45th International Conference on Environmental Systems ICES-2015-205 12-16 July 2015, Bellevue, Washington

Design and Testing of Advanced Hybrid Upper Torso

Greg Muller 1, and David Graziosi 2 ILC Dover, Houston, Texas 77058

As future missions dictate better mobility, material enhancements, and new technologies, suit design must be iterated to stay ahead of the curve. Over the span of several enhancement projects focused on improving the form, fit, and function of the upper torso design, ILC Dover has investigated state of the art technologies, explored new manufacturing techniques and built prototypes for the purpose of testing these new concepts. Building upon the heritage of the legacy EMU upper torso the hybrid upper torso is a combination of the adaptability of a Soft Upper Torso (SUT) and the rigidity of a Hard Upper Torso (HUT). The hybrid takes the soft restraint and bladder system from a SUT and attaches a hard metal support structure to make the neck, scye, rear door frame, and BSC position rigid using a light weight frame. On the EMU space suit the difference between a medium and large hard upper torso is a one inch difference in scye breadth. The design, tooling, and manufacturing costs required for delivering multiple sized hard upper torsos is eliminated with the hybrid upper torso. The hybrid upper torso does not require a fixed scye location but instead has detachable sizing panels that allow the scye bearing placement to be manipulated, this allows for what would be multiple sizes of hard upper torso to be built into a single hybrid upper torso. This concept could even allow for custom panels to be made for individuals that may need a non-standard scye angle, or a mission specific scye angle. These enhancements improve the sizing capability and can reduce the potential for a shoulder injury due to a poor fit in the suit. Because the Hybrid upper torso is designed to meet a 8.3psid operational pressure the hybrid upper torso is extensible to LEO or planetary missions. This paper will describe several technology advancements ILC is developing to improve space suit upper torso design.

Nomenclature AM = Additive Manufacturing BSC = Body Seal Closure CSSS = System DCM = Display and Control Module DTO = Detailed Test Objective DMLS = Direct Metal Laser Sintering EBM = Electron Beam Melting EMU = Extravehicular Mobility Unit ESOC = EVA Space Operations Contract EVA = FAR = Fabric Attachment Ring FEA = Finite Element Analysis FDM = Fused Deposition Modeling FOS = Factor of Safety GFE = Government Furnished Equipment HIP = Hot Isostatic Pressing HUT = Hard Upper Torso HyUT = Hybrid Upper Torso

1 Design Engineer, Advanced Suit Product Group, 2200 Space Park Dr. Ste 110, Houston, TX 77058 2 Chief Engineer, Advanced Suit Product Group, 2200 Space Park Dr. Ste 110, Houston, TX 77058, AIAA Member JSC = Johnson Space Center LEO = Low Earth Orbit LTA = Lower Torso Assembly MSFC = Marshall Space Flight Center NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration NRA = NASA Research Announcement Nd:YAG = Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet PLSS = Portable Life Support System PSID = Pounds per Square Inch Differential PXS = Prototype Exploration Suit QD = Quick Disconnect ROM = Range of Motion RV = Relief Valve SAFER = Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue SSA = Space Suit Assembly SUT = Soft Upper Torso SLM = Selective Laser Melting

I. Introduction HE hybrid upper torso is the advancement in space suit technology that has been needed for many years. A suit Tthat fits a person well is essential for being able to effectively perform tasks and is equally critical for helping reduce the risk of injuring a crew member. The aging architecture of the EMU and a mission that is yet to be decided, NASA needs an EVA space suit that can replace the capabilities of the EMU on ISS, but can also be used in future missions when an objective is chosen. Because of the versatility it has, the hybrid upper torso has the potential to be in that suit. For the new platform a resizable upper torso is needed to accomplish fitting the 5 th % female to 95 th % male percentile crew population with as few upper torso assemblies as possible. The hybrid upper torso would provide future astronauts with a more comfortable upper torso system, fitting a broader population with fewer sizes and improvement to mobility.

Figure 1. Hybrid Upper Torso

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12”

Figure 2. Sizing of Nastic Cell SUT.

II. Design

ILC Dover Inc. has developed several sizable SUT systems over the years including the Nastic SUT. In 2004 ILC was awarded a three-year NRA grant for the development of innovative spacesuit pressure garment technology that will enable safer, more reliable, and effective human exploration of the space frontier. The research focused on the development of a high performance mobility/sizing actuation system for a spacesuit SUT pressure garment. This technology has application in two areas the first was repositioning the scye bearings to improve specific joint motion i.e. hammering, hand over hand translation, etc., and the second as a suit sizing mechanism to allow easier suit entry and more accurate suit fit with fewer torso sizes than the existing EMU. Research from 2004-2007 was divided into three phases. In phases 1 and 2 SUT actuation technologies were developed and evaluated. This research involved developing a method of predicting and achieving sizing of a SUT to meet these applications. This included a system requirement study, actuation study, electronic textile control study, waist-entry and rear-entry SUT modeling and sizing analysis. In the final phase, a field of previously selected actuation methods was narrowed to one active, pneumatically driven system (Nastic), and one passive, cable driven system. These systems were developed into fully functioning prototypes which were outfitted to a table top SUT mock-up which was later integrated into a full suit and tested. Both of these systems were shown to be successful in positioning the SUT shoulder joint interface angles in a designated location and holding there until task completion. The Nastic SUT is shown in Figure 2. The control mechanisms used for both the active and passive system was also modeled and developed. The final phase was concluded by collecting video of a manned demonstration of two of the sizing systems in operation. 1 These were successful prototypes but used high pressure air to pneumatically actuate upper torso sizing.

A. REI Hybrid In 2012 ILC began efforts to design a sizeable upper torso assembly that didn’t require the power actuated sizing of high pressure air. Instead the design would use metal inserts to control the scye placement. ILC’s first design prototype was made on the Rear Entry I-Suit platform in 2013. The REI Hybrid prototype served two purposes the first was to develop a way of attaching the sizing inserts that would provide the adaptability desired for the scye bearing placement. The second objective was an examination of if and how the components could physically be assembled. In SUT assembly there is a specific order that the hardware must be assembled for access to screw heads for installation and torquing. When adding the hybrid brackets to the mix it was unclear if it would just make assembly more difficult or if it would be possible at all. The REI Hybrid was made of FDM polycarbonate it was non- pressurisable but showed both that the SUT could be assembled and the attachment methods showed promise. Figure 3. REI Platform Hybrid Mockup.

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B. Z-1 Hybrid In the second half of 2013 ILC investigated manufacturing the Hybrid components for a pressurizable prototype using several types of rapid prototyping. Using the Z-1 soft upper torso as the platform for the study ILC developed a hybrid system model. The Z-1 suit has design heritage in the REI suit. The Z-1 has multiple interface locations similar to REI that allowed ILC’s hybrid system to be retro-fit onto the suit. ILC looked at AM as a means of manufacturing components for this hybrid system. AM was appealing because of the potential geometric freedoms, coupled with its small lot size production efficiency. It was believed AM provided a potential opportunity to effectively produce custom components, and therefore enhance the quality of fit for each suit subject. The perceived benefit of additively manufacturing is having the capability of growing the inserts quicker and cheaper than traditional machining. Being able to manufacture complex shapes with reduced touch labor made AM worth investigating. ILC explored two AM technology solutions for fabricating components for the Hybrid Upper Torso. Figure 5. EBM Sizing Panels. • Electron Beam Melting (EBM): A direct-metal AM process, this technology uses an electron beam energy source to selectively melt Ti6Al4 powder in a layer wise fashion. • Selective Laser Melting (SLM): A direct-metal AM process, this technology uses an Nd:YAG laser to selectively melt Ti6Al4 powder in a layer wise fashion. The two AM processes were traded against 5-axis machining. During ILC’s study of the AM options advice was sought from NASA MSFC’s manufacturing technology experts. MSFC is in the preliminary stages of developing a document called “Engineering and Quality Guidelines for Parts Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting.” 3 Though yet unpublished the document outlines how parts manufactured with AM need to be tested based on criticality. ILC used the MSFC document to guide the sample testing specifically for the critical sizing inserts in this design. The first AM process that was looked at was SLM commercially called DMLS. ILC elected to manufacture only one component in SLM due to the cost and available Figure 4. Failed Build of SLM Sizing Panel. budget on the project. During manufacture the manufacturer experienced a power-outage and the build stopped mid process. During the recovery from the power- outage the manufacturer discovered that had the build completed the part would have been un-usable due to extreme warp (Figure 6). Some amount of warp is normal in SLM but warping in the manner seen would prevent the sizing panels from interfacing with the brackets properly. The manufacturer determined that they did not have the capability to manufacture this size and shape part with the necessary precision. EBM components were manufactured by Marshall Space Flight Center. Within NASA, MSFC is the center of excellence for AM manufacturing. Figure 5 shows the successfully built sizing panels. Unlike SLM, there was no noticeable warping in the EBM build. The EBM however has a rough finish directly from the machine that builds the parts. When touched to a piece of restraint Dacron, the Dacron immediately is hooked or cut by the rough surface. A complete surface finishing operation would have to be done to the completed components to prevent damage Figure 6. Warp in SLM Panel.

3 The MSFC document provides guidelines that explain the number of test coupons needed to be grown alongside the final part to verify the integrity of the additive build. Tensile and fatigue tests evaluate surface finish impacts, and help define the appropriate finishing operations. Evaluations are also made to effectiveness of performing a Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) cycle to the finished part to remove porosity, heal micro-fissures, reduce build-induced residual stresses, and homogenize the microstructure. All of these testing methods and procedures could and are research topics individually and are not the focus of this paper. 4 International Conference on Environmental Systems

Figure 7. Z-1 Nominal configuration (left) and equivalent hybrid configuration (right). to the restraint layer in the application desired for the hybrid upper torso. It was also observed that the EBM components are 1-2% smaller than the model they were manufactured from; this is similar to what would be expected in a casting operation but was not expected in the AM process. This may be the highest tolerance that the EBM machine can achieve and this is accumulated error across the piece. Figure 8 shows how the sizing panel is aligned at one end of the bracket but misalignment on the other end of the bracket. It would have been highly desirable to be able to grow the brackets using a metal AM method but during this study it was concluded that AM is not capable of providing an acceptable part for this specific application. Traditional 5-Axis machining has more than adequate capability to manufacture the components for a hybrid upper torso. Traditional manufacturing has also shown to have as good or better lead time and lower cost when compared to the AM methods. Traditional manufacturing from a solid plate material does not require additional test samples to be manufactured and tested to show its structural integrity. Future developments in AM could provide a viable option as the technology matures, AM is not practical in this application at this time. Using the manufacturing data gathered, ILC fabricated a prototype hybrid upper torso assembly for the Z-1 suit using traditional methods. ILC begin with the Z-1 soft restraint and bladder design and added the open iso grid structure that allows scye bearing manipulation using sizing inserts. Position of the neck ring and waist ring relative to the back door are fixed through the iso grid brackets. ILC was able to design a system that retrofit to all of the existing Z-1 hardware. ILC manufactured two sizes of sizing inserts, one that locates the scye bearing in the same position as the present Z-1 configuration, and one size that moved the scye breadth in one inch smaller. The position and angles for the helmet, rear door, and waist are the same as Z- 1. Even in the nominal configuration the hybrid provides better placement of the scye bearings improving the mobility for the suit subjects. Maintining an exact angle placement of scye bearings using only softgoods can be difficult as is shown in Figure 7. Both configurations are equivalent but the softgoods- only version let the scye bearings relax to a neutral position that is not the exact angle designed, the hybrid holds the angle

because of the hardware. Figure 8. Alignment and m isalignment caused by shrinkage. C. HyUT

Following the Z-1 demonstration the decision was made to pursue a completely new configuration for the hybrid. Rather than making compromises to fit existing hardware, a new platform for the design would best show its abilities. For the new platform a resizable upper torso was wanted to accomplish fitting the 5 th to 95 th percentile 4 crew population with as few upper torso assemblies as possible. ILC has done studies in the past for hard and soft upper torso suit architectures to determine the number of upper torsos needed to properly fit 5 th % female to 95 th % male. The results consistently show that five to seven differently sized upper torsos would be required. 2 The EMU program shows the implementation of such a wide range of UTA sizes. The hybrid upper torso is will accommodate

4 ANSUR 88 data 5th to 95th percentile chest breadth is 9.86” – 14.44”. Chest breadth is close to the Q-distance typically. 5 International Conference on Environmental Systems

the same and greater range with only two upper torso cores. Using UTA Size Q Dist the two cores the hybrid could have many sizes through the interchange of the scye sizing panels. EMU Planar Small 11.50 At this juncture it is important to understand the Q-point in EMU Planar Medium 11.80 space suit design. The Q-point is the intersection of the center axis and the rear plane of the scye bearing. The spacing between EMU Planar Large 13.00 the left Q-point and the right Q-point is the Q-distance. The Table EMU Planar XL 14.00 1 shows the two hybrid cores as well as the Q-distance EMU Pivoted Small 10.28 capabilities of other UTA designs. With the HyUT any desired sizing increment can be made for each of the cores bounded by EMU Pivoted Medium 10.77 the limits shown. The exact anthropometry of the sizes with the EMU Pivoted Large 11.90 scye width adjustability remains to be investigated. However a nominal upper lower and middle of the sizing ranges has been EMU Pivoted XL 12.90 designed. If this system was implemented using EMU hardware Mark III Medium 12.00 there would potentially be a rearrangement of sizes and/or new Z-1 Large 14.80 softgoods configurations using the existing hardware brackets and disconnects. HyUT Small Core 9.75-11.75 After further development of the new hybrid architecture it HyUT Large Core 12.00-14.00 was noted that with smaller Q-distances the helmet disconnect Table 1. Space Suit Q-distance Capabilities. intersected the shoulder. A two helmet system consisting of an 11.5” hemisphere for the small core and 13” hemisphere for the large core was the initial concept. Even on some of the larger Q-distances there was concern that the neck ring would impact arm mobility. The helmet shape posed a problem, ILC examined the size and shape of the helmet and the design options available. The trade looked at the helmet shape in conjunction with the overall sizing scheme of the suit. After examining the helmet shapes and relative placement to the scye bearings development of an oval/elliptical shaped helmet with an inner major axis of 13” and inner minor axis of 11” was recommended for both core sizes. The down selection to a single helmet size reduced sizing complexity and the commonality of the helmet will be beneficial to any future logistics. The elliptical helmet enables one helmet to work on both sizes. The small torso with the elliptical helmet model showed adequate clearance near the neck ring for sizing. The concern of impaired mobility with the hemisphere helmets also was alleviated. FEA was performed on the models of the hybrid as the design was progressing. Analysis was performed to verify the proof of concept would take the scye plug loads 5 and man loads 6. There was still opportunity to integrate the feedback from the results of the FEA as an iteration of the design. Simulation showed that a large amount of the plug load is carried into the chest plate. As an example in the first round of FEA the chest plate load location overhung the shape of the clamp ring as shown in Figure 10. The design was improved and HyUT clamping ring design had the lip removed in this area. Removing the lip then there was ability to eliminate the notch cut out of the base of the front breast plate increasing the contact area for the preloaded fasteners. Much of the feedback from this analysis has been incorporated into the HyUT design already. The neck ring has been redesigned and the BSC and clamp ring have been redesigned

Figure 9. HyUT Mockup with EMU LTA. eliminating the notch and integrating the countersink into the bracket improving preload contact forces. The analysis that has been done

5 Force from air pressure. 6 Force applied by suit subject. 6 International Conference on Environmental Systems

leads ILC to believe that the HyUT is capable moving forward. The scye carrier on the hybrid upper torso is larger than the EMU. The scye bearing was an area that several studies have suggested contributed to shoulder injury. 7 The same studies indicated that a larger scye opening would help reduce injury. Larger volume around the shoulders is only part of the solution ILC is offering for shoulder injury. Even with a larger scye bearing the hybrid is able to achieve the smaller Q-distance sizes. The larger scye bearing through the use of an insert adapter will allow for interfacing with two options of an upper arm. If desied through the use of an insert the upper arm assembly and scye Figure 10. FEA improvement example. bearing on the EMU could be utilized in the hybrid upper torso. The EMU upper arm was designed for only a 4.3psid operational pressure. The EMU upper arm is able to be pressurized to 8.3psid however its mobility performance is significantly degraded requiring more physical exertion of the subject to use. For 8.3psid operations the upper arm could be upgraded to the ILC rolling convolute. The scye bearing on the hybrid upper torso is 1.2” in diameter larger then then existing EMU scye bearing. The larger size allows for less shoulder contact when used with the rolling convolute shoulder. To interface with an EMU arm an adapter would be used. Both upper arm assembly options will interface to the existing EMU lower arm FAR and will continue the use of the Phase VI glove. The lower arm assembly has been shown to operate effectively at 8.3psid. All of the design improvements were combined into the prototype HyUT. The HyUT features: • Elliptical helmet bubble, • Upper torso inserts that can be installed and removed for resizing by hand, without the use of tools, • Scye and shoulder assemblies, also needing no tools to

remove and install. • H-Suit/MK III style rear entry 3 and EMU style waist entry.

ILC also examined PLSS options to which the hybrid upper torso could potentially interface. The existing EMU PLSS could be used, however as servicing the old PLSS is becoming more difficult it is believed that one of the new PLSS concepts will be pursued for design effort for interface. Any of the PLSS options being designed by different groups could interface to the hybrid upper torso throgh small configuration changes. Figure 11. Hybrid with EMU DCM and Included with the life support options the hybrid upper torso PLSS . could interface to the SAFER.

III. Testing Three phases of testing with the hybrid upper torso assembly have been done. The first stage of testing was the Z-1 proof of concept, mentioned earlier, using Z-1 hardware retrofit with hybrid components. During the Z-1 proof of concept three subjects with experience in the Z-1 suit evaluated the hybrid configuration. Drawing from the subject’s experience in Z-1 nominal hardware, subjects responded to questions related to the size, fit, and feel of the hybrid configuration. Additionally suited subjects were asked to evaluate their reach to the hatch release mechanism.

7Shoulder injury studies include: “EMU Shoulder Injury Tiger Team Report”, NASA/TM-2003-212058, D. Williams and B. Johnson “NASA Shoulder Injury TIM Recommendations”,03-DEC-2012 “Musculoskeletal Injuries and Minor Trauma in Space: Incidence and Injury Mechanisms in U.S. Astronauts”, Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 80, No. 2, February 2009, R. Scheuring and others “Shoulder Injuries in US Astronauts Related to EVA Suit Design” (presentation), September 14, 2012, R.A. Scheuring 3-9769

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The reach to the hatch release was an action that only a few people had successfully been able to do, none of whom were in this group of three. The primary goal of the Z-1 evaluation was to show the feasibility of the hybrid sizing design, not to gain any specific reach or range of motion data. There were two sizes of inserts for the Z-1 during the fit check series the sizing panels were swapped out 4 times. One manufacturing error was noted on a particular rear sizing panel was machined to a slightly thicker dimension, resulting in binding when attempting to remove it, a light tap with a rubber mallet would loosen it up for removal. Additionally the scye interface was sensitive to off plane removal due to tight clearance holes. Future renditions of these interfaces have had the manufacturing tolerances adjusted to prevent tight clearances. The large size insert was designed to match the normal Z-1 Q-distance (see Figure 7) subjects confirmed the large size felt “familiar” as the normal Z-1 configuration. Immediately following the large size tests inserts were swapped to the small size. The small size had a one inch smaller Q-distance. The small size subjects reported feeling more indexed into the gloves. Subjects preferred the small size due to the indexing into the gloves. Because there is only one normal size of the Z-1 the subjects did not have sizing options. The subjects would fall into this slightly smaller size if it was a regular option. Across both sizes subjects reported more chest contact around the scye, as being different, but not uncomfortable from the normal Z-1. The change in controlled scye angle could make this difference. All subjects noted better reach to the release mechanism with the hybrid configuration. Subjects noted even greater reach with the small size over the large. For the three subjects in this test the small size was the better fit. For fhe Z-1 hybrid testing series the restraint under each arm billowed out as shown in Figure 12 causing some interference with reach down and back, there was also some billowing that interfered with the release mechanism itself though not the reach in that area. The restraint and bladder had been deliberately oversized for the Z-1 test. It has now been shown that optimizing the restraint and bladder configuration will prevent billowing from Figure 12. Billowing of excess restraint. occurring. At the time, schedule constraints prevented an iteration to optimize restraint and bladder in the time frame for the testing on the Z-1. Testing also showed that many of the brackets could and should be integrated together to improve performance. The Z-1 hybrid was a retrofit system and integration of the brackets would be forward work. The second phase of the testing was both optimizing and burst testing the restraint and bladder. The fabric used to make EMU SSA restraints has been discontinued by the manufacture and a new material in in the process of being identified. The leading material candidate was used for a burst test of the SUT. The SUT serves as the secondary restraint in the hybrid upper torso. The test was run prior to the final material down select. The leading material and presumed winner was chosen in attempt to make the prototype the final material choice. Material testing is still ongoing. The material used for this test was a spectra fabric. The SUT was of a single wall construction that was first proof tested with air at 15.2 ± .5 psid for 5 minutes without any structural damage. After passing a structural test the SUT was filled with water and all the air bubbles removed. Pressure was slowly increased until failure occurred at approximately 20 psig. Failure mode when test was terminated was at a join seam where stitching failed first followed by restraint fabric ripping on either side. The bladder material stretched enough that the bladder did not experience any failures. Prior tests with a double wall SUT and legacy EMU materials, now discontinued, have resulted in Figure 13. Hybrid SUT burst test. failure pressures in the 50-60psid ranges. This 8 International Conference on Environmental Systems

burst test will be performed again once the final replacement material choice has been made. As these materials have the capability of greater burst pressure. The third phase of hybrid testing that has taken place has been using the HyUT. As of this writing five subjects have done testing in the HyUT. Two subjects in the testing have had no EMU experience. Both of the inexperienced subjects were immediately able to manipulate the shoulders of the suit. The manipulation known in ILC as “rolling the shoulders”, where the arm bearing and the scye bearing rotate a complete 360 degrees, only moving the shoulders. This action has been an indication in the EMU of both good sizing and good experience with the programming of the suit. All of the subjects have been able to accomplish and repeatedly reach each request throughout testing. All subjects, including the smallest, have been able to reach the hatch release mechanism (Figure 14) and reach for the area the SAFER controller would be. Figure 15 shows the overhead reach of the HyUT. The potential placements of DCM and RV valves were evaluated in this testing series as well. Location and routing of

Figure 14. HyUT hatch release reach. Figure 15. HyUT overhead reach. the PLSS hoses have been looked at conceptually.

IV. Conclusion The evolution and development of the next EVA space suit is an ongoing task. Because of it’s sizing versatility the hybrid upper torso has the potential to be the advancement in space suit technology that has been needed for many years. Forward work includes building a new and improved hybrid upper torso for the PXS suit being built for the CSSS contract. ILC will combine many of the improvements identified through the testing described in this paper. The purpose is to refine the manufacturability of the designs for upper as well as lower torso and evaluate how they combine together on the same platform. Torque and ROM studies will be conducted to gather data on the mobility enhancements. Further integration with PLSS design and DCM design will be shown. This research focuses on an effort to push the state of the art in space suit upper torso design. Both to replace and renew the capabilities of the EMU on ISS, but also future missions.

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank all those at ILC Dover both in Houston and Delaware and NASA JSC & MSFC that aided in the design and testing of these prototypes and suits.

References

1Jones, R., Graziosi, D., Splawn, W., Ferl, J., “Development of a Space Suit Soft Upper Torso Mobility/Sizing Actuation System with Focus on Prototype Development and Manned Testing” 2007-01-3169 ICES Conference, 2007. 2Graziosi, D., Splawn, W., Ferl, J., “Development of a Space Suit Soft Upper Torso Mobility/Sizing Actuation System” 2004-01-2342 ICES Conference, 2004. 3Graziosi, D., Splawn, W., Ferl, J., “Evaluation of a Rear Entry System for an Advanced Spacesuit” 2005-01-2976 ICES Conference, 2005.

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