AAAR 35th Annual Conference October 17 - October 21, 2016 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
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Apparel Selection for the International Space Station Based on the Emission of Airborne Particles and Lint
LEONARDO CALDERÓN, Marit Meyer, Gediminas Mainelis, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Abstract Number: 445 Working Group: Nanoparticles and Materials Synthesis
Abstract The NASA Life Support Systems Project meticulously selects resources, materials, and equipment to create a safe and healthy environment for the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS air revitalization system removes carbon dioxide and airborne particles. Historical data shows that lint created due to friction of onboard materials, including astronauts’ clothing, is one of the largest sources of airborne debris. Filter cleaning is labor and time intensive, thus minimizing lint production from clothing would be beneficial.
The objective of this work was to characterize several types of apparel in terms of produced particles and lint and recommend suitable candidates for the use onboard of ISS. We also investigated whether the new or washed fabrics were different in their “production” of lint.
Fabrics from six manufacturers were examined, including the fabrics currently used on the ISS. A zero particle background test chamber was built, where fabric wear was simulated using a rotational abrader with felt wheels. Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer and Aerodynamic Particle Sizer determined size distribution and concentration of the particles emitted for different abrasion times, new and washed clothing. Lint left on the abraders and chamber walls was collected and weighed.
All tested products produced particles and lint. Among those, F1A fabric showed a peak particle concentration of 1000 #/cm$^3 at the lowest measured size of 14.1 nm. F1B fabric showed a peak value of 100 #/cm$^3 in the 20 nm bin and decreasing concentrations of larger particles. Typically, for all products, concentrations of particles >523 nm were lower than 10 particles/cm$^3. The recovered lint mass did not vary significantly between the products; however material composition and frequency of wash impacted the magnitude of lint and particle release. This work was part of the Intravehicular Activity Clothing Study sponsored by NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Program.