Plasma effects on surfaces and spacecraft structural materials: arc analyses based on image processing

Abstract

The space plasma is one of the environmental components impinging on the materials used for spacecraft surface structure and configuration. Therefore, ground-based experimental simulations are carried out on samples of materials to study the variation of the characteristics and morphological structures of the materials due to plasma effects. In the experiments, discharging and arcs inception has been investigated. The experimental procedures are performed at different test conditions and plasma parameters. Morphological and arc images analyses have been carried out using the Python and Maxim DL programs. The results have shown the variation of the structure and sample characteristics due to plasma exposure and arc effects.