Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “REFRACTORY”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Ultra-strong tungsten refractory high-entropy alloy via stepwise controllable coherent nanoprecipitations

High-performance refractory alloys with ultrahigh strength and ductility are in demand for a wide range of critical applications, such as plasma-facing components. However, it remains challenging to increase the strength of these alloys without seriously compromising their tensile ductility. Here, we put forward a strategy to “defeat” this trade-off in tungsten refractory high-entropy alloys by stepwise controllable coherent nanoprecipitations (SCCPs). The coherent interfaces of SCCPs facilitate the dislocation transmission and relieve the stress concentrations that can lead to premature crack initiation. As a consequence, our alloy displays an ultrahigh strength of 2.15 GPa with a tensile ductility of 15% at ambient temperature, with a high yield strength of 1.05 GPa at 800 °C. The SCCPs design concept may afford a means to develop a wide range of ultrahigh-strength metallic materials by providing a pathway for alloy design.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Computational discovery of ultra-strong, stable, and lightweight refractory multi-principal element alloys. Part II: comprehensive ternary design and validation

Abstract Here the discovery of refractory multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) with high-temperature strength and stability is pursued within a constrained and application-relevant design space. A comprehensive approach is developed and applied to explore all 165 ternary systems in the Al-Ce-Fe-Hf-Mo-Nb-Ta-Ti-V-W-Zr family. A subset of ternary systems that contain large areas in composition–temperature space with high strength and robust BCC phase stability is found. Twelve sets of high-performing alloys are identified, each set optimized for one combination of phase constraint, optimization target, and temperature range. Preliminary mechanical tests support the viability of the method. This work highlights the importance of considering phase stability, exploring non-equiatomic regions of composition space, and applying application-relevant constraints. Parts I and II provide three down-selection techniques for identifying high-performing BCC refractory MPEAs, design guidelines, and many candidates predicted to have BCC phase stability and strengths 2–3 times higher than any reported to date.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design of refractory multi-principal-element alloys for high-temperature applications

Abstract Refractory multi-principal-element alloys (RMPEAs) exhibit high specific strength at elevated temperatures ( T ). However, current RMPEAs lack a balance of room-temperature (RT) ductility, high- T strength, and high- T creep resistance. Using density-functional theory methods, we scanned composition space using four criteria: (1) formation energies for operational stability: $$-150\le {E}_{{\rm {f}}}$$ − 150 ≤ E f ≤ +70 meV per atom; (2) higher strength found via interstitial electron density with Young’s moduli E > 250 GPa; (3) inverse Pugh ratio for ductility: G / B < 0.57; and (4) high melting points: T m > 2500 °C. Using rapid bulk alloy synthesis and characterization, we validated theory and down-selected promising alloy compositions and discovered Mo 72.3 W 12.8 Ta 10.0 Ti 2.5 Zr 2.5 having well-balanced RT and high- T mechanical properties. This alloy has comparable high- T compressive strength to well-known MoNbTaW but is more ductile and more creep resistant. It is also superior to a commercial Mo-based refractory alloy and a nickel-based superalloy (Haynes-282) with improved high- T tensile strength and creep resistance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

High-temperature stable refractory nanoneedles with over 99% solar absorptance

Solar absorber coatings have widely been investigated for solar-thermal technologies including concentrated solar power and solar thermochemistry. While various nanostructures such as nanowires and nanotubes have been commonly used for high solar absorptance owing to their potent light trapping effect, the high temperature stability of these nanostructures has yet to be established due to either coarsening of nanostructures or oxidation of certain materials in air (e.g., Si and C). In this work, we developed a nanostructured solar absorber from a family of high-temperature refractory spinel oxides, Co 3 O 4 and CuCo 2 O 4 , with ultra-high solar absorptance over 99%. Once coated with a thin layer of HfO 2 or SiO 2 through atomic layer deposition, the Co 3 O 4 and CuCo 2 O 4 nanoneedles preserve their high aspect ratio and sharp tips, allowing the solar absorbers to maintain the superior absorptivity and excellent thermal stability at an elevated temperature for an extended period (650 °C and 800 °C for 100 h for passivated Co 3 O 4 and Cu 1 Co 2 O 4 , respectively). These results suggest that solar absorbers made from refractory spinel oxide nanoneedles can be used for high-temperature solar thermal applications with ultrahigh absorptance.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ice chemistry on outer solar system bodies: Carboxylic acids, nitriles, and urea detected in refractory residues produced from the UV photolysis of N{sub 2}:CH{sub 4}:CO-containing ices

Radiation processing of the surface ices of outer solar system bodies may result in the production of new chemical species even at low temperatures. Many of the smaller, more volatile molecules that are likely produced by the photolysis of these ices have been well characterized by laboratory experiments. However, the more complex refractory material formed in these experiments remains largely uncharacterized. In this work, we present a series of laboratory experiments in which low-temperature (15-20 K) N{sub 2}:CH{sub 4}:CO ices in relative proportions 100:1:1 are subjected to UV irradiation, and the resulting materials are studied with a variety of analytical techniques including infrared spectroscopy, X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and high-resolution mass spectroscopy. Despite the simplicity of the reactants, these experiments result in the production of a highly complex mixture of molecules from relatively low-mass volatiles (tens of daltons) to high-mass refractory materials (hundreds of daltons). These products include various carboxylic acids, nitriles, and urea, which are also expected to be present on the surface of outer solar system bodies, including Pluto and other transneptunian objects. If these compounds occur in sufficient concentrations in the ices of outer solar system bodies, their characteristic bands may be detectable in the near-infrared spectra of these objects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Experimentally Driven Automated Machine-Learned Interatomic Potential for a Refractory Oxide

Understanding the structure and properties of refractory oxides is critical for high temperature applications. In this work, a combined experimental and simulation approach uses an automated closed loop via an active learner, which is initialized by x-ray and neutron diffraction measurements, and sequentially improves a machine-learning model until the experimentally predetermined phase space is covered. Furthermore, a multiphase potential is generated for a canonical example of the archetypal refractory oxide, HfO 2 , by drawing a minimum number of training configurations from room temperature to the liquid state at similar to 2900 degrees C. The method significantly reduces model development time and human effort.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Al 0.7 Ga 0.3 N MESFET With All-Refractory Metal Process for High Temperature Operation

In this work, ultrawide bandgap Al 0.7 Ga 0.3 N MESFETs with refractory Tungsten Schottky and Ohmic contacts are studied in 300–675 K environments. Variable-temperature dc electrical transport reveals large ON-state drain current densities for an AlGaN device: 209 mA/mm at 300 K and 156 mA/mm at 675 K in the ON-state (25% reduction). Drain and gate currents are only weakly temperature-dependent, suggesting potential for engineering temperature invariant operation. The ON-/ OFF-ratio is limited by OFF-state leakage through the gate, which is attributed to damage from sputter deposition. Future work using refractory metals with larger work functions that are deposited by electron beam deposition is proposed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Microstructure and bonding between calcium aluminate cement‐containing gahnite–alumina matrix and refractory aggregates

Calcium aluminate cement enhances the thermomechanical properties of refractory castables through the formation of acicular calcium hexaluminate (CaO·6Al 2 O 3 ), Ca 2 Mg 2 Al 28 O 46 (CAM-I), and CaMg 2 Al 16 O 27 (CAM-II) phases in MgO- or MgAl 2 O 4 -containing castables. The compatibility of CA 6 with gahnite (ZnAl 2 O 4 ), and acicular Ca 2 Zn 2 Al 28 O 46 (CAZ-I) and CaZn 2 Al 16 O 27 (CAZ-II) phases formation have been previously reported. Here, in this work, the interaction between a CAC binder containing ZnAl 2 O 4 -Al 2 O 3 matrix with commonly used refractory aggregates such as tabular alumina (TA), alumina-rich (AR90, AR78) and stoichiometric (SM72) MgAl 2 O 4 spinels, and fused and dead-burned magnesia (FM, DBM, respectively) were investigated at 1650°C for 5 h. Microstructural analysis, using digital microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy, revealed the formation of acicular CaZn 0.18 Al 11.82 O 18.91 , CAZ-I and CAZ-II grains, and strong interfacial bonding between the matrix and TA and spinel aggregates. FM and DBM were found to debond from the matrix. Thick interface layers were observed between the matrix and all the aggregates but TA. Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) shows that the difference in the number of acicular grains between the interface zone and the bulk matrix (Z) is statistically significant for AR90/Z, SM72/Z, FM/Z, and DBM/Z interfaces, but not significant for TA/Z and AR78/Z. The role of the aggregates’ chemistry on the interfacial bonding and microstructure evolution is discussed.

Ramteke, Rajat Durgesh [Univ. of Alabama, Birmingh↗
DOE OSTI2014

Novel strategy for low-temperature, high-rate growth of dense, hard, and stress-free refractory ceramic thin films

Growth of fully dense refractory thin films by means of physical vapor deposition (PVD) requires elevated temperatures T{sub s} to ensure sufficient adatom mobilities. Films grown with no external heating are underdense, as demonstrated by the open voids visible in cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy images and by x-ray reflectivity results; thus, the layers exhibit low nanoindentation hardness and elastic modulus values. Ion bombardment of the growing film surface is often used to enhance densification; however, the required ion energies typically extract a steep price in the form of residual rare-gas-ion-induced compressive stress. Here, the authors propose a PVD strategy for the growth of dense, hard, and stress-free refractory thin films at low temperatures; that is, with no external heating. The authors use TiN as a model ceramic materials system and employ hybrid high-power pulsed and dc magnetron co-sputtering (HIPIMS and DCMS) in Ar/N{sub 2} mixtures to grow dilute Ti{sub 1−x}Ta{sub x}N alloys on Si(001) substrates. The Ta target driven by HIPIMS serves as a pulsed source of energetic Ta{sup +}/Ta{sup 2+} metal–ions, characterized by in-situ mass and energy spectroscopy, while the Ti target operates in DCMS mode (Ta-HIPIMS/Ti-DCMS) providing a continuous flux of metal atoms to sustain a high deposition rate. Substrate bias V{sub s} is applied in synchronous with the Ta-ion portion of each HIPIMS pulse in order to provide film densification by heavy-ion irradiation (m{sub Ta} = 180.95 amu versus m{sub Ti} = 47.88 amu) while minimizing Ar{sup +} bombardment and subsequent trapping in interstitial sites. Since Ta is a film constituent, primarily residing on cation sublattice sites, film stress remains low. Dense Ti{sub 0.92}Ta{sub 0.08}N alloy films, 1.8 μm thick, grown with T{sub s} ≤ 120 °C (due to plasma heating) and synchronized bias, V{sub s} = 160 V, exhibit nanoindentation hardness H = 25.9 GPa and elastic modulus E = 497 GPa compared to 13.8 and 318 GPa for underdense Ti-HIPIMS/Ti-DCMS TiN reference layers (T{sub s} < 120 °C) grown with the same V{sub s}, and 7.8 and 248 GPa for DCMS TiN films grown with no applied bias (T{sub s} < 120 °C). Ti{sub 0.92}Ta{sub 0.08}N residual stress is low, σ = −0.7 GPa, and essentially equal to that of Ti-HIPIMS/Ti-DCMS TiN films grown with the same substrate bias.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

WE-E-BRE-02: BEST IN PHYSICS (THERAPY) - Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Renal Sympathetic Ablation for the Treatment of Refractory Hypertension

Purpose: To determine the safety and efficacy of stereotactic radiotherapy as a novel treatment for patients with refractory hypertension in a swine model. Uncontrolled hypertension is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality, substantially increasing the risk of ischemic stroke, ischemic heart disease, and kidney failure. Methods: High-resolution computed tomography (CT) images of anesthetized pigs were acquired and treatment plans for each renal artery and nerve were developed using our clinically implemented treatment planning system. Stereotactic radiotherapy, 40Gy in single fraction was delivered bilaterally to the renal nerves using a state-of-the-art medical linear accelerator under image guidance utilizing dynamic conformal arcs. Dose to nearby critical organs was evaluated by dosevolume histogram analysis and correlated to toxicity data obtained through follow up pathology analysis. The animals were observed for six months with serial measurements of blood pressure, urine analysis, serum laboratories, and overall clinical and behavioral status. Results: All animals survived to the follow-up point without evidence of renal dysfunction (stable serum creatinine), skin changes, or behavioral changes that might suggest animal discomfort. Plasma norepinephrine levels (ng/ml) were followed monthly for 6 months. The average reduction observed was 63%, with the median reduction at 73.5%. Microscopic evaluation 4–6 weeks after treatment showed evidence of damage to the nerves around treated renal arteries. Considerable attenuation in pan neurofilament expression by immunohistochemistry was observed with some vacuolar changes indicative of injury. There was no histological or immunohistochemical evidence of damage to nearby spinal cord or spinal nerve root structures. Conclusion: Our preclinical studies have shown stereotactic radiotherapy to the renal sympathetic plexus to be safe and effective in reducing blood pressure, thus this approach holds great promise as a novel treatment modality for patients with refractory hypertension. This study was funded by the Stanford University Cardiovascular Institute. B. Loo and P. Maxim have received funding from RaySearch Laboratories.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Kink bands promote exceptional fracture resistance in a NbTaTiHf refractory medium-entropy alloy

Single-phase body-centered cubic (bcc) refractory medium- or high-entropy alloys can retain compressive strength at elevated temperatures but suffer from extremely low tensile ductility and fracture toughness. We examined the strength and fracture toughness of a bcc refractory alloy, NbTaTiHf, from 77 to 1473 kelvin. This alloy’s behavior differed from that of comparable systems by having fracture toughness over 253 MPa·m 1/2 , which we attribute to a dynamic competition between screw and edge dislocations in controlling the plasticity at a crack tip. Whereas the glide and intersection of screw and mixed dislocations promotes strain hardening controlling uniform deformation, the coordinated slip of <111> edge dislocations with {110} and {112} glide planes prolongs nonuniform strain through formation of kink bands. These bands suppress strain hardening by reorienting microscale bands of the crystal along directions of higher resolved shear stress and continually nucleate to accommodate localized strain and distribute damage away from a crack tip.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Computational Capabilities for Predictions of Interactions at the Grain Boundary of Refractory Alloys

New high performance refractory alloys are critically required for improving efficiency and decreasing CO 2 emissions of fossil energy systems. The development of these materials remains slow because it is driven by a trial-and-error experimental approach and lacks a rational design approach. Atomistic Molecular Dynamic (MD) design has the potential to accelerate this development through the prediction of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of new materials. The success of MD simulations depends critically on the fidelity of interatomic potentials. This project, in collaboration with Penn State, has focused on developing and validating high quality quantum mechanics based reactive potentials, ReaxFF, for Ni-Fe-Al-Cr-O-S system. A larger number of accurate density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to generate data for parameterizing the ReaxFF potentials. These potentials were then used in molecular dynamics (MD) and molecular dynamics-Monte Carlo (MD-MC) for much larger system to study for which DFT calculation would be prohibitively expensive, and to understand a number of chemical phenomena Ni-Fe-Al-Cr-O-S based alloy systems . These include catalytic oxidation of butane on clean Cr 2 O 3 and pyrite/Cr 2 O 3 , interfacial reaction between Cr 2 O 3 (refractory material) and Al 2 O 3 (slag), cohesive strength of at the grain boundary of S-enriched Cr compared to bulk Cr and Ssegregation study in Al, Al 2 O 3 , Cr and Cr 2 O 3 with a grain structure. The developed quantum based ReaxFF potential are available from the authors upon request. During this project, a number of papers were published in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, several conference presentations were made.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2014

Computational Capabilities for Predictions of Interactions at the Grain Boundary of Refractory Alloys

New high performance refractory alloys are critically required for improving efficiency and decreasing CO 2 emissions of fossil energy systems. The development of these materials remains slow because it is driven by a trial-and-error experimental approach and lacks a rational design approach. Atomistic Molecular Dynamic (MD) design has the potential to accelerate this development through the prediction of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of new materials. The success of MD simulations depends critically on the fidelity of interatomic potentials. This project, in collaboration with Penn State, has focused on developing and validating high quality quantum mechanics based reactive potentials, ReaxFF, for Ni-Fe-Al-Cr-O-S system. A larger number of accurate density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to generate data for parameterizing the ReaxFF potentials. These potentials were then used in molecular dynamics (MD) and molecular dynamics-Monte Carlo (MD-MC) for much larger system to study for which DFT calculation would be prohibitively expensive, and to understand a number of chemical phenomena Ni-Fe-Al-Cr-O-S based alloy systems . These include catalytic oxidation of butane on clean Cr 2 O 3 and pyrite/Cr 2 O 3 , interfacial reaction between Cr 2 O 3 (refractory material) and Al 2 O 3 (slag), cohesive strength of at the grain boundary of S-enriched Cr compared to bulk Cr and Ssegregation study in Al, Al 2 O 3 , Cr and Cr 2 O 3 with a grain structure. The developed quantum based ReaxFF potential are available from the authors upon request. During this project, a number of papers were published in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, several conference presentations were made.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

K-3 Refractory Corrosion and Sulfate Solubility Model Enhancement (Final Report)

As higher waste loading LAW glasses are formulated, sulfate solubility and K-3 refractory corrosion are two properties that become increasingly constraining; however, WTP baseline models were not developed for these properties. In previous work for ORP, VSL/Atkins developed preliminary glass property-composition models that relate LAW glass composition to these two essential properties to support the implementation of the higher waste loading LAW glass formulations at the WTP. The development of the initial LAW glass property-composition models for K-3 refractory corrosion and sulfate solubility was completed in 2015. The present work scope focused on enhancement of these models and included augmentation of property-composition datasets for these two properties with newly available data, review of the updated datasets, and development of enhanced models.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Status of Additive Manufacturing Capabilities for Processing Refractory Alloys Under the Mo-99 Program

The enriched 100 Mo target, denoted as aMo, that Northstar Medical Radioisotopes is developing to produce 99 Mo from an accelerator-based method is a disk-type geometry with a 0.5–0.715 mm thickness and a 29 mm outer diameter. A press and sinter method was adopted to fabricate these samples from aMo powder feedstock. Inherent porosity from the press and sinter method makes the disks more easily dissolvable during 99 Mo postprocessing. However, the disk-type geometry will be subject to thermal stresses due to temperature variations once the geometry is in line with the accelerated electron beam, causing warping and possible failure. Additive manufacturing (AM) processes such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) enable the manufacturing of custom, complex geometries that may otherwise be difficult to produce with more conventional methods (e.g., press and sinter approach). Therefore, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Molybdenum-99 Program invested in developing an AM facility dedicated to processing and printing refractory powders. This report details the LPBF process, how irregular refractory powder can be prepared for LPBF, and the equipment that is available to support the program.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

High temperature thick film sensor development based on doped lanthanum chromites refractory semiconductors materials

High temperature advanced sensing materials have generated high demand due the high accuracy temperature measurements requirements for process optimization, controlling and sensing. Some technological applications of harsh conditions sensing include monitoring tiles of space shuttles, rotating bearings in aircraft engines, turbines, jet engines dynamics and chemical reactors. High temperature conditions limit the sensing strategies, where typically traditional metal thermocouples are unstable, and the sensing options are limited to optical spectroscopy methods. Recently, refractory semiconductors thick- and thin-film thermocouples have been developed and, in many cases, preferred over conventional metallic thermocouples due their spatial resolution, and capability of direct deposition on any surface. Rare earth chromites ceramics materials, exhibit some properties of interest for high temperature sensing technologies development, such as: high microstructure and sintering stability, excellent conductive behavior at high temperatures, and matching thermal expansion coefficients relative to other conductors and refractory ceramics. In this work, high performance ultra-high temperature thermocouples using p-type and n-type doped lanthanum chromites materials were fabricated and tested at temperatures up to 1500 o C. Thermoelectric voltage, Seebeck Coefficients were established for all devices, evidencing high stability and performance in prolongated operational time and harsh conditions.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

K-3 Refractory Corrosion Test Results, HAL24M2

This report summarizes the refractory corrosion data of the high-Al matrix of Direct Feed High-Level Waste (DFHLW) glasses generated to expand glass compositional ranges. Design of a 20 high-Al glass matrix, HAL24M2, was reported in Russell et al. (2025, in progress). The HAL24M2 glasses were tested for K-3 corrosion and the results are presented in this report. Corrosion of Monofrax K-3 refractory materials in the HAL24M2 glass melts was measured using a crucible-scale method. Two test conditions, 1150 °C/7days and 1200 °C/7days were applied. The melt-line neck corrosion depth of the test coupons was measured by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The measured K-3 neck corrosion values were compared to predicted values using the model in Vienna et al. (2024). The model slightly over-predicted the neck corrosion depth of these glasses.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗