This paper introduces the concept of an aerospace-grade electronic textile and summarizes design studies and early prototype development for on-fabric hypervelocity impact characterization. Whereas most damage detection technologies for aerospace systems rely on enhancements to the structure's inner shell, the outermost protective skin of a space habitat or a spacesuit - traditionally a woven fabric - is directly exposed to the relevant environment. Therefore, we propose weaving sensory fibers into traditional fibrous aerospace skins for direct measurement of local conditions, yielding a material that can simultaneously sense and protect. Specifically, this paper documents design considerations for multifunctional Beta cloth, in which piezoelectric yarn is directly woven into Teflon-coated fiberglass, the material used as the outermost skin of the International Space Station. A review of hypervelocity plasma generation then motivates a strawman design for on-textile plasma charge and RF emission sensing, which may be useful for further characterization of hypervelocity impactors. An aerospace-grade electronic textile is distinct from a traditional e-textile in that it must be validated not only for its sensing capabilities but also for its robustness to hazards presented in a space environment.

Date Published: 27 March 2019
PDF: 15 pages
Proc. SPIE 10970, Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2019, 109700J (27 March 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2513962

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10970:
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2019
Jerome P. Lynch; Haiying Huang; Hoon Sohn; Kon-Well Wang, Editor(s)