The first batch of glass for space windows delivered to RSC Energia

The first batch of glasses for portholes with unique optically transparent coatings, developed by Tomsk scientists, was supplied to the Rocket and Space Corporation Energia named after Queen. In the future, all window glasses for all Russian spacecraft of the new generation will be processed in Tomsk.

Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) and the Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPPM) have completed the stage of developing optically transparent coatings for windows. To date, all the necessary tests have been completed, the technology has been worked out, and at the end of 2015 a patent was received.

According to the developers, at the moment, anti-meteorite transparent coatings have no analogues in the world. They protect portholes from cosmic dust.

Transparent multilayer nanostructured cermet coatings have a high relaxation ability (the property of the material to extinguish energy), which makes it possible to protect glass from impacts of high-speed microparticles. Such coatings have several dividing boundaries between nanostructured layers of specially selected materials, which allows them to dissipate impact energy along the surface layer of glass, avoiding the appearance of a crater on it. Scientists explain that when microparticles are bombarded at a speed of 5-8 km / s, the number of craters formed sharply decreases. This allows the glass to retain its optical properties and transparency for a long period of time.

The new coatings have been developed with the joint participation of TPU, RSC Energia im. Korolev and IPPM SB RAS.

“We have done an extremely difficult and strenuous job,” says Sergey Psakhie, head of the Department of Physics of High Technologies in Mechanical Engineering at TPU, Director of IPPM SB RAS. - There were difficulties of a technological, scientific and organizational nature - in order to put our windows on spacecraft, it is necessary to solve complex organizational issues and go through many approvals. It should be noted that the rector of Tomsk Polytechnic University Pyotr Chubik took a great part in the development, its promotion and organization of interaction with RKK. "

The first batch of window glasses was sent to RSC Energia at the end of the year. She went through all the necessary stages of a complex acceptance system, which is provided for by the regulations of the space industry. Sergei Psakhye calls the completion of the project a landmark achievement.

Photo: RSC Energia will be equipped with portholes with glass, processed according to the technology of Tomsk scientists, on the RSC Energia manned transport ships.

“Soon we, in partnership with RKK, TPU and IFPM, will open a technological section for anti-meteoric coatings, it will be based in the Tomsk Academgorodok. And glass for the windows of all spacecraft, including the new generation, at least of Russian production, will be processed in Tomsk, ”says the scientist.

It is planned that on a high-tech site with an area of 150-200 sq. m, a complex of technological and test equipment will be installed. It will become part of a large networked distributed engineering center, which is being created to solve urgent problems of the space industry in cooperation between TPU - IPPM SB RAS.

Sergei Psakhie explains that the project for the development of optically transparent coatings for windows is an ideal example of successful cooperation between university and academic science.

“Over the past three years, we have made a real breakthrough. And if earlier work with enterprises of the space industry in Tomsk was of a periodic nature, today it is a system, and the responsible role of its coordinator lies at the Tomsk Polytechnic. Today the university is already working with the United Rocket and Space Corporation, which includes 48 enterprises, as well as 14 independent organizations of the rocket and space industry, ”concludes Psakhie.

Reference:

The main participants of the project: Professor of the Department of Physics of High Technologies in Mechanical Engineering of TPU Viktor Sergeev, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of Materials Science in Mechanical Engineering of TPU, Head. laboratory IPPM SB RAS Victor Panin, director of IPPM SB RAS Sergei Psakhie.

Source: https://sdelanounas.ru/