US EPA

1774411 

Journal Article 

Use of DSC and DMA to study crystallization as a possible cause for a glove tear 

Wingard, D 

2010 

1 

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry
ISSN: 1388-6150
EISSN: 1588-2926 

102 

2 

469-476 

10.1007/s10973-010-0991-6 

WOS:000283090400009 

The Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES) is a pressurized suit
worn by astronauts during launch and landing phases of Space Shuttle operations. In 2008, a large
tear (12.7-25.4 mm long, between the pinky and ring finger) in the ACES left-hand glove made of
neoprene latex rubber was found during training for Shuttle flight STS-124. An investigation to
help determine the cause(s) of the glove tear was headed by the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC)
in Houston, Texas. Efforts at JSC to reproduce the actual glove tear pattern by cutting/tearing
or rupturing were unsuccessful. Chemical and material property data from JSC such as GC-MS, FTIR,
DSC, and TGA mostly showed little differences between samples from the torn and control gloves.
One possible cause for the glove tear could be a wedding ring/band worn by an astronaut. Even
with a smooth edge, such a ring could scratch the material and initiate the tear observed in the
left-hand glove. A decision was later made by JSC to not allow the wearing of such a ring during
training or actual flight. Another possible cause for the ACES glove tear is crystallinity
induced by strain in the neoprene rubber over a long period of time and use. Neoprene is one
among several elastomers known to be susceptible to crystallization, and such a process is
accelerated with exposure of the material to cold temperatures plus strain. When the temperature
is lowered below room temperature, researchers have shown that neoprene crystallization may be
maintained at temperatures as high as 7.2-10 A degrees C, with a maximum crystallization rate
near -6.7 to -3.9 A degrees C (Kell et al. J Appl Polym Sci 2(4):8-13, 1959 [1]). A convenient
conditioning temperature for inducing neoprene crystallization is a typical freezer that is held
near -17.8 A degrees C. For work at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), samples were
cut from several areas/locations (pinky/ring finger crotch, index finger and palm) on each of two
pairs of unstrained ACES gloves for DSC and DMA thermal analysis testing. The samples were
conditioned in a freezer for various times up to about 14 days. Some rectangular conditioned
samples were unstrained, while most were subjected to strains up to 250% with the aid of two
slotted aluminum blocks and two aluminum clamps per sample. Trends were observed to correlate DSC
data (heat of fusion) and DMA data (linear CTE and stress for iso-strain testing) with (a) sample
location on each glove; and (b) percent strain during conditioning. Control samples cut ""as is""
from each glove location were also tested by DSC and DMA. 

Pinky/ring finger crotch; Strain-induced crystallization; Freezer conditioning