| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T22: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Advances in Surface Engineering
|
| Presentation Title |
Surface Modification of Ti-6Al-4V for Dust Adhesion Mitigation in Lunar Environment |
| Author(s) |
Lopamudra Das, Samuel J.A. Hocker, Brodan M. Richter, Christopher J. Wohl |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Lopamudra Das |
| Abstract Scope |
Materials selected for successful lunar exploration must endure the harsh lunar environment and be resilient toward lunar dust interactions. Lunar dust is chemically reactive, jagged, abrasive, electrostatically charged, and strongly adheres to surfaces causing contamination and component failure. The titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V, is widely used in aerospace applications due to its high strength, low density, and excellent corrosion resistance. It is a potential structural material for many lunar surface missions. Developing Ti-6Al-4V surfaces to passively mitigate lunar dust adhesion contributes to an enduring presence on the lunar surface. In this study, several topographies were generated on Ti-6Al-4V surfaces using traditional abrasive polishing and novel laser processing techniques. Lunar dust simulant adhesion was determined using controlled vibration. Surface characterization results suggest that dust mitigation properties are correlated with surface topography. This indicates that tailored topographical modification may enable Ti-6Al-4V surfaces to exhibit dust adhesion mitigating properties for lunar and space applications. |