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DOE OSTI2025

Coal to Carbon Fiber (C2CF) Continuous Processing for High Value Composites (Final Report)

Coal tar is a condensed and recovered by-product of the coking of metallurgical coal for steel production. The heaviest fraction of distilled coal tar is an isotropic pitch largely used as a binder in the manufacturing of carbonaceous electrodes for primary aluminum smelting and in electric arc furnaces. Coal tar pitch offers high carbon yield upon carbonization. In this project, a process to convert the domestically sourced isotropic coal tar pitch, containing very low particulates (QI = 0.32 wt.%), to form flow-domain mesophase pitch amenable for melt spinning into precursor (green) fibers for carbon fiber, was developed and optimized. The final reproducible processing developed is reviewed in this report, along with several characterizations of the mesophase pitch. A final definition of the characteristics of a ‘spinnable’ mesophase pitch is presented. With this mesophase pitch, reproducible and stable multifilament melt spinning was developed, producing green fiber tows with filament diameters of approximately 20 m. The multifilament melt spinning was the most challenging aspect of the project and required the most effort. The best practices learned from this project for melt spinning are reviewed in this report. Once spun, the green fibers were oxidatively stabilized, carbonized and graphitized under inert gas atmosphere to form the final carbon fibers. Given the relatively high softening point of the mesophase pitch, no issues of interfilament fusion were observed during batch oxidation, and subsequent batch carbonization and graphitization went smoothly in all cases. An ~ 80 wt.% conversion of the green fiber mass to final carbon fiber was achieved. After graphitization, the carbon fibers showed high tensile moduli (most were ~ 600 GPa, or 87 Msi) consistent with commercially-available high-performance pitch-based carbon fiber. However, tensile strength and strain to failure were comparatively low. Further work to reduce defects in and on the fiber surfaces would increase these properties. SEM imaging of the graphitic fiber textures is presented herein. Rudimentary composites were fabricated from the carbon fibers and characterized showing similar modulus to baseline composites fabricated with commercial carbon fiber. Finally, a basic economic analysis was done showing the potential to increase the value of the isotropic coal tar pitch by up to 13.6 to 136 times based on a carbon fiber value of $\$$5/lb to $\$$50/lb, respectively. Moreover, the site case study suggests that the coal tar from the single integrated steel mill could supply production of up to 16 kt/yr of carbon fiber. Finally, a technological gap analysis was done which shed light on remaining technical challenges. These challenges included: recovery and utilization of condensates from the mesophase pitch processing, further advancing and increasing stability of the multifilament melt spinning processing, optimization of the oxidation processing, defect reduction for increased carbon fiber strength, and the development of a weaving process towards carbon fiber fabrics. To maximize the coal value chain, the primary objectives of this project were to (a) develop and scale efficient processing technology for producing melt-spinnable mesophase pitch from isotropic coal tar pitch, (b) clarify and simplify tedious continuous fiber processing technologies (particularly multifilament melt spinning of mesophase pitch) towards the efficient production of high performance carbon fiber, and (c) demonstrate and characterize representative composite parts derived from the final carbon fiber. Immense progress was made on all 3 objectives and is detailed in this report.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

NASA NTRS1998

Velocity, force, power, and Ca2+ sensitivity of fast and slow monkey skeletal muscle fibers

In this study, we determined the contractile properties of single chemically skinned fibers prepared from the medial gastrocnemius (MG) and soleus (Sol) muscles of adult male rhesus monkeys and assessed the effects of the spaceflight living facility known as the experiment support primate facility (ESOP). Muscle biopsies were obtained 4 wk before and immediately after an 18-day ESOP sit, and fiber type was determined by immunohistochemical techniques. The MG slow type I fiber was significantly smaller than the MG type II, Sol type I, and Sol type II fibers. The ESOP sit caused a significant reduction in the diameter of type I and type I/II (hybrid) fibers of Sol and MG type II and hybrid fibers but no shift in fiber type distribution. Single-fiber peak force (mN and kN/m2) was similar between fiber types and was not significantly different from values previously reported for other species. The ESOP sit significantly reduced the force (mN) of Sol type I and MG type II fibers. This decline was entirely explained by the atrophy of these fiber types because the force per cross-sectional area (kN/m2) was not altered. Peak power of Sol and MG fast type II fiber was 5 and 8.5 times that of slow type I fiber, respectively. The ESOP sit reduced peak power by 25 and 18% in Sol type I and MG type II fibers, respectively, and, for the former fiber type, shifted the force-pCa relationship to the right, increasing the Ca2+ activation threshold and the free Ca2+ concentration, eliciting half-maximal activation. The ESOP sit had no effect on the maximal shortening velocity (Vo) of any fiber type. Vo of the hybrid fibers was only slightly higher than that of slow type I fibers. This result supports the hypothesis that in hybrid fibers the slow myosin heavy chain would be expected to have a disproportionately greater influence on Vo.

Non-NASA Center↗

DOE OSTI2022

Low Cost, High Volume, Carbon Fiber Precursor for Plasma Oxidation

Light weighting with carbon fiber is critical to improving the energy efficiency of wind turbines, airplanes, and automobiles, but the high cost of carbon fiber continues to limit market growth and applications. Half of this cost is in the raw materials. For the carbon fiber market to reach the next level of adoption, the cost of both the raw materials and conversion must be reduced. This project considered the combination of low-cost, textile-grade precursors combined with the increased efficiency of plasma oxidation to greatly reduce the cost of carbon fiber. The primary objective of this project was to make industrial-grade carbon fiber (550 ksi tensile strength, 35 Msi tensile modulus) from textile-grade PAN precursors, something that cannot be achieved with conventional oxidation and to date has not been achieved with any technology. To accomplish this, the project team iteratively optimized the process conditions in the plasma oxidation and carbonization stages to maximize the tensile properties of the resultant carbon fibers. This involved implementing experimental designs for both stages, whereby process conditions (e.g. temperature) were varied and correlated to fiber properties. Samples of oxidized PAN fibers (OPFs) were prepared using a small pilot-scale plasma oxidation oven at 4XTechnologies (4XT). The thermal, chemical, and physical properties of OPF samples were analyzed by the University of Tennessee (UTK) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The OPF samples were then converted to carbon fiber by subsequent low- and high-temperature carbonization using a lab-scale furnace at ORNL. The resultant carbon fibers were tested for tensile strength also at ORNL, and the results were fed back into the experimental design. Of the hundreds of carbon fiber samples produced over the course of the project, the best sample had an average break strength of 479 ksi and modulus of 33 Msi. While the best tensile properties achieved fell short of the final project targets of 550 ksi for break strength and 35 Msi for modulus, the team demonstrated the potential to produce industrial-grade carbon fiber using textile-grade precursors. The best performing fiber samples had tensile properties that are 87% of the goal for tensile strength and 94% of the goal for tensile modulus. With additional optimization work, it is likely that the targets could be achieved, since only a fraction of the process parameter space was explored during this project. 4XT and its affiliate (4M) have already secured funding through private equity, and there is a CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) project currently underway with the Carbon Fiber Technology Center (CFTF) at ORNL to continue this research. Additionally, while not an original goal of the project, the carbon fibers for most samples had diameters >8.5μm. This is considerably larger than commercially available carbon fiber products, which can impart unique properties to the composites (e.g. increased compressive strength) and decrease manufacturing costs even further. Moreover, these fibers were oxidized with plasma oxidation using residence times ranging <60mins, which would be considered fast for normal diameter fibers, but it is as much as 5x faster when factoring in the diameter of the fibers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS2002

New High-Performance SiC Fiber Developed for Ceramic Composites

Sylramic-iBN fiber is a new type of small-diameter (10-mm) SiC fiber that was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center and was recently given an R&D 100 Award for 2001. It is produced by subjecting commercially available Sylramic (Dow Corning, Midland, MI) SiC fibers, fabrics, or preforms to a specially designed high-temperature treatment in a controlled nitrogen environment for a specific time. It can be used in a variety of applications, but it currently has the greatest advantage as a reinforcement for SiC/SiC ceramic composites that are targeted for long-term structural applications at temperatures higher than the capability of metallic superalloys. The commercial Sylramic SiC fiber, which is the precursor for the Sylramic-iBN fiber, is produced by Dow Corning, Midland, Michigan. It is derived from polymers at low temperatures and then pyrolyzed and sintered at high temperatures using boron-containing sintering aids (ref. 1). The sintering process results in very strong fibers (>3 GPa) that are dense, oxygen-free, and nearly stoichiometric. They also display an optimum grain size that is beneficial for high tensile strength, good creep resistance, and good thermal conductivity (ref. 2). The NASA-developed treatment allows the excess boron in the bulk to diffuse to the fiber surface where it reacts with nitrogen to form an in situ boron nitride (BN) coating on the fiber surface (thus the product name of Sylramic-iBN fiber). The removal of boron from the fiber bulk allows the retention of high tensile strength while significantly improving creep resistance and electrical conductivity, and probably thermal conductivity since the grains are slightly larger and the grain boundaries cleaner (ref. 2). Also, as shown in the graph, these improvements allow the fiber to display the best rupture strength at high temperatures in air for any available SiC fiber. In addition, for CMC applications under oxidizing conditions, the formation of an in situ BN surface layer creates a more environmentally durable fiber surface not only because a more oxidation-resistant BN is formed, but also because this layer provides a physical barrier between contacting fibers with oxidation-prone SiC surface layers (refs. 3 and 4). This year, Glenn demonstrated that the in situ BN treatment can be applied simply to Sylramic fibers located within continuous multifiber tows, within woven fabric pieces, or even assembled into complex product shapes (preforms). SiC/SiC ceramic composite panels have been fabricated from Sylramic-iBN fabric and then tested at Glenn within the Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology Program. The test conditions were selected to simulate those experienced by hot-section components in advanced gas turbine engines. The results from testing at Glenn demonstrate all the benefits expected for the Sylramic-iBN fibers. That is, the composites displayed the best thermostructural performance in comparison to composites reinforced by Sylramic fibers and by all other currently available high-performance SiC fiber types (refs. 3 and 5). For these reasons, the Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology Program has selected the Sylramic-iBN fiber for ongoing efforts aimed at SiC/SiC engine component development.

DiCarlo, James A.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Discontinuous Aligned Carbon Fiber Intermediates for Automotive and Related Applications

This work focused on preferentially aligning discontinuous carbon fibers in wet-laid or air-laid processes. It is well known that aligned fibers provides higher directional strength and stiffness. Discontinuous fibers further allow higher degree of draw and formability as the gaps in the fibers allow for higher material movement. The current processes are limited in their ability to align carbon fibers during processing. The aligned fibers have several benefits - (a) in applications where chopped fibers can replace continuous fibers for targeted strength and stiffness metrics, but at a substantially reduced cost; (b) they can tolerate deeper draws than continuous fiber composites in thermo-stamping and compression molding processes; (c) they can be tailored for pultrusion and unidirectional applications. Although pultrusion is primarily a process that adopts continuous fibers, stitch bonded entangled discontinuous fibers can provide unique intermediates. This is analogous to natural coir fibers which get aligned and entangled to produce ropes/rods for example, (d) they can be processed in cross-ply and multi-directional formats, like composite laminates. In this work Neenah Paper partnered with IACMI, UT and ORNL to evaluate structure-process-property relationships with Zoltek carbon fiber. A few process parameters such as machine speed, weight basis, fiber length, effect of fiber sizing, direction of mat lay-up etc. were investigated. The produced mats were converted to thermoplastic composite laminates using polyamide 6 (PA6, nylon) resin. The specific objective of this project is to produce a wet-laid nonwoven carbon fiber mat with a high degree of unidirectional fiber alignment, using discontinuous carbon fibers. The report provides details about the processing, characterization, and lower-upper bound properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Multi-Functional Distributed Fiber Sensors for Pipeline Monitoring and Methane Detections. Final Report

As an abundant and cheap fossil energy source, natural gas has become a significant energy supply to support the United States’ economy. However, the large-scale extraction and utilization of natural gas also impose significant challenges on methane leakage. This problem is exacerbated by aging gas utility delivery systems, including interstate high-pressure pipelines, storage, and transmission facilities. This project aims to develop a cost-effective fiber optical sensing method that can perform multi-parameter real-time measurements of natural gas pipelines across long interrogation distances up to 100 km with 1-meter spatial resolution. This sensing tool can evaluate overall pipeline efficiency and reduce methane emissions for mid-stream methane infrastructures. To accomplish this objective, research and development efforts funded by this project have resulted in the following accomplishments: This project successfully has developed new functional sensory polymer materials using Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) that can be coated on optical fiber through the reel-to-reel coating process. Functional polymer-coated optical fibers can perform sensitive methane detection through evanescence wave interaction and strain-based measurements to achieve 1% detection sensitivities. The new sensors fibers support both distributed measurements and multiplexed fiber sensors array for multi-point measurements. This project developed and optimized a new multi-core optical fiber that supports simultaneous and distributed measurements of strain and temperatures with 1-meter spatial resolutions across up to 100-km interrogation distance. This new fiber, combined with sensory polymercoated fiber, could perform both distributed temperature and methane detections. This project developed a new artificial intelligence big data algorithm approach that can effectively analyze high-resolution data harnessed by distributed fiber sensors to protect natural gas pipelines against external threats and detect internal defects induced by corrosion. Working with our industry partner, this project developed new optical fibers that support fiber sensor fabrications through polymer coating after the fibers are drawn. These new fibers eliminate the need for direct sensor fabrication when the fiber is fabricated on a fiber draw tower, which drastically expands fiber sensors' applicability. This research project has significantly advanced the distributed fiber sensing technology. It will dramatically increase the applicability and adaptability of distributed fiber sensors for a wide array of applications in energy, sustainability, and environmental science, including structural health monitoring of natural gas pipelines, oil infrastructures, hydrogen facilities, and environmental monitoring of carbon storage sites, water supply systems, and others.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Optimized Carbon Fiber Composites in Wind Turbine Blade Design: Follow-On Studies

This project has identified opportunities to bring further reductions in the mass and cost of modern wind turbine blades through the use of alternative material systems and manufacturing processes. The fiber reinforced polymer material systems currently used by the wind industry have stagnated as the technology continues to mature and as a means to reduce risk while introducing new products with continually increasing blade lengths. However, as blade lengths continue to increase, the challenge of controlling blade mass becomes even more critical to enabling the associated levelized cost of energy reductions. Stiffer and stronger reinforcement fibers can help to resolve the challenges of meeting the loading demands while limiting the increase in weight, but these materials are substantially more expensive than the traditional E-glass fiber systems. One goal of this project and associated work is to identify pathways that improve the cost-effectiveness of carbon fiber such that it is the reinforcement of choice in the primary structural elements of wind blades. The use of heavy-tow textile carbon fiber material systems has been shown to reduce the blade mass by 30-31% when used in the spar cap and by up to 7% when used in edgewise reinforcement. A pultrusion cost model was developed to enable a material cost comparison that includes an accurate estimate of the intermediate manufacturing step of pultrusion for the carbon fiber composite. Material cost reductions were revealed in most cases for the heavy-tow textile carbon fiber compared to infused fiberglass. The use of carbon fiber in the edgewise reinforcement produced the most notable material cost reduction of 33% for the heavy-tow textile carbon fiber. The mass and cost savings observed when using carbon fiber in edgewise reinforcement demonstrate a clear opportunity of this design approach. A carbon fiber conversion cost model was expanded to include a characterization of manufacturing costs when using advanced conversion processes with atmospheric plasma oxidation. This manufacturing approach was estimated to reduce the cost of carbon fiber material systems by greater than 10% and can be used with textile carbon systems or traditional carbon fiber precursors. The pultrusion cost model was also used to assess the opportunity for using pultruded fiberglass in wind blades, studying conventional E-glass fiber reinforcement. When using pultruded fiberglass as the spar cap material for two design classifications, the blade weight was reduced by 6% and 9% compared to infused fiberglass. However, due to the relatively large share of the pultrusion manufacturing cost compared to fiber cost, the spar cap material cost increased by 12% and 7%. When considering the system benefits of reduced blade mass and potentially lower blade manufacturing costs for pultruded composites, there may be opportunity for pultruded E-glass in wind blade spar caps, but further studies are needed. There is a clearer outcome for using pultruded fiberglass in the edgewise reinforcement where it resulted in a blade mass reduction of 2% and associated reinforcement material cost reduction of 1% compared to infused E-glass. The use of higher performing glass fibers, such as S-glass and H-glass systems, will produce greater mass savings but a study is needed to assess the cost implications for these more expensive systems. The most likely opportunity for these high-performance glass fibers is in the edgewise reinforcement, where the increased strength will reduce the damage accumulation of this fatigue-driven component. The blade design assessments in this project characterize the controlling material properties for the primary structural components in the flapwise and edgewise directions for modern wind blades. The observed trends with low and high wind speed turbine classifications for carbon and glass fiber reinforced polymer systems help to identify where cost reductions are needed, and where improvements in mechanical properties would help to reduce the material demands.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS1998

Fiber Pulling Apparatus

The fiber optics industry has grown into a multi-billion marketplace that will continue to grow into the 21st century. Optical fiber communications is currently dominated by silica glass technology. Successful efforts to improve upon the low loss transmission characteristics of silica fibers have propelled the technology into the forefront of the communications industry. However, reaching the theoretical transmission capability of silica fiber through improved processing has still left a few application areas in which other fiber systems can provide an influential role due to specific characteristics of high theoretical transmission in the 2 - 3 micron wavelength region. One of the other major materials used for optical fibers is the systems based upon Heavy Metal Fluoride Glass (HMFG). Commercial interest is driven primarily by the potential for low loss repeaterless infrared fibers. An example of the major communications marketplace which would benefit from the long distance repeaterless capability of infrared fibers is the submarine cables which link the continents. When considering commercial interests, optical fiber systems provide a healthy industrial position which continues to expand. Major investments in the systems used for optical fiber communications have continued to increase each year and are predicted to continue well into the next century. Estimates of 8.5% compounded annually are predicted through 1999 for the North American market and 1 1 % worldwide. The growth for the optical fiber cable itself is expected to continue between 44 and 50 per cent of the optical fiber communications budget through 1999. The total budget in 1999 world-wide is expected to be in the neighborhood of $9 billion. Another survey predicts that long haul telecommunications represents 15% of a world-wide fiber optics market in 1998. The actual amount allotted to cable was not specified. However, another market research had predicted that the cable costs alone represents more than 50% of the total budget each year through 1998. A newly emerging activity is the commercial development of doped optical fibers which can be pumped by laser diodes to provide amplification of the communication signals. This technology is newly emerging and will be developed for commercial interests in the United States by Galileo Electro-optical Incorporated in Sturbridge, MA on a license from British Telecom. Long repeaterless communication links provide the biggest stimulus for this technology. As an example of the of the revenues involved in the optical fiber communications 3 industry, the current trade journal lists that for the fiscal years, 1991 - 1994, 185 separate undersea links were established. In addition, another 105 links are planned through 1998. The distribution of revenues involved in the undersea installations is roughly $8.5 billion through 1993 and another $13 billion planned through 1998. A large portion of the future activity (34%) is planned for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Region. Other examples of the commercial utility of optical fiber networks is given in a recent scientific symposium in which the outlook for HMFG infrared fiber was determined to be very bright.Another area of interest lies in the use of fiber optics for laser surgery delivery systems.

Workman, Gary L.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Metabolic and morphologic properties of single muscle fibers in the rat after spaceflight, Cosmos 1887

The adaptation of a slow (soleus, Sol) and a fast (medial gastrocnemius, MG) skeletal muscle to spaceflight was studied in five young male rats. The flight period was 12.5 days and the rats were killed approximately 48 h after returning to 1 g. Five other rats that were housed in cages similar to those used by the flight rats were maintained at 1 g for the same period of time to serve as ground-based controls. Fibers were classified as dark or light staining for myosin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase). On the average, the fibers in the Sol of the flight rats atrophied twice as much as those in the MG. Further, the fibers located in the deep (close to the bone and having the highest percentage of light ATPase and high oxidative fibers in the muscle cross section) region of the MG atrophied more than the fibers located in the superficial (away from the bone and having the lowest percentage of light ATPase and high oxidative fibers in the muscle cross-section) region of the muscle. Based on quantitative histochemical assays of single muscle fibers, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity per unit volume was unchanged in fibers of the Sol and MG. However, in the Sol, but not the MG, the total amount of SDH activity in a 10-microns-thick section of a fiber decreased significantly in response to spaceflight. Based on population distributions, it appears that the alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) activities were elevated in the dark ATPase fibers in the Sol, whereas the light fibers in the Sol and both fiber types in the MG did not appear to change. The ratio of GPD to SDH activities increased in the dark (but not light) fibers of the Sol and was unaffected in the MG. Immunohistochemical analyses indicate that approximately 40% of the fibers in the Sol of flight rats expressed a fast myosin heavy chain compared with 22% in control rats. Further, 31% of the fibers in the Sol of flight rats expressed both fast and slow myosin heavy chains compared with 8% in control rats. Immunohistochemical changes in the MG were minimal. These data suggest that the magnitude and direction of enzymatic activity and cell volume changes are dependent on the muscle, the region of the muscle, and the type of myosin expressed in the fibers. Further, the ability of fibers to maintain normal or even elevated activities per unit volume of some metabolic enzymes is remarkable considering the marked and rapid decrease in fiber volume.

NASA Experiment Number COS 1887-26↗

DOE OSTI2025

Initial assessment of alternative carbon fiber geometries for design of cost-effective compressive performance: Size effect studies

Carbon fiber provides opportunity to reduce weight in structural composites, including wind turbine blades, due to the material's superior specific stiffness and specific strength compared to alternatives. Despite these advantages, cost and compressive performance are considered weaknesses for carbon fiber products available today. Studies to produce low-cost carbon fiber alternatives, including the use of textile-derived precursor systems, have shown progress and merit through the DOE/ORNL low-cost carbon fiber initiatives. Here, this work focuses on enabling increases in compressive strength through design of the carbon fiber geometry, applicable to both textile and conventional precursor systems, while also providing opportunities to reduce carbon fiber processing costs. Fiber-resin interface and fiber alignment are among the most frequently cited factors controlling composite compressive performance. However, it is believed that there is opportunity in traditionally unexplored routes to increasing compressive strength through alteration of the carbon fiber geometry by increasing the fiber area moment of inertia and/or the fiber perimeter and interfacial area. This paper presents initial results from manufacturing carbon fiber materials to assess the impacts of carbon fiber size on tested composite compressive performance with projected neutral or even beneficial impact on fiber and composite manufacturing economics. Carbon fiber systems with increasing size illustrate a favorable correlation for compressive performance greater than predicted from a micromechanical failure model. The manufacturing and mechanical test results support the hypothesis of this work that alterations to fiber geometry can be used to produce improvements of the compressive strength of carbon fiber reinforced polymers and provide incentive for related work in designing alternative shapes to further enhance compressive performance.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2026

Carbon fiber design improvements based on economic models

Circular fiber geometries are predominant in commercial carbon fiber material systems, but the use of this fiber shape has numerous limitations. Circular geometries have continuous symmetry, which is helpful for various processing considerations, but also have the largest possible maximum diffusion thickness for a given fiber area. This characteristic means that circular carbon fibers always have the highest material processing cost and lowest production throughput compared to any other fiber shape with the same area and tow count. To quantify material cost and other benefits for non-circular carbon fiber geometries, process models for polyacrylonitrile based carbon fiber production are developed in relationship to the carbon fiber shape, size, and tow count. For a given fiber shape, precursor production costs are shown to favor maximizing fiber size while conversion costs are minimized by the smallest fiber size. These competing cost trends result in a numerically optimal fiber size for a given shape and tow count, while both cost components are decreased by increasing tow count. Cost–performance tradeoffs for three lobe fiber geometries are studied by supplementing the cost trends with a numerical failure model to predict compressive strength for discrete shape variants. The shape selection is shown to be more sensitive to variations in cost than compressive strength while suboptimal shape designs can improve manufacturing robustness and achievable fiber volume fractions. Finally, an optimal three lobe carbon fiber is identified that balances the set of considerations while reducing costs and embodied energy and increasing production throughput compared to a commercial carbon fiber.

Carbon fiber↗

NASA NTRS1991

Fiber optic and laser sensors IX; Proceedings of the Meeting, Boston, MA, Sept. 3-5, 1991

The present volume on fiber-optic and laser sensors discusses industrial applications of fiber-optic sensors, fiber-optic temperature sensors, fiber-optic current sensors, fiber-optic pressure/displacement/vibration sensors, and generic fiber-optic systems. Attention is given to a fiber-sensor design for turbine engines, fiber-optic remote Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, near-IR fiber-optic temperature sensors, and an intensity-type fiber-optic electric current sensor. Topics addressed include fiber-optic magnetic field sensors based on the Faraday effect in new materials, diaphragm size and sensitivity for fiber-optic pressure sensors, a microbend pressure sensor for high-temperature environments, and linear position sensing by light exchange between two lossy waveguides. Also discussed are two-mode elliptical-core fiber sensors for measurement of strain and temperature, a fiber-optic interferometric X-ray dosimeter, fiber-optic interferometric sensors using multimode fibers, and optical fiber sensing of corona discharges.

Depaula, Ramon P.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Production and application of chemical fibers with special properties for manufacturing composite materials and goods of different usage

The development of modern technologies demands the creation of new nonmetallic, fibrous materials with specific properties. The fibers and materials developed by NII 'Chimvolokno', St. Petersburg, can be divided into two groups. The first group includes heat-resistant fibers, fire-resistant fibers, thermotropic fibers, fibers for medical application, and textile structures. The second group contains refractory fibers, chemoresistant and antifriction fibers, fibers on the basis of polyvinyl alcohol, microfiltering films, and paperlike and nonwoven materials. In cooperation with NPO 'Chimvolokno' MYTITSHI, we developed and started producing heat-resistant high-strength fibers on the base of polyhetarearilin and aromatic polyimides (SVM and terlon); heat-resistant fibers on the base of polyemede (aramid); fire-retardant fibers (togilen); chemoresistant and antifriction fibers on the basis of homo and copolymers of polytetrafluoroethylene (polyfen and ftorin); and water soluble, acetylated, and high-modulus fibers from polyvinyl alcohol (vylen). Separate reports will deal with textile structures and thermotropic fibers, as well as with medical fibers. One of the groups of refractory fibers carbon fibers (CF) and the corresponding paperlike nonwoven materials are discussed in detail. Also, composite materials (CM) and their base, which is the subject of the author's research since 1968, is discussed.

Levit, R.↗

NASA NTRS2005

High-Power Fiber Lasers Using Photonic Band Gap Materials

High-power fiber lasers (HPFLs) would be made from photonic band gap (PBG) materials, according to the proposal. Such lasers would be scalable in the sense that a large number of fiber lasers could be arranged in an array or bundle and then operated in phase-locked condition to generate a superposition and highly directed high-power laser beam. It has been estimated that an average power level as high as 1,000 W per fiber could be achieved in such an array. Examples of potential applications for the proposed single-fiber lasers include welding and laser surgery. Additionally, the bundled fibers have applications in beaming power through free space for autonomous vehicles, laser weapons, free-space communications, and inducing photochemical reactions in large-scale industrial processes. The proposal has been inspired in part by recent improvements in the capabilities of single-mode fiber amplifiers and lasers to produce continuous high-power radiation. In particular, it has been found that the average output power of a single strand of a fiber laser can be increased by suitably changing the doping profile of active ions in its gain medium to optimize the spatial overlap of the electromagnetic field with the distribution of active ions. Such optimization minimizes pump power losses and increases the gain in the fiber laser system. The proposal would expand the basic concept of this type of optimization to incorporate exploitation of the properties (including, in some cases, nonlinearities) of PBG materials to obtain power levels and efficiencies higher than are now possible. Another element of the proposal is to enable pumping by concentrated sunlight. Somewhat more specifically, the proposal calls for exploitation of the properties of PBG materials to overcome a number of stubborn adverse phenomena that have impeded prior efforts to perfect HPFLs. The most relevant of those phenomena is amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), which causes saturation of gain and power at undesirably low levels, and scattering of light from dopants. In designing a given fiber laser for reduced ASE, care must be taken to maintain a correct fiber structure for eventual scaling to an array of many such lasers such that the interactions among all the members of the array would cause them to operate in phase lock. Hence, the problems associated with improving a single-fiber laser are not entirely separate from the bundling problem, and some designs for individual fiber lasers may be better than others if the fibers are to be incorporated into bundles. Extensive calculations, expected to take about a year, must be performed in order to determine design parameters before construction of prototype individual and fiber lasers can begin. The design effort can be expected to include calculations to optimize overlaps between the electromagnetic modes and the gain media and calculations of responses of PBG materials to electromagnetic fields. Design alternatives and physical responses that may be considered include simple PBG fibers with no intensity-dependent responses, PBG fibers with intensity- dependent band-gap shifting (see figure), and broad-band pumping made possible by use of candidate broad-band pumping media in place of the air or vacuum gaps used in prior PBG fibers.

DiDomenico, Leo↗

NASA NTRS2018

High Strength Ceramic Fibers and Methods of Fabrication

A method and apparatus for forming a plurality of fibers from (e.g., CVD) precursors, including a reactor adapted to grow a plurality of individual fibers; and a plurality of independently controllable lasers, each laser of the plurality of lasers growing a respective fiber. A high performance fiber (HPF) structure, including a plurality of fibers arranged in the structure; a matrix disposed between the fibers; wherein a multilayer coating is provided along the surfaces of at least some of the fibers with an inner layer region having a sheet-like strength; and an outer layer region, having a particle-like strength, such that any cracks propagating toward the outer layer from the matrix propagate along the outer layer and back into the matrix, thereby preventing the cracks from approaching the fibers. A method of forming an interphase in a ceramic matrix composite material having a plurality of SiC fibers, which maximizes toughness by minimizing fiber to fiber bridging, including arranging a plurality of SiC fibers into a preform; selectively removing (e.g., etching) silicon out of the surface of the fibers resulting in a porous carbon layer on the fibers; and replacing the porous carbon layer with an interphase layer (e.g., Boron Nitride), which coats the fibers to thereby minimize fiber to fiber bridging in the preform.

Pegna, Joseph↗

DOE OSTI2024

Long coir and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites prepared via wet-laid technique

Natural fiber composites offer an advantage in terms of weight saving for many automotive applications; however, many natural fiber composites lack properties to justify substitution for synthetic composites. Hybridizing the natural fiber composites by adding a fraction of synthetic fibers is an innovative approach to provide a balance between composite's performance and weight savings. In this study, coir fiber (40 wt%)-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were hybridized by substituting a fraction of coir fiber with glass fiber (0–30 wt%). The composites were prepared using a novel wet-laid technique followed by compression molding, where the fiber length is preserved. The composites prepared by hybridizing PP/coir fibers with glass fibers were light in weight (6–20% lighter compared to 40 wt% glass fiber reinforced PP) with significantly enhanced tensile (strength – 49–182%, modulus – 54–130%), flexural (strength – 41–104%, modulus – 64–193%), and impact properties (157 - 474%) compared to 40 wt% coir fiber reinforced PP composites. Furthermore, the addition of glass fiber (10–30 wt%) to coir fiber reduced the water-absorbing tendency (by 18–74%) of PP/coir fiber composites. All in all, this work has potential applications in automotive, mass transit, and truck applications where natural fiber composites are being investigated as alternatives to metal and/or fully synthetic composites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS2001

Functional properties of slow and fast gastrocnemius muscle fibers after a 17-day spaceflight

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effects of a 17-day spaceflight on the contractile properties of individual fast- and slow-twitch fibers isolated from biopsies of the fast-twitch gastrocnemius muscle of four male astronauts. Single chemically skinned fibers were studied during maximal Ca2+-activated contractions with fiber myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform expression subsequently determined by SDS gel electrophoresis. Spaceflight had no significant effect on the mean diameter or specific force of single fibers expressing type I, IIa, or IIa/IIx MHC, although a small reduction in average absolute force (P(o)) was observed for the type I fibers (0.68 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.64 +/- 0.02 mN, P < 0.05). Subject-by-flight interactions indicated significant intersubject variation in response to the flight, as postflight fiber diameter and P(o) where significantly reduced for the type I and IIa fibers obtained from one astronaut and for the type IIa fibers from another astronaut. Average unloaded shortening velocity [V(o), in fiber lengths (FL)/s] was greater after the flight for both type I (0.60 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.76 +/- 0.02 FL/s) and IIa fibers (2.33 +/- 0.25 vs. 3.10 +/- 0.16 FL/s). Postflight peak power of the type I and IIa fibers was significantly reduced only for the astronaut experiencing the greatest fiber atrophy and loss of P(o). These results demonstrate that 1) slow and fast gastrocnemius fibers show little atrophy and loss of P(o) but increased V(o) after a typical 17-day spaceflight, 2) there is, however, considerable intersubject variation in these responses, possibly due to intersubject differences in in-flight physical activity, and 3) in these four astronauts, fiber atrophy and reductions in P(o) were less for slow and fast fibers obtained from the phasic fast-twitch gastrocnemius muscle compared with slow and fast fibers obtained from the slow antigravity soleus [J. J. Widrick, S. K. Knuth, K. M. Norenberg, J. G. Romatowski, J. L. W. Bain, D. A. Riley, M. Karhanek, S. W. Trappe, T. A. Trappe, D. L. Costill, and R. H. Fitts. J Physiol (Lond) 516: 915-930, 1999].

NASA Experiment Number 8913020 1/2↗

NASA NTRS1997

Changes in skeletal muscle biochemistry and histology relative to fiber type in rats with heart failure

One of the primary consequences of left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) after myocardial infarction is a decrement in exercise capacity. Several factors have been hypothesized to account for this decrement, including alterations in skeletal muscle metabolism and aerobic capacity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether LVD-induced alterations in skeletal muscle enzyme activities, fiber composition, and fiber size are 1) generalized in muscles or specific to muscles composed primarily of a given fiber type and 2) related to the severity of the LVD. Female Wistar rats were divided into three groups: sham-operated controls (n = 13) and rats with moderate (n = 10) and severe (n = 7) LVD. LVD was surgically induced by ligating the left main coronary artery and resulted in elevations (P < 0.05) in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (sham, 5 +/- 1 mmHg; moderate LVD, 11 +/- 1 mmHg; severe LVD, 25 +/- 1 mmHg). Moderate LVD decreased the activities of phosphofructokinase (PFK) and citrate synthase in one muscle composed of type IIB fibers but did not modify fiber composition or size of any muscle studied. However, severe LVD diminished the activity of enzymes involved in terminal and beta-oxidation in muscles composed primarily of type I fibers, type IIA fibers, and type IIB fibers. In addition, severe LVD induced a reduction in the activity of PFK in type IIB muscle, a 10% reduction in the percentage of type IID/X fibers, and a corresponding increase in the portion of type IIB fibers. Atrophy of type I fibers, type IIA fibers, and/or type IIB fibers occurred in soleus and plantaris muscles of rats with severe LVD. These data indicate that rats with severe LVD after myocardial infarction exhibit 1) decrements in mitochondrial enzyme activities independent of muscle fiber composition, 2) a reduction in PFK activity in type IIB muscle, 3) transformation of type IID/X to type IIB fibers, and 4) atrophy of type I, IIA, and IIB fibers.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗