Engineering topics

Smith, Gary L.

Publications and source records attributed to Smith, Gary L..

4 records

NASA NTRS1991

SP-100 design, safety, and testing

The SP-100 Program is developing a nuclear reactor power system that can enhance and/or enable future civilian and military space missions. The program is directed to develop space reactor technology to provide electrical power in the range of tens to hundreds of kilowatts. The major nuclear assembly test is to be conducted at the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington, and is designed to validate the performance of the 2.4-MWt nuclear and heat transport assembly.

Cox, Carl. M.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Study Of Phase Separation In Glass

Report describes an experimental study of effect of hydroxide content on phase separation in soda/silica glasses. Ordinary and gel glasses melted at 1,565 degree C, and melts stirred periodically. "Wet" glasses produced by passing bubbles of N2 saturated with water through melts; "dry" glasses prepared in similar manner, except N2 dried before passage through melts. Analyses of compositions of glasses performed by atomic-absorption and index-of-refraction measurements. Authors conclude hydroxide speeds up phase separation, regardless of method (gel or ordinary) by which glass prepared. Eventually helps material scientists to find ways to control morphology of phase separation.

Neilson, George F.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Crystal nucleation in lithium borate glass

Crystal nucleation measurements were made on three lithium borate compositions in the vicinity of Li2O-2Br2O3. All nucleation measurements were performed at 500 C. Certain aspects of the nucleation behavior indicated (tentatively) that it proceeded by a homogeneous mechanism. The steady state nucleation rate was observed to have the largest value when the Li2O concentration was slightly in excess of the diborate composition. The change in nucleation rate with composition is controlled by the variation of viscosity as well as the change in free energy with composition. The variation of nucleation rate is explained qualitatively in these terms.

Smith, Gary L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Glass formation and crystallization of high lead content PbO-B2O3 compositions

The glass-forming and undercooling ability of PbO-B2O3 melts in the 2PbO.B2O3 to 4PbO.B2O3 composition range were studied. The glass formation propensities were investigated as a function of cooling rate and sample mass. A qualitative investigation of the crystallization process(es) preventing glass formation was made, and it was concluded that under normal circumstances heterogeneous nucleation was the common occurrence. Hence, it was concluded that such compositions are prime candidates for containerless experiments aboard the Space Shuttle.

Weinberg, Michael C.↗