Abstract Self-healing materials have become more and more interesting for the space industry, since they can lead to the creation of space systems and structures able to repair autonomously after accidental damages caused by collision with micrometeoroids and orbital debris during the entire operational life. The implementation of these novel materials results in higher protection and safety for astronauts, and longer missions in the perspective of lunar bases establishment and manned exploration of Mars. The present study aims to experimentally and numerically characterize an intrinsic self-healing supramolecular polymer that is potentially applicable to space suits, habitats and inflatable structures in general. A dedicated test device has been developed to evaluate the sealing performance of the material through flow rate measurements after a puncture event. The experimental part is followed by the study of the material's constitutive relations including hyperelastic and viscoelastic responses. The related model parameters are computed and calibrated through optimization and data matching tools in order to simulate damage and healing events. Results show that the selected supramolecular polymer possesses effective self-healing abilities also under pressurized conditions, demonstrating its applicability to the considered specific fields in the space sector. Furthermore, for what concerns the analyzed puncture experiments and field of solicitation, the developed model can follow the relaxation process related to the self-healing behavior, since it can predict whether the material is effectively able or not to flow and repair.

中文翻译：

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基于超分子聚合物的自修复多层充气结构系统的开发

摘要 自修复材料越来越受到航天工业的关注，因为它们可以创建空间系统和结构，在整个运行寿命期间因与微流星体和轨道碎片碰撞造成意外损坏后能够自主修复。这些新型材料的应用，为宇航员提供了更高的保护和安全性，从月球基地建设和载人火星探测来看，任务时间更长。本研究旨在通过实验和数值表征一种内在的自修复超分子聚合物，该聚合物通常可能适用于宇航服、栖息地和充气结构。已经开发出一种专用的测试设备，通过穿刺事件后的流速测量来评估材料的密封性能。实验部分之后是研究材料的本构关系，包括超弹性和粘弹性响应。通过优化和数据匹配工具计算和校准相关模型参数，以模拟损坏和愈合事件。结果表明，所选的超分子聚合物在加压条件下也具有有效的自愈能力，证明其适用于航天领域的特定领域。此外，对于所分析的穿刺实验和征集领域，所开发的模型可以遵循与自愈行为相关的松弛过程，