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Completed TRL 4 (started at 3, targeting 4)
Following Authority to Proceed (ATP) the team will work with the stakeholders to develop a set of requirements for a sub-scale prototype representative ZFD proof-of-concept demonstration test article. The project team will utilize lessons learned from prior risk reduction work which proved that the sealing surfaces and seals will function adequately in this design concept. The concept shown in the above figure will be refined and a new design developed for the prototype. We will utilize advanced metal 3D printing to print the complex disconnect body, which will save time and money when compared to traditional machining. After fabrication and assembly of the prototype ZFD we will conduct a series of tests to verify that it can meet all the stated requirements.\n\n\u2022 Primary System Prototyped Components \no Ground half ZFD, with built in compliance.\no Flight half ZFD, 3D printed housing.\no Test fixture to mount the ZFD and perform repeated mate/demate cycles.\no Instrumentation to measure forces and leak rates during testing.\no Data acquisition to record, sore and analyze test data.\n
The current State of the Art (SOA) for umbilical systems are the arms recently designed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the Space Launch System (SLS). Each of these umbilical arms are purpose-built to provide a very specific function for one vehicle only. As KSC continues to become a Multi-User Spaceport the need for flexibility at the launch pads grows. This project will develop technology and demonstrate an advanced concept Zero Force Disconnect (ZFD) which will evolve the state-of-the-art in Umbilical Systems. The ZFD could revolutionize umbilicals design by reducing separation loads and reducing the mass of the umbilical plates which in turn will reduce the weight of the entire umbilical arm and tower. The ZFD will deliver the following innovative features:\n\u2022 Reduce or eliminate umbilical separation loads. This is a major factor in the current design of structurally rigid umbilical plates which tend to be very heavy to support high separation loads.\n\u2022 Self-aligning mechanism. Important feature which allows umbilical mating with slight plate angular/positional misalignment.\n\u2022 Use with multiple fluids and gases. The goal is for the ZFD to be used for many different fluid transfer applications such as high pressure GHe pressurant, purge GN2, GHe, cryogenic fueling LH2, LO2, and possibly RP1 and hypergols depending on the sealing material selected.\n\u2022 A range of sizes from \xbc to 4 are possible. This CIF will focus on a 1/2 nominal size as a proof of concept, but scaling to other sizes will be investigated.\n\u2022 Versatile application - The ZFD can be used for ground umbilical where it will greatly reduce the weight and cost of umbilical systems, but its greatest benefits will be for spacecraft and off world applications where the mass savings will be of even greater benefit.
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