Preload relaxation analysis and reliable life prediction of space connection and separation device based on accelerated degradation tests

The safety and reliability of space connection and separation device has become a key issue due to the increasing service span of deep space exploration mission. The long-term preload relaxation (a key failure mode) of connection and separation devices is focused in this paper. A ser-ies of tests have been designed and implemented to investigate the preload relaxation regulation and a comprehensive method has been constructed to analyze and predict the reliable lifetime of the device. The two-stage preload relaxation law of the device is found and reasonably considered. Due to the different relaxation mechanism, the first-stage preload relaxation is assessed based on the working-condition test results, and the second-stage preload relaxation is characterized by accel-erated test results. Finally, the service reliability and reliable life are evaluated. The experiment and assessment results demonstrate the reasonability and effectiveness of the proposed method which can achieve long-service reliability analysis for space connection and separation device within lim-ited time. (c) 2022 Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).