THE EVALUATION AND VALIDATION OF NEW CREEP BARRIER FILMS FOR PREVENTION OF OIL LOSS BY MIGRATION

Creep barrier films are used to prevent loss of oil by surface migration. This paper gives an overview of studies to select, characterise and validate creep barrier materials for spacecraft mechanisms [1]. One of the more commonly used materials, Fluorad FC725, is no longer manufactured, and there is a need to identify a replacement. A survey of available materials was carried out, and after a series of trial tests, three materials were downselected for the validation exercise: two new materials 3M Novec 2708 and Dr Tillwich E2 Concentrate – alongside the obsolete Fluorad FC-725 used as a baseline.