DESIGN OF CRYOGENIC CHAMBER ASSIGNMENT SOLUTION

INTRODUCTION
Man has still not quenched his inquisitiveness about outer space which has led to constant advancement in the materials used in space-crafts. Composite materials exhibit properties which makes them suitable for uses at cryogenic temperatures. In the present world scenario, where space exploration and research are of great relevance to every nation, it is the need of the hour for science congregants to take the next big leap in design and manufacture of spacecraft and the materials used in the different parts.

In order to achieve this efficiently, there is a need to explore new materials which can cater to the specific requirements. This is followed by the meticulous testing of these materials, as a failure at that altitude can be fatal. The present work focuses on testing the composite materials in a cryogenic environment, which resemble outer space temperatures created using LN2, in a double walled vacuum chamber used as an attachment to the Universal Testing Machine (UTM).

2. RATIONALE AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The cryogenic chamber is used as an attachment to the UTM in order to find the tensile strength of composite materials at cryogenic temperatures. Spacecrafts voyaging to outer space have to endure very low temperature coupled with very high pressure. This can cause failure of materials used in different parts of the spacecraft. In order to meet the industry standards, rigorous testing of materials to be used in aerospace applications are necessary.

In the present work, the tensile test is conducted in a cryogenic environment so that the tensile strength of the composites can be found at temperatures pertaining to that of outer space to which the spacecraft will be exposed. As there is no equipment built specifically to test the composite materials at cryogenic temperatures, this is our humble effort to contribute to the cause as any fault in the material used in the spacecraft can prove fatal at that altitude.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Composite materials are being used extensively used in the aerospace industry. The testing of these composite materials are of very importance, as they might be susceptible to failure due to the variation in the temperature ranges and the cryogenic temperatures which the material have to endure. Composite materials exhibits properties which makes them suitable for uses at cryogenic temperatures. Hence there is a need to test these materials before they are used for applications in the aerospace industry.

The objective of the present work is to design a chamber, as an attachment to the UTM so as to test various composites materials in a cryogenic environment to find the tensile strength of the material pertaining to those conditions.

4. COMPLETE WORK PLAN WITH TIMELINES
The Project work commenced in January 2015 and was successfully completed by April 2015. Unparalleled dedication, team work coupled with awe-inspiring mentorship was the corner stone of this project.

All the team members showed tremendous determination in achieving the desired results within the set time frame. The below mentioned figure shows the complete work plan with timelines.