Partial heat curing enhancing space debris shielding performance in multi-layered inflatable structures

This study proposes a partially heat-cured space debris shield, where only some sheets of traditional multi-shock fabric shields are heat-cured. This approach simplifies on-orbit heat curing as it requires curing a smaller portion of material compared to fully heat-cured inflatable structures. Hypervelocity experiments examined the optimal placement of cured layers within the debris shield, showing that placing them on the upstream side of the first layer maximizes protection performance. This study assessed the protective performance of inflatable structures against space debris collision under consistent areal density conditions, highlighting the improved performance of multi-shock shields subjected to heat curing. Hypervelocity impact experiments revealed that the penetration area of partially heat-cured shields was significantly smaller than that of uncured shields, confirming the benefits of heat curing. We developed spread angle and ballistic limit equations for partial heat-cured shield applications. These equations verified that effective debris protection can be maintained with partial curing, even with reduced standoff. Numerical simulations using smoothed particle hydrodynamics corroborated the experimental results, indicating that strategically placed heat-cured layers enhance protection. Overall, these findings suggest that partially heat-cured shields improve the protection and deployment efficiency of inflatable structures in space.