NASA Technical Memorandum 104637 

Hygrothermal Properties of Composites 

Petar Arsenovic 

June 1996 
NASA Technical Memorandum 104637 

Hygrothermal Properties of Composites 

Petar Arsenovie 

Goddard Space Flight Center 

Greenbelt, Maryland 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Goddard Space Flight Center 

Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 

1996 
This publication is available from the NASA Center for Aerospace Information, 

800 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090-2934, (301) 621-0390. 
Contents 

Section 

Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 3 

Section I . Introduction ............................................................................................... 3 

Section II . Moisture Absorption and Desorption ....................................................... 5 

Section 111 . Coefficient of Thermal Expansion ........................................................... 8 

Section IV . Summary ................................................................................................ 14 

Section V . References ............................................................................................... 14 

Section VI . Figures ................................................................................................... 15 

iii 
Abstract 

The testing procedure and acceptance criteria for outgassing selection of materials to be used in 

spacecraft has been reviewed. Outgassing testing should be conducted according to ASTM Standard E 595-90. In general, materials with CVCM I 0.10% and TML I 1 .OO% are acceptable for 

space applications. Next, test data on several types of graphite-epoxy composite materials are 

presented over time at various relative humidity levels at room temperature for moisture absorption, and under vacuum at several temperatures for moisture desorption (outgassing). The data can 

be accurately represented by simple equations which are useful for materials characterization. Finally, a laser dilatometer systems of extremely high sensitivity and accuracy was assembled and 

used to measure the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of several types of graphite-epoxy 

structrues, culminating in the ability to perform loading and thermal expansion tests on a prototype 

optical bench. 

Section I. Introduction 

The design of modem spacecraft has posed evermore stringent demands on materials. Advanced 

composites with unique properties have shown great promise to meet such demands. For example, 

composites have been selected for spacecraft structures, optical benches and instruments due to 

their high modulus, high strength and dimensional stability. Numerous successful applications of 

composites in spacecraft have been summarized in Reference 1. 

Composites have been increasingly used in the construction of many types of aircraft and spacecraft. Their light weight and high strength make the use of composites highly attractive under many 

circumstances. However, unlike metals, graphite-epoxy composites must be used with particular 

discretion in space applications because of their outgassing properties. For example, the outgassing materials may cause serious contamination problems. Thermoset and thermoplastic materials 

tend to be outgassers, especially at increased temperatures or in vacuum. They may emit gases and 

water vapors which would deposit, for instance, on lenses, mirrors and other parts of optical instruments and advsersely affect their performance-This technical memorandum presents an overview 

of the testing procedure and acceptance criteria for outgassing selection of spacecraft materials. 

The test results of moisture absorption and desorption of several composite systems are discussed. 

Another reason why the use of graphite-epoxy composites is so beneficial is the ability to tailor 

their coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) by variations in lay-up and fiber volume. The CTE 

can be set to closely match that of surrounding materials to minimize thermal stresses caused by 

CTE mismatch. Alternatively, on systems requiring extreme thermal stability such as platforms 

upon which will be mounted high precision optics, it is desirable to have the CTE of the composite 

as near zero as possible. Presented here is an overview of the testing procedure and results for 

measuring the CTE of several composite systems. 

2) is commonly used for conducting outgassing tests for space 

crovolatile condensable system’’ which mainly consists of isolated sample and collector chambers. Samples are heated to 125 “C for 24 hours in a vacuum jar to 

3 
accelerate the outgassing process. Note that testing the materials in vacuum is compatible with 

their use in space environment. The outgas products in each sample chamber travel through a hole 

to a corresponding collector chamber, wherein a portion of the outgas products will condense on a 

collector plate which is maintained at 25 OC. Test results are determined from the condensed 

materials and the total amount of outgas material from the samples. After testing in vacuum, the 

samples may be kept in 50% relative humidity at 25 OC for 24 hours for an optional test to determine the amount of water reabsorbed by each sample. It is termed as water vapor regained (WVR) 

and expressed as a percentage of sample mass before the test. Because of the micro-quantities 

involved in the tests all procedures detailed in the ASTM Standard should be followed closely so as 

to obtain consistent and accurate results. 

Referring to the above, the mass of condensate on the collector plate is calculated as a percentage of 

the mass of the original sample; this is the collected volatile condensible material (CVCM). Also, 

the total mass of material outgassed from the sample is determined by measuring the sample before 

and after the test. The total mass loss (TML) due to outgassing is expressed as a percentage of the 

initial sample mass. In general, materials which have CVCM I 0.10% and TML I 1.00% as 

specified in ASTM E595-90 are acceptable for space applications. 

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has extensive experience in the study of outgassing properties of materials for spacecraft applications. A wealth of GSFC test data has been made available to 

the space industry through a series of NASA publications over a period of some 20 years. The 

latest is NASA Reference Publication I124, Revision 3, which includes GSFC outgassing data on 

many materials generated through July 1993 (Ref. 3). The data are also available through the 

Materials and Processing Technical Information Service (MAPTIS) data bank at Marshall Space 

Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama. 

Although the outgassing data from Reference 3 or other sources can greatly facilitate the selection 

of materials for use in spacecraft, such test data should still be examined for each application to 

make sure that they are suitable for the particular functions and design requirements of the spacecraft. 

Sometimes outgassing data from different sources on one composite material may disagree with 

each other although they all have used the same ASTM Standard test method. This is quite possible 

for a number of reasons. For example, if the samples were taken from different batches with some 

slight variations in the manufacturing process they could have different outgassing properties; and 

this could happen even though the variations were all within the producer's specifications. For this 

reason, after a composite is selected for space application, it is still necessary to perform outgassing 

test on each batch of the material for quality conrol purposes. 

In case a selected composite has all the preferred properties for a particular application except for 

outgassing, a thermal-vacuum treatment may be used to remove its outgassing materials. Also, 

some modifications in materials processing, such as a suitable change in the cure cycle, may bring 

about sufficient improvement. If no method sufficiently reduces its outgassing the composite should 

be replaced by an alternate material, or it may be used with some shielding or venting devices to 

protect the instruments from. contamination. 

4 
Section II: Moisture Absorption /-Desorption 

Exuerimental Procedure 

The first composite system tested was T5OEFtL1962 graphite-epoxy coupons of thickness roughly 

20 mils. For moisture absorption, twelve samples were thoroughly baked out at 90 OC for 120 hours 

and then placed in different environments with respect to humidity in groups of three. The mass of 

each coupon was measured periodically over time at each humidity level with a high precision 

Ohaus analytical microbalance having a readability to 0.00001 grams. The coupons were exposed 

to 21%, 38%, 65%, and 100% relative humidity at 25 "C. 

Moisture desorption testing was accomplished by first preconditioning a set of graphite-epoxy 

. coupons at 80 "C in an environment of 100% humidity for a period of670 hours to ensure that the 

specimens were fully saturated with water. Following this, a Cahn vacuum balance was used to 

record the mass loss over time of the samples under a vacuum of Torr at temperatures of 40,60, 

and90 "C. 

Experimental data on moisture absorption of this graphite-resin system are summarized in figure 1. 

The vertical coordinate represents the average mass gains of specimens in three tests in each of the 

four different relative humidity levels. The mass gain is defined as the measured increase in mass 

of a specimen during exposure to controlled humidity and expressed as a percentage of the initial 

mass of the dry specimen. Figure 1 shows that moisture absorption started with high rates which 

decreased quickly in low humidity and gradually in high humidity. Each curve appears to level off 

eventually toward a point of saturation which is dependent on the relative humidity. 

It is interesting to note that the mass gain versus time curves become linear in log-log coordinates 

with approximately the same slope as shown in figure 2. Therefore, an empirical equation can be 

established for the tested composite as 

where M = mass gain, % 

t = time, h 

The quantity k is a function of relative humidity and is equal to the mass gain at unit time. Figure 3 

shows that a plot of log H versus log k is linear. Thus, 

k = (H/1238.40)0-85 

where H is the relative humidity. After substitution into Equation 1, the overall moisture absorption 

behavior can be described by 

M = (H/1238.40)0.85 

5 
This equation is simple and accurate, and represents the experimental data reasonably well, although not perfectly, as seen in figure l. 

Test data for moisture desorption are presented in figure 4. The vertical coordinate represents the 

mass loss which is expressed as a percentage of the initial mass of the specimens after preconditioning in 100% relative humidity. Figure 4 shows that moisture desorption started with high rates 

which decreased quickly at high temperature and gradually at low temperature. The curves appear 

to level off eventually to a point when the coupons would be completely dry. It is interesting to note 

that the maximum mass loss is about the same magnitude of the mass gain shown in figure 1. This 

indicates that all the moisture absorbed in the composite could outgas as water vapor in vacuum. 

The moisture desorption data can be analyzed by a diffusion model (Ref. 4) as follows: 

m = rrq[l-e~p(-7.3(t/t,)~.75)1 

where m = mass loss, % 

m, = total change in mass, % 

t = time, h 

tc = characteristic time, h 

The change in mass, i.e., mass loss, is related to the “characteristic” time, which is in turn a function 

of the diffusion parameters. Thus, 

tc = x2/(Doexp[-Q/RT]) 

where x = thickness of the material 

Do = diffusion constant frequency factor 

Q = activation energy 

R =gasconstant 

T = absolute temperature 

Based on the test data, the activation energy associated with the diffusion process is determined as 

Q=8.5 KCaVMol, which is within 10% of the literature values (Ref. 5). The total change in mass m, 

is a parameter which is determined as m, = -1.2% by its best fit to the experimental data using 

Equation 4. The number m, is given a negative sign to account for moisture desorption. A value of 

Do = 0.85 in2/hr is used. This value is also determined by the best fit to the data and is typical for an 

epoxy compound of this type (Ref. 5). The t, values are calculated for the three test temperatures as 

follows: 

T (OK, tc (hours) 

3 13 402 

333 175 

363 62 

6 
Figure 4 shows that there is a good agreement between Equati 

Deviations between experiment and the theoretical are no more than about 10%. 

and the experimental data. 

This section now reports on a series of graphite-epoxy specimens manufactured by COI, FordDow, Lockheed, and TlXW. An important concern for these graphite-epoxy composites was their 

stability with regard to moisture absorption and thermal cycling. It was desired to make a comparison among these different composite systems. Note that the thickness of these specimens is about 

80 mils, or 4 times thicker than the previous ones. We are now dealing in time frames of a year 

rather than a month. 

Figure 5 shows the moisture absorption for two specimens supplied by TRW the first was a standard T300/934 graphite-epoxy coupon, and the other AS4-PEEK thermoplastic. The samples were 

initially baked out for 3 days to drive off moisture. They were then kept in an environment of room 

temperature and 100% relative humidity, and weighed periodically in a high precision balance. As 

can be seen from figure 5, the AS4-PEEK displayed a much smaller mass increase than the T300/ 

934. 

Figure 6 shows the moisture absorption curve for a specimen from Lockheed, designated Tonox. 

As before, the coupon was initially conditioned in an oven for three days to drive off moisture, and 

then placed into a test chamber at 100% humidity and room temperature. The Tonox showed the 

typical pattern of initial rapid mass gain followed by saturation. 

Figure 7 shows the moisture absorption curves for six specimens from COI, 3 being P75SLEFU962 

graphite-epoxy coupons and the other 3 additionally having a moisture barrier coating of an Indium-Tin type 1E alloy. They were initially conditioned in an oven for three days to drive off 

moisture, then kept at 55% humidity and room temperature. As can be seen from figure 3, the 

samples with the coating showed a much smaller mass gain than the uncoated ones in the elapsed 

time of almost 600 days. 

Figure 8 shows the moisture absorption curves for six specimens from Ford-Dow, 3 designated 934 

and the other 3 as RS-3 polycyanate. The test conditions were the same as for the COI coupons, 

Le., initial bakeout followed by environmental conditions of 55% humidity and room temperature. 

The results are similar to the COI specimens, with the RS-3 coupons showing a much smaller mass 

increase as compared to the 934 samples. 

Figures 9 and 10 show moisture desorption curves for another set of COI and Ford-Dow specimens, 

respectively. The coupons were all initially conditioned in an environment of 100% humidity and 

90 OC for a period of 4 weeks to fully saturate them with moisture. Following this, they were placed 

in a vacuum, and only removed for periodic weighing. All the coupons lost mass as they outgassed, 

with the coated samples from COI and the RS-3 samples from Ford-Dow displaying a much smaller 

change in mass than their respective counterparts. 

7 
Section III: Measurement of Coefficient of Thermal Expansion 

The coefficient of thermal expansion, denoted as CTE, is defined as: 

CTE = (l/L)(dL/dT) 

where L is the length of the specimen and T is the temperature. Conventanal materials have CTE's 

on the order of tens of microstrains per OC, however, graphite-epoxies can have values hundreds of 

times smaller. Measurement of these small dimensional changes requires a dilatometer with great 

precision. The one that we assembled and integrated has three subsystems: 

1) A laser interferometer, consisting of a single mode, frequency stabilized HeNe laser and control 

electronics. This device is a Hewlett-Packard Laser Transducer System, model 55 1. It can measure 

the displacement of a corner reflector to a resolution of 0.6 microinches, over a working distance of 

up to 200 feet. 

2) A CompuAdd 386 PC-compatible computer using an IEEE bus to communicate with the laser 

transducer system. The computer also collects and stores the data for analysis. 

3) An environmental chamber consisting of a thick walled stainless steel tube in an insulating box. 

Heating and cooling are managed by attached thermocouples, along with a Keithley 740 Scanning 

Thermometer system and thermal controllers, and electrical heaters and fluid circulation tubes. 

The chamber can handle temperatures from 25 to 300 degrees Celsius with a high degree of uniformity and stability. 

The laser beam is split into two beams by an optical beam splitter, and impacts on two corner 

reflectors mounted on opposite ends of the specimen. The beams will be reflected, recombined, 

and detected by a receiver. Heating causes a change in length of the test specimen, thus changing 

the traveling distance of the reflected beam. The length of the sample is directly proportional to the 

number of wavelengths of light reflected. The control electronics stabilizes the frequency of the 

laser beam to within 1 part in lo7. The change in the number of wavelengths of reflected light is 

counted by the detector, which sends this data to the computer. Software written in HP Basic 

computes change in length from data received by the detector. By knowing this value, the temperature range that was used, and the original length of the sample, the CTE can be calculated. A 

computer plot is generated for each specimen tested of change in temperature vs. change in length. 

The CTE is the slope of the curve divided by the original length of the sample. The final step in the 

calculation is making a correction for the fact that the experiments are performed in air, not vacuum. 

The index of refraction of the laser beam in air varies with temperature, as the air's density is 

changing. It is necessary to add a correction factor of 0.9 * 1D6PC to the calculated CTE. We will 

now show this mathematically: 

The distance D is measured by the number of wavelengths of light contained in it: 

N=D/h 

8 
where h is the wavelength of the light. Since we work in air, then the wavelength is that in air, 

which is related to the wavelength in a vacuum by 

hair= hvac I n 

where n is the refractive index of air. The refractive index of air depends on the amount of air 

present, and on the detailed composition of the air including its water content, which is usually 

measured by the relative humidity. We find theoretically that 

n=l+C,ZsMs 

where 2, is the polarizability of the gas of species s, and M, is the number of moles per volume of 

the species s. For our purposes, only the species N2, 02, and H20 are important. Since the ideal gas 

law applies with excellent precision for the components of air at normal temperatures and pressures, then 

M, = p, / RT 

where p, is the partial pressure of the species s (the total air pressure is p = C, p, ), R is the ideal gas 

constant, and T is the absolute temperature. Hence, n changes with variations in the barometric 

pressure, with relative humidity, and with temperature. 

Hence, the number of wavelengths contained in the distance D is 

when measurements are made in air, and this number will increase as D increases and as n increases 

(i.e., as p, increases or as T decreases). The vacuum wavelength is controlled with a precision of 

better than 1 part in lo8 by the laser, which therefore may be regarded as constant for this derivation. 

The interferometer measures changes in the number N: 

C = Nnm - NOu 

c = [(D- n-1- (Do, noul Avx 

C = (ADn + D An) /hVw + negligible terms 

where AD = D, - Do, and An = nnm - now Hence, C will change both when the length D changes 

and when the index changes, i.e., when the air pressure and the relative humidity and the air temperature change. 

For the optical arrangement used with the interferometer, only the air in the sample length L affects 

C. (This is not true for many arrangements of other interferometers used for this purpose, where C 

is determined by all the air in the entire beam; such arrangements produce data that are far more 

9 
difficult to correct and interpret.) If we ignore changes in air pressure and relative humidity and 

assume the variation in the index is due to temperature changes, then: 

dddT = d/dT (1 + ZP/RT) = -(Zp/RT2) 

dn/dT = -(Tom2) (Zp/RT,) = (TOP) (n - l), 

dn/dT E { 273 K / T2} (0.000291) -0.90 * / "C at 25 "C 

Then: 

dC/dT = [dD/dT] n + D [dn/dT] 

and so we can compute both an "apparent" CTE and a true one, with the relation between them: 

(CTEIme = (W (amT) 

(CTE)app = hC/dT 

(CTE), E (CTE) + 0.90 * "C at 25 "C 

(CTE)me = (CTE)app - dddT 

aPP 

That is, we must add 0.90 * / "C to the "apparent" thermal expansion. 

In practice, both changes in air pressure and relative humidity do occur while temperature cycling 

is in progress. The air pressure typically ranges over about +/- (3 to 9%. The relative humidity is 

fairly well controlled in the laboratory, but can range from 45% to 65%. These changes can affect 

n - 1 by roughly the same amount. These effects combined can influence the value of the correction 

factor by about 10%. These changes should average out over a series of runs lasting a week or more 

(long compared to the time for typical weather system to move through OUT area). 

Now, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was determined for two standard specimens. The 

first was a 2-inch copper rod certified by the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), 

while the other was a ten inch coupon of ULE glass certified by Corning. 

Each sample was subjected to a temperature range from 25 to 60 "C. Temperature variation was 

performed at a rate of 2 "C per hour. Figure 1 1 shows the respective data of change in length versus 

temperature for each specimen. The graph shown is from the raw data collected from the dilatometer. As explained previously, a correction factor of 0.9 ppm/"C must be added to the CTE calculated from this data to get the final result. Table 1 shows the overall final CTE values for each 

sample. 

Table 1. CTE of Standards Using Laser Dilatometer 

Specimen Manufacturer CTE (ppm/"C) from Mfg. CTE (ppm/"C) from 

laser dilatometer 

Copper NIST 17.0 

Cu SRM 736 

ULE Glass Coming 0.003 

16.9 

<o. 1 

10 
The CTE values for copper .3% of each other. Co 

mensions 1.75 i 

Table 2. CTE of Sauare 'hbes T50/954-2A. Layxp r0/+63.5/0/-63.51, 

Tube Designation CTE 

GSFC-T99 A 

GSFC-T99 B 

GSFC-T99 C 

GSFC-T 100 C 

0.1 * 10-6/"C 

0.0 * 10-6/"C 

0.2 * 10-6/"C 

-0.1 * l0-6/"C 

Finally, we present another set of data for another set of specimens as described below. 

Table 3. CTE Results for Coupon SDecimens 

Samples Layup CTE 

P40 984 Coupon 1 ['I16 

P40 984 Coupon 2 

P40 984 Coupon 3 

P40 984 Coupon 4 

P40 984 Coupon 5 

P40 984 Coupon 6 

-0.2 * 10-6/OC 

-0.1 * 10-6PC 

-0.7 * 10-6/oC 

-0.3 * 10-6/oC 

-0.2 * 10-6/OC 

-0.5 * 10-6/oC 

Average CTE: -0.33 * = -0.18 * 10d/OF 

28.2 * 10-6/oC 

30.0 * 10-6/oC 

27.5 * 104/OC 

29.3 * 10a/OC 

26.9 * 1Oa/OC 

28.7 * 104/OC 

11 
Table 3. CTE Results for CouDon SDecimens (con%.) 

P45 987 Coupon 1 [0,30,90,-301 

P45 987 Coupon 2 

P47 987 Coupon 3 

P47 987 Coupon 4 

P44 987 Coupon 5 

P44 987 Coupon 6 

0.2 * 10-9"C 

0.1 * 109OC 

0.2 * 10-6/0c 

0.2 * 10-6/OC 

0.2 * 10-6/OC 

0.1 * 109OC 

Average CTE: 0.18 * 10-6/oC = 0.10 * 10-6/oF 

We have used the laser dilatometer to test the coefficient of thermal expansion of graphite epoxy 

composite specimens in a variety of geometries, namely coupons, tubes, and honeycomb structures. The next logical step was to use the instrument to test an actual prototype of a composite 

optical bench for the Far Ultraviolet Spectrographic Explorer project. Both CTE and loading tests 

were performed. 

The bench was prepared with metal inserts. A pillar was bolted into each insert (front and rear), 

with optical corner reflectors attached to the top and bottom of each pillar. Note that this employs 

the use of a total of four corner reflectors, as opposed to two for all the previous specimens. We 

used the laser dilatometer to measure changes in the distance between both the top and bottom pairs 

of reflectors. These changes were measured in units of U40, where h is the wavelength of the light 

(6328 Angstroms) emitted from our He-Ne laser as described previously. The distance changes are 

recorded as integers, which are labeled as Ctop and Chop These two numbers allow calculation of 

both the strain of the midplane of the bench and the curvature of the bench: 

where R is the radius of curvature of the midplane of the bench, L is the distance between the posts, 

is the distance between the midplane of the bench and the top corner reflector, hbot is the 

&stance between the central plane of the bench and the bottom corner reflector, and = hbot / h,. 

h!oP 

The dimensions of this particular model bench were: 

51.7 cm. 

24.7 cm. 

6.92 cm. 

L - - 

- 

- h, 

hbot - 

12 
The load testing was conducted by placing a series of lead weight to the center of the bench. 

Each had a mass of 2.4 kilograms. The loading sequence was as S: 

measure the undisturbed b a few minutes to establish a baseline 

place a single weight on the bench and leave it there for at least 20 seconds; long enough for the 

computer data logger to get at least 10 records 

remove the weight and leave the bench undisturbed for at least 20 seconds, to measure the extent 

to which the bench returns to the original shape 

* repeat this sequence for 2 weights, 3 weights, and 4 weights 

As seen in figure 13, the changes in the distances between the top comer reflectors C, and between the bottom reflectors C, were linear with applied load to within the scatter of the measurements. The scatter of these measurements amounted to better than 1 part in 3000, and the correlation coefficients were all above 0.999. There was no detectable hysteresis to within this accuracy. 

Each individual loading cycle followed Hooke’s law to the limits of detection of the instrument. 

If the bench were not symmetric about the midplane, then we might expect that a load M would 

produce a midplane strain E : 

&=BM 

where B is a constant that relates strain to loading. But the maximum loading did not deform the 

midplane length of the bench to within the small uncertainty of these measurements. That is, center 

loading of the bench in this manner produced pure bending only, and no midplane stretching or 

compression. This experimentally confirmed what was theoretically expected. 

One measure of the extent of bending is the “radius of curvature” R. We find that 

1/R=AM 

where A is a constant that relates bending to loading. The results of four separate series of tests 

were: 

Test A in units of lo-’ / (cm kg) 

#1 

#2 

#3 

#4 

Avg. 

1.841 

1.828 

1.834 

1.846 

I.837 

13 
While the midplane strain introduced by the center loading tests was below the limit of resolution 

of these measurements, the strain introduced at the top and bottom face sheets differed from zero by 

hundreds of times their uncertainties; it was about 4 microstrains at the maximum load. Since the 

faceplate materials do not fail until strained to roughly 0.4%, the top and bottom plates had a safety 

factor of roughly 1000 at the maximum load used in these tests. 

For thermal expansion testing, the bench was enclosed within a thermal chamber with heaters at its 

top and bottom. Each heater was monitored with its own thermocouple, and attached to its own 

temperature controller, which had a resolution of +/- 1 “C in tkmperature and 1 second in time. The 

temperature was cycled linearly from 25 to 75 “C at a rate of 1 cycle per day. The CTE was almost 

constant as a function of temperature, with the average CTE being 0.96 * 10a/”C. 

Section I% Summary 

The testing procedure and acceptance criteria for outgassing selection of materials to be used in 

spacecraft has been reviewed. Outgassing testing should be conducted according to ASTM Standard E 595-90. In general, materials with CVCM I 0.10 % and TML I 1 .OO % are acceptable for 

space applications. 

Test data on several types of graphite-epoxy composite materials are presented over time at various 

relative humidity levels at room temperature for moisture absorption, and under vacuum at several 

temperatures for moisture desorption (outgassing). The data can be accurately represented by simple 

equations which are useful for materials characterization. 

A laser dilatometer system of extremely high sensitivity and accuracy was used to measure the 

CTE of several types of graphite-epoxy structures, culminating in the ability to perform loading 

and thermal expansion tests on a prototype optical bench. 

Section V: References 

1. V. P. McConnell, “ Progress Report: Composites in Space”, Advanced Composites, July/August 

199 1, p.26. 

2. ASTM Standard E 595-90, Standard Test Method for Total Mass Loss and Collected Volatile 

Condensable Materials from Qutgassing in a Vacuum Environment, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol. 15.03, American Society for Testing and Materials, 1992. 

3. W. A. Campbell, Jr., and J. J. Scialdone, “Outgassing Data for Selecting Spacecraft Materials”, 

NASA Reference Publication 1124, Revision 3, September 1993. 

4. C. S. Springer, “Environmental Effects, Section 16 in Composite Design, 4th Edition, Edited by 

S. W. Tsai“, Think Composites, 1988. 

5. C. Barrett, W, Nix, and A. Tetelman, “The Principles of Engineering Materials”, Prentice Hall, 

1973. 

14 
Figures 

15 
1.2 

1 

0.8 

0.6 

0.4 

0.2 

0 

m 

m 

0 200 

+ 21% Rel. Humidity 

100% Rel. Humidity 

400 600 

4 38% Rel. Humidity 

- Eq. 3 

800 1000 

65% Re1 Humidity 

Figure 1. Moisture absorption of TSOIERL 1962 at four relative humidity levels 

0.01 I I I I I I1111 I I I 1 I111 

10 1 00 

Time (hours) 

0 21% Rel. Humidity + 38% Rel. Humidity 

+ 65% Rel. Humidity 8 100% Re1 Humidity 

1000 

Figure 2. Log-Log plot of moisture absorption data on TSO/ERL 1962 

16 
> 

c 

.- z 

E 

=I 

I 

10 

0.01 

0.01 0.1 

mass gain (%) at one hour 

Figure 3. Moisture absorption data on T50/ERL 1962 at unit time. 

-0.2 

-0.4 

-0.6 

-0.8 

-1 

-1.2 

-1.4 I I I I I I I I 

0 20 40 60 80 1 00 1 20 1 40 1 60 

Time (hours) 

40 Celsius + 60 Celsius 4 90 Celsius - Eq. 4 

1 

Figure 4. Moisture desorption of T50/ERL 1962 at three temperatures 

17 
1.5 

1 

0.1 

0 

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 

Time (days) 

- T300/934 (8-0) .-C AS4-PEEK (7-M) 

Figure 5. Moisture absorption of TRW specimens at 100% relative humidity 

lime (days) 

- Tonox(9-R) 

Figure 6. Moisture absorption of Lockheed specimen at 100% relative humidity 

18 
0.4 

0.3 h 

W 

8 

.- c 

6 0.2 

v) 

3 

H 

0.1 

0 

0 1 00 200 300 400 . 500 600 

Time (days) 

0 Uncoated#l + Uncoated#Z * Uncoated#3 

m Coated#l A Coated#2 + Coated#3 

Figure 7. Moisture absorption of COI specimens at 55% relative humidity 

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 

Time (days) 

934#1 + 934#2 * 934#3 

RS-3#1 * RS-3#2 4 RS-3#3 

Figure 8. Moisture absorption of Ford-Dow specimens at 55% relative humidity 

19 
0 

-0 .1 

-0.2 

-0.3 

-0.4 

-0.5 

-0.5 

-0.6 

-0.7 

0 1 00 200 

Time (days) 

300 

Uncoated#l a + Uncoated #2 * Uncoated#3 

w Coated#l * Coated#2 + Coated#3 

Figure 9. Moisture desorption of CIO specimens at room temperture 

0 

-0.1 

400 

-0.2 # 

-0.3 

-0.4 

-0.5 

-0.6 

-0.7 

0 100 200 300 400 

Time (days) 

934#1 + 934#2 * 934#3 

RS-3#1 A RS-3 #2 + RS-3#3 

Figure 10. Moisture desorption of Ford-Dow specimens at room temperature 

20 
500 

0 

-500 

200 

1 00 

0 

-1 00 

-200 

60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 

Temp. (Deg. F) 

ULE Standard + Copper SRM 736 

Fiaure 11. CTE of copper and ULE standards 

I I I I I I I 

20 25 

* T99A 

30 35 40 45 50 55 60 

Temp. (Deg. C) 

+ 7996 + T99C 9 TlOOC 

Figure 12. CTE of composite tubes 

21 
200 

-0 

-200 

-400 

-600 

-800 

-1 000 

. -1200 

-1400 

0 2 4 6 a 

Load (Kg) 

Bottom reflectors @ Top reflectors 

Figure 13. Load vs. Defelection for prototype optical 

10 

bench 

12 

22 
Form Approved I REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE I OMB NO. 0704-0188 

rts, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 

Hygrothermal Properties of Composites 

6. AUTHOR(S) 

Petar Arsenovic . 

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME@) AND ADDREWES) 

Goddard Space Flight Center 

Greenbelt, Maryland 2077 1 

9. SPONSORlNGlMONlTORlNG AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 

NASA Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Washington, D.C. 20546-0001 

11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 

Code 313 

6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION 

REPORT NUMBER 

96B00089 

10. SPONSORlNUMONlTOR1NG 

AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 

TM- 104637 

Unclassified-Unlimited 

Subject Category: 24 

The testing procedure and acceptance criteria for outgassing selection of materials to be used in spacecraft has been 

reviewed. Outgassing testing should be conducted according to ASTM Standard E 595-90. In general, materials with CVCM I 

0.10% and TML I 1 .OO% are acceptable for space applications. Next, test data on several types of graphite-epoxy composite 

materials are presented over time at various relative humidity levels at room temperature for moisture absorption, and under 

vacuum at several temperatures for moisture desorption (outgassing). The data can be accurately represented by simple equations which are useful for materials characterization. Finally, a laser dilatometer systems of extremely high sensitivity and 

accuracy was assembled and used to measure the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of several types of graphite-epoxy 

structrues, culminating in the ability to perform loading and thermal expansion tests on a prototype optical bench. 

14. SUBJECTTERMS 5. NUMBER OF PAGES 

composite, laser, microstrain, thermal I F 16. PRICE CODE 

17. SECURITY CLASSFICATION 8. SECURITY CLASSlFICATION 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 

OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT 

Unclassified I unclassified I unclassified I Unlimited 

NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) 

Prescribed bv ANSI Std. 239-18.298-102 
National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Goddard Space Flight Center 

Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 

spH;wFouRTHcLAssRAiE 

POSTAGE & FEES PAID 

PERMIT No. 027 

oflicialw 

Penany for Private use, $300 

POSTMASTER: If Undeliib (section 158. 

Postal Manual) Do Not Rehrm