per launch. Today, Solvay's ablative materials are also used in space programs such as Atlas V, Delta IV, Pegasus and Vega, as well as new carrier rocket programs being developed.
In space as in the air
But Sowell doesn't just provide ablation materials. The space industry also uses other Solvay composites, such as protective covers that cover satellites during launch ("payload fairings"), and structural elements of satellites. Don explained: "A satellite is full of electronics, but the structure and housing of the electronics are made of composite materials provided by Solvay. We also provide composite materials for solar cell arrays, antennas and other uses . "
Just as in the aerospace industry, the lightweighting of these structures is critical. Don said, "For space applications, weight is especially important. Every kilogram of weight added costs about $ 10,000 into Earth orbit. The composite materials used for space structures are usually polymers, such as epoxy resin with carbon fiber Reinforcement. The special properties of this material make it suitable for use in the aerospace industry and are similar to those used in aircraft. "
Finally, in addition to composite materials, another type of Solvay products has played an unexpected, but critical, role in space plans: lubricants. For the past 25 years, Solvay's Fomblin® PFPE has been the lubrication solution of choice for U.S. and European spacecraft. NASA's 1997 Mars Pathfinder and the famous Sojourner® Rover both use Solvay's specially formulated lubricants and greases.
Higher and more advanced
Solvay Group is still a leading supplier of composite materials for the aerospace industry. As Don said, for the following reasons: As a pioneer of composite materials, Solvay has early joined the space market, providing the most extensive space products and the industry's most comprehensive database of material properties. We are committed to using our expertise in composites and structural bonding materials to address current performance issues and proactively address the challenges facing the next generation of spacecraft.
Whatever the future of space exploration, Solvay will be an active part of it.