A Review of Tribological Coatings for Control Drive Mechanisms in Space Reactors

Larkin, CJ ; Edington, JD ; Close, BJ

Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory

关键词: 42 Engineering;    Diffusion Welding;    Irradiation;    Building Materials;    Lubricants;   

DOI  :  10.2172/884665
RP-ID  :  B-MT(SPME)-18
RP-ID  :  DE-AC12-00SN39357
RP-ID  :  884665

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Tribological coatings must provide lubrication for moving components of the control drive mechanism for a space reactor and prevent seizing due to friction or diffusion welding to provide highly reliable and precise control of reflector position over the mission lifetime. Several coatings were evaluated based on tribological performance at elevated temperatures and in ultrahigh vacuum environments. Candidates with proven performance in the anticipated environment are limited primarily to disulfide materials. Irradiation data for these coatings is nonexistent. Compatibility issues between coating materials and structural components may require the use of barrier layers between the solid lubricant and structural components to prevent deleterious interactions. It would be advisable to consider possible lubricant interactions prior to down-selection of structural materials. A battery of tests was proposed to provide the necessary data for eventual solid lubricant/coating selection.