Engineering topics

Whitaker, Ann F.

Publications and source records attributed to Whitaker, Ann F..

At least 37 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS2001

The Vitrification and Determination of the Crystallization Time Scales of a Zr58.5Nb2.8Cu15.6Ni12.8Al10.3 Bulk Metallic Glass Forming Liquid

Zr58.5Nb2.8Cul5.6Nil2.8All0.3 is the first bulk glass forming liquid that does not contain beryllium to be vitrified by purely radiative cooling in the containerless electrostatic levitation process. The measured critical cooling rate is 1.75 K/s. The sluggish crystallization kinetics enable the determination of the time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram between the liquidus and the glass transition temperatures. At the nose of the TTT diagram, the shortest time to reach crystallization in an isothermal experiment is 32 seconds. In contrast to other bulk metallic glasses the scatter in the crystallization onset times are small at both high and low temperatures.

Hays, C. C.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Characterization of a Multilayered Dielectric Transmissive Phase Modulator

We describe a multilayered dielectric stack configuration designed specifically for use as a transmissive phase modulator for broadband optical signals. Applications for this device range from full aperture wavefront correction to nonmechanical beam steering arrays for free space optical communication links. Our implementation employs alternating GaAs and AlAs layers of varying thickness on a GaAs substrate to create a bandpass region of high average transmission centered about the one micrometer wavelength. Within this transmission bandpass, the phase component of the complex transmission coefficient varies in a near-linear fashion with respect to wavelength. The transmission bandpass is designed to have a bandwidth of 21.0 nm (or 6.3THz frequency bandwidth) and to have an edge-to-edge phase change of greater than 47T radians. Modification of the stack materials' optical properties causes the transmission profile to shift spectrally, resulting in a phase modulation for bands of transmitted frequencies. Our broadband phase modulator imparts up to a full-cycle of phase modulation with low loss and low group velocity dispersion. We identify several methods for implementing the requisite modulation, including refractive index modulation through free carrier injection and optical path length modulation through variation in angle of incidence. At least one sample comprising 91 alternating layers has been fabricated to exhibit the bandpass properties required for optical signal phase modulation. We experimentally characterize the sample using an interferometer and spectrometer to measure the transmitted signal spectrum and relative phase modulation. We compare the experimental data to computational predictions and discuss the results.

Keys, Andrew S.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Atmospheric Nitrogen Fluorescence Yield

Several existing and planned experiments estimate the energies of ultra-high energy cosmic rays from air showers using the atmospheric nitrogen fluorescence. The nitrogen fluorescence yield from air shower electrons depends on the atmospheric composition. We will discuss the uncertainties in the fluorescence yield form electrons in the real atmosphere and describe a concept for a small balloon payload to measure the atmospheric fluorescence yield as a function of attitude.

Adams, J. H., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Transport Phenomena of Off-Axis Sputtering Deposition

Various high quality epitaxial films, especially oxides, have been synthesized using off-axis sputtering deposition. In this presentation, we report the experiment results of ZnO films grown by the off-axis sputtering deposition. Films were synthesized in temperatures ranged from room temperature to 600 C, and pressures from 5 mTorr to 150 mTorr. Film growth rate was measured by surface profilometer, ellipsometer, and wavelength dispersive spectrometry. Due to the collisions between the sputtered species and the residue gases, the kinetic energy of species was reduced and the transport of depositing species changed from a ballistic movement for low pressure to a diffuse drift for high pressure in which the transport species were almost thermalized. The measurements show an increase of growth rates along the gravity vector when the Knodson (Knudsen??) number of transport species is less than 0.05, which suggests that gravity affected the transport characterization in off-axis sputtering deposition. Because the product of pressure (p) and travel distance (d) of sputtered species, p exceeds several mTorr-cm during film deposition, the classical simulations for sputtering process in high vacuum system may not be applied. Based on these experimental measurements, a transport process of the off-axis sputtering deposition is proposed. Several methods including the Monte Carlo method and gravity-driven flow dynamics simulation will be discussed.

Zhu, S.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Gravity Effects in Carbon Nanotube Growth by Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition

Carbon nanotubes are synthesized using thermal chemical vapor deposition. The sizes of these carbon nanotubes (CNT) are quite uniform and the length of the tube is up to several tens of micrometers. With the substrate surface normal either along or against the gravity vector, different growth orientations of CNT are observed by scanning electron microscopy although the Raman spectra are similar for samples synthesized at different locations. These results suggest the gravitation effects in the growth of long and small diameter CNT.

Zhu, S.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Large-Scale Mini-Magnetosphere Plasma Propulsion (M2P2) Experiments

Mini-Magnetosphere Plasma Propulsion (M2P2) is an innovative plasma propulsion system that has the potential to propel spacecraft at unprecedented speeds of 50 to 80 km per second with a low-power requirement of approx. 1 kW per 100 kg of payload and approx. 1 kg of neutral gas [fuel] consumption per day of acceleration. Acceleration periods from several days to a few months are envisioned. High specific impulse and efficiency are achieved through coupling of the spacecraft to the 400 km per second solar wind through an artificial magnetosphere. The mini-magnetosphere or inflated magnetic bubble is produced by the injection of cold dense plasma into a spacecraft-generated magnetic field envelope. Magnetic bubble inflation is driven by electromagnetic processes thereby avoiding the material and deployment problems faced by mechanical solar sail designs, Here, we present the theoretical design of M2P2 as well as initial results from experimental testing of an M2P2 prototype demonstrating: 1) inflation of the dipole magnetic field geometry through the internal injection of cold plasma; and 2) deflection of and artificial solar wind by the prototype M2P2 system. In addition, we present plans for direct laboratory measurement of thrust imparted to a prototype M2P2 by an artificial solar wind during the summer of 2001.

Winglee, R. M.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Computed Tomography Support for Microgravity Materials Science Experiments

The accurate measurement of density in both liquid and solid samples is of considerable interest to Principal Investigators with materials science experiments slated for the ISS. The work to be described is an innovative application of a conventional industrial nondestructive evaluation instrument. Traditional applications of industrial computed tomography (CT) rely on reconstructing cross sections of large structures to provide two-dimensional planar views which can identify defects such as porosity, or other material anomalies. This has been done on microgravity materials science experiments to check the integrity of ampoule-cartridge assemblies for safety purposes. With a substantially monoenergetic flux, as can be obtained with a radioactive cobalt source, there will be a direct correlation between absorption and density. Under such conditions it then becomes possible to make accurate measurements of density throughout a sample, and even when the sample itself is enclosed within a furnace and a safety required cartridge. Such a system has been installed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and is available to PIs to examine samples before and after flight. The CT system is being used to provide density information for two purposes. Firstly, the determination of density changes from liquid to solid is vital information to the PI for purposes of modeling the solidification behavior of his sample, and to engineers who have to design containment ampoules and must allow for shrinkage and other volume changes that may occur during processing. While such information can be obtained by pycnometric measurements, the possibility of using a furnace installed on the CT system enables one to examine potentially dangerous materials having high vapor pressures, while not needing visible access to the material. In addition, uniform temperature can readily be obtained, and the system can be controlled to ramp up, hold, and ramp down while collecting data over a wide range of parameters automatically. Results of initial tests on low melting point elements such as gallium, indium and tin will be presented, and the intent is to proceed to compounds such as InSb, HgCdTe and CdTe. Alloys such as Pb-Sb (PI - Poirier, U AZ) and Cu-Al (PI - Trivedi, Ames Lab.), which are the subjects of flight experiments, will also be examined. The second application is the conversion of measured density values directly to composition. This was successfully done with the mercury cadmium telluride alloys grown on the second and fourth United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-2 and USMP-4) missions by Lehoczky. CdTe values along the length of the boules were obtained at KSC prior to cutting the sample, and could have been obtained prior to its removal from the cartridge and ampoule. Examples of the data obtained will be shown. It is anticipated that several of the materials science PIs will avail themselves of the technique described, initially for determining densities prior to flight, and then to acquire early quantitative data on the compositional variation within their samples.

Gillies, Donald C.↗

NASA NTRS2001

A Test of Macromolecular Crystallization in Microgravity: Large, Well-Ordered Insulin Crystals

Crystals of insulin grown in microgravity on space shuttle mission STS-95 were extremely well-ordered and unusually large (many > 2 mm). The physical characteristics of six microgravity and six earth-grown crystals were examined by X-ray analysis employing superfine f slicing and unfocused synchrotron radiation. This experimental setup allowed hundreds of reflections to be precisely examined for each crystal in a short period of time. The microgravity crystals were on average 34 times larger, had 7 times lower mosaicity, had 54 times higher reflection peak heights and diffracted to significantly higher resolution than their earth grown counterparts. A single mosaic domain model could account for reflections in microgravity crystals whereas reflections from earth crystals required a model with multiple mosaic domains. This statistically significant and unbiased characterization indicates that the microgravity environment was useful for the improvement of crystal growth and resultant diffraction quality in insulin crystals and may be similarly useful for macromolecular crystals in general.

Borgstahl, Gloria E. O.↗

NASA NTRS2001

The Energetic Trans-Iron Composition Experiment (ENTICE) on the Heavy Nuclei Explorer (HNX)

The ENTICE experiment is one of two instruments which make up the HNX mission. The experimental goal of ENTICE is to measure with high precision the elemental abundances of all nuclei with 10<=Z<=82. This will enable us to distinguish between possible injection mechanisms for the galactic cosmic ray accelerator such-as those dependent upon volatility or first ionization potential, and to study the mix of nucleosynthetic processes that contribute to the galactic cosmic ray source. The ENTICE experiment utilizes the dE/dx-C method of charge determination and consists of silicon dE/dx detectors, Cherenkov detectors with two different refractive indices, and a scintillating fiber hodoscope. The geometrical factor of the instrument is 8m2.sr. We will present a description of the instrument and its expected performance based on beam tests and a balloon flight of a prototype instrument.

Israel, M. H.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Multi-Wavelength Observations of the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1900+14 During its April 2001 Activation

The soft-gamma repeater SGR became active on 18 April 2001 after about a year of quiescence; it had remained at a very low state of activity since the fall of 1998, when it exhibited extraordinary flaring. We have observed the source in the gamma and X-rays with \ulysses and \chandra, and in the radio with MERLIN. We report here the confirmation of a two component X-ray spectrum (power law $+$ blackbody), indicating emission from the neutron star surface. We have determined that there is a dust halo surrounding the source that extends up to $\gtrsim100^{\prime\prime}$ from the SGR center, which is due to the scattering in the Interstellar Medium.

Kouveliotou, C.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Production of Bulk and Fiber Glass in Space

The production of bulk glass and fiber glass in space and on the moon and Mars should lead to superior products. Specifically glass plates for windows and optical elements could be produced with theoretical strengths by production in vacuum. Water vapor is known to decrease glass strength by up to two orders of magnitude from theoretical. A low gravity glass plate apparatus prototype has been designed and built which uses centrifugal force to shape the glass and solar energy to melt the glass. Glass fiber could be produced on the moon or Mars from in-situ materials using standard technologies. This material could then be used as reinforcement in composite materials in construction of bases. Also, it has been shown that processing in reduced gravity suppresses crystallization in certain heavy metal fluoride glasses. It is proposed to reprocess optical fiber preforms on the space station and then pull these into optical fiber. It is estimated that the attenuation coefficient should be reduced by two orders of magnitude.

Tucker, Dennis S.↗

NASA NTRS2001

High-Frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in the 2000 Outburst of the Galactic Microquasar XTE J1550-564

We present an analysis of the high-frequency timing properties of the April-May 2000 outburst of the black hole candidate and Galactic microquasar XTE J1550-564, measured with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, The rapid X-ray variability we measure is consistent with the source being in either the "very high" or "intermediate" canonical black hole state. A strong (5-8% RMS) quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) is found between 249-278 Hz; this may represent the first recurrence of the same high-frequency QPO in subsequent outbursts of a transient black hole candidate. We also present possible evidence for a lower-frequency QPO at approximately 187 Hz, also reported previously and likely present simultaneously with the higher-frequency QPO. We discuss these findings within the context of the 1998 outburst of XTE J1550-564, and comment on implications for models of QPOs, accretion flows, and black hole spin.

Miller, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS2001

The Storm-Time Plasmasphere by IMAGE/EUV

With the availability of routine global images of the plasmasphere from the IMAGE Mission Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUV), we now have a growing body of observations that both characterize and quantify the dynamics of the plasmasphere. Direct interactions of the plasmasphere with the ring current and indirect interaction through localized electric fields appear to be the cause of a complex array of structures in the spatial distribution of thermal plasma. This presentation will show those features in detail and discuss possible mechanisms for their cause.

Gallagher, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Determining the Mass Density Along Magnetic Field Lines from Toroida Eigenfrequencies

Toroidal eigenfrequencies can be used to remotely sense the equatorial mass density rho(sub eq) and the density dependence along a magnetic field line. Here we present improvements to the method of Schulz [1996], which allows rho(sub eq) and the power law index alpha (for mass density along a field line proportional to R(sup -alpha), where R is the radial distance from the center of the Earth) to be determined from the y intercept and slope of a plot of toroidal frequency versus toroidal harmonic number n. Our modifications include a model form for eigenfrequencies with a fractional precision of 0.0005 for -6 less than or = alpha less than or = 6 and 2 less than or = L less than or = 8 (accuracy is doubtful beyond L = 5) and an iterative procedure for getting more accurate results than those found using Schulz's method. In addition, we do an analysis of the effect of random measurement errors. Observed frequencies need to be accurate to approx. 6% (3%) of the fundamental frequency in order to determine rho(sub eq) (alpha) to a precision of 30% (unity). We then apply our method to data generated using the Global Core Plasma Model for plasmaspheric mass density; our analysis demonstrates clearly bow the alpha index represents the mass density dependence on the outer part of the field line (R/(LR(sub E)) greater than or approx. 2/3).

Denton, R.↗

NASA NTRS2001

X-Ray Characterization of Structural Defects in Seeded and Self-Seeded ZnSe Crystal Grown by PVT in Horizontal and Vertical Configurations

As part of a pre-flight ground based investigation of crystal growth of II-VI compound semiconductors, a number of ZnSe boules have been grown by physical vapor transport (PVT) at Marshall Space Flight Center. Boules were grown in both horizontal and vertical configurations and seeded and self-seeded growth techniques were employed. As-grown and/or cleaved boules were examined by a combination of synchrotron white beam x-ray topography (SWBXT) and high resolution triple axis diffraction (HRTXD) to characterized the structural defects and correlate them with the growth conditions. Horizontal grown boules tend to grow away from the ampoule wall (contactless growth) and generally exhibit large (110) facets parallel to the gravity vector. Vertical grown boules grew to the full diameter of the ampoule and exhibited no faceting. X-ray topography combined with back reflection x-ray diffraction revealed the presence of lamellar twins (180 deg type about the [111] axis) in horizontal grown boules while vertically grown boules contain a few large grains, some of which are twinned. X-ray topographs and reciprocal space maps recorded from the boules show the better crystal quality of horizontal grown boules. The relationship between crystal quality and gravity vector is investigated. Further, an attempt is made to extend the Hurle theory of twin nucleation in Czochralski grown crystals to explain the twinning mechanisms in horizontal grown boules.

Raghothamachar, B.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Vapor Growth of Binary and Ternary Chalcogenides in Preparation for Microgravity Experiments

In the bulk crystal growth of some technologically important semiconducting chalcopyrites, such as ZnTe, CdS, ZnSe and ZnS, vapor growth techniques have significant advantages over melt growth techniques due to the high melting points of these materials. The realization of routine production of high-quality single crystals of these semiconductors requires a fundamental, systematic and in-depth study on the PVT growth process and crystal growth by vapor transport in low gravity offers a set of unique conditions for this study. Previously, two reasons have been put forward to account for this. The first is weight-related reductions in crystal strain and defects. These are thought to be caused by the weight of the crystals during processing at elevated temperatures and retained on cooling, particularly for materials with a low yield strength. The second, and more general, reason is related to the reduction in density-gradient driven convection. The PVT crystal growth process consists of essentially three processes: sublimation of the source material, transport of the vapor species and condensation of the vapor species to form the crystal. The latter two processes can be affected by the convection caused by gravitational accelerations on Earth. Reductions in such convection in low gravity is expected to yield a nearly diffusion-limited growth condition which results in more uniform growth rates (on the microscopic scale) and hence greater crystalline perfection and compositional homogeneity. The reduction of convective contamination by performing flight experiments in a reduced gravity environment will help to understand the relation between fluid phase processes (growth parameters) and defect and impurity incorporation in grown crystals.

Su, Ching-Hua↗

NASA NTRS2001

Measurements of Beam Coupling in the Marshall Magnetic Mirror Device

Experimental investigations of the coupling of an electron beam into a magnetically confined plasma have been undertaken at the Marshall Space Flight Center using the Marshall Magnetic Mirror (M3) system. The M3 system is composed of the following: two magnet coils; a cylindrical vacuum vessel; microwave source; and electron beam source. The magnet coils, which form the magnetic mirror, have an inner diameter of 25.4 cm and an outer diameter of 50.8 cm. The coils are composed of 9 coil segments with 33 turns in each segment. Each coil segment is connected in series. To create the target plasma, a 2 kW microwave source (2.45 gHz) is coupled into the vacuum chamber via waveguide. The electron beam source is a hollow cathode device created by the EPL Corporation. The hollow cathode is capable of producing a 50 amp beam with a pulse length of 1 second. It is also capable of continuous operation at 5 amps. The hollow cathode is mounted on one end of the cylindrical vacuum vessel 24 cm outside of a magnet coil. A current sensor is placed in the hollow cathode keeper bias circuit to measure emission current.

Schneider, T. A.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Wiping Metal Transfer in Friction Stir Welding

Much evidence suggests that as the friction stir pin-tool moves along a weld seam the displacement of metal takes place by a wiping action at the surface of a plug of metal that rotates with the tool. The wiping model is explained and some consequences for the friction stir welding process are drawn.

Nunes, Arthur C., Jr.↗