The effect of γ-radiation on the mechanical properties of structural adhesive

The modular satellite concept iBOSS (intelligent Building Blocks for On-Orbit Satellite Servicing and Assembly) enables on-orbit servicing and reconfiguration of satellite systems and has the potential to be a game changer in the space industry. Such building blocks have to withstand all environmental loads in space, e.g.: radiation, vacuum and thermal cycling. The present paper investigates the mechanical properties of the two component epoxy adhesive 3M SW9323 under the environmental effect of radiation. This adhesive is part of the building block's primary structure. Furthermore, adhesive bonding is the sole joining technique used in the whole structure. It is therefore critical to know the influence of ionizing radiation on its load-carrying capacity. For this purpose bulk specimens were manufactured and exposed to gamma-radiation, generated by a Co-60 source. Four different doses were achieved by varying the distance to the source and irradiation time. Afterwards the specimen were tested under tensile loading. Using the digital image correlation technique properties like elastic modulus, shear modulus, tensile strength and elongation at break were determined. The results show that the mechanical properties of the bulk specimen of 3M SW9323 are not influenced by gamma-radiation up to a dose of 17.6 kGy. This is explained by the phenomena of crosslinking and chain scission which occur simultaneously and cancel each other out. In addition, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was carried out to investigate if one mechanism is predominant. A slight shift in the spectra indicates the supremacy of chain scission.