Vascular Self-Healing Network
Microvascular Network Delivering Sealant to Damage Sites
The vascular self-healing network is an embedded fluid distribution system composed of microvascular channels and diaphragm pumps that automatically route liquid sealant to structural breaches. Operating on 5 watts with a total system mass of 30 kilograms, the refillable network identifies penetrations up to 2 millimeters via localized fluid pressure drops, pumping healing agent directly to leak sites across 50 repeatable cycles. In the lunar vacuum, where recurrent micrometeorite impacts threaten habitat containment and quickly exhaust passive, single-use capsule sealants, this active vascular circulation maintains structural hermeticity over a 20-year operational lifetime with a 100,000-hour mean time between failures.
Microvascular network of channels delivering sealant to damage sites — like biological circulatory system, enabling repeated self-healing without capsule depletion.
Purpose
Microvascular network of channels delivering sealant to damage sites — like biological circulatory system, enabling repeated self-healing without capsule depletion.
Context
Child of L2-MMD-HEAL within the Lunar Ark system
Principles
- ▸Network of channels carrying liquid sealant
- ▸Damage site detection via fluid pressure drop
- ▸Pump delivers sealant to leak location
- ▸Refillable from L1-MFG sealant reservoir
- ▸Repeated healing without capsule depletion
Typical implementations
- ▸University of Illinois vascular self-healing research
- ▸Aerospace biomimetic damage repair
- ▸Natural circulatory system inspiration
Lunar considerations
- ▸More complex than capsules but multi-cycle capable
- ▸Long-life vascular network with periodic flush
- ▸Pumping power minimal
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Microvascular network of channels delivering sealant to damage sites — like biological circulatory system, enabling repeated self-healing without capsule depletion. |
| breach size mm max | 2 |
| cycles | 50 |
Physical
| mass kg | 30 |
| materials | Microvascular network, Healing-agent fluid, Diaphragm pumps |
| vacuum compatibility | True |
Operational
| power consumption w | 5 |
| thermal range c | -40, 70 |
| lifetime years | 20 |
| mtbf hours | 100000 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Repeated breach sealing
Requires
- Sealant resupply
- Pumping (~5 W)
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Vascular Self-Healing Network" (L3-MMD-HEAL-VASC). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-MMD-HEAL-VASC
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.