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At least 235 records · Page 13

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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of Flexible Energy Storage Device for Wearable Electronics using All-organic Composites

As the demands and applications of wearable electronics increase, the need of power supply for wearable electronics becomes the critical issue. Both batteries and capacitors can be used as power supplier. In terms of energy storage device, capacitors have many advantages over the batteries, but have a lower energy storage density. To improve the energy density, composites, in which inorganic particles are embedded in a polymer matrix, have been identified as a promising approach to create the dielectrics with a higher energy storage density. The physics behind the composite approach is that the inorganics have a higher dielectric constant and polymers can stand with a higher electric field so that the composites can exhibit a relative dielectric constant and stand with a relative electric field. Therefore, the composites can exhibit a higher energy storage density. However, the embedment of inorganic particles into polymer severely reduces the flexibility of the polymer. To develop flexible energy storage ultracapacitors as an energy storage device for wearable electronics, an all-organic composite approach, in which a dielectric polymer is mixed with polar organic molecules, is introduced. It is experimentally found that by adding a small amount of polar organic molecules into dielectric polymers, the polymers exhibits a high dielectric constant and can stand with a higher electric field. More importantly, the flexibility of the all-organic composites is better than the polymer matrix. Therefore, the all-organic composites can be a strong and promising candidate for the development of flexible energy storage devices for the wearable electronics. In this study, three different dielectric polymers and three different polar molecules were studied. All the all-organic composite systems exhibit a significant improvement on the energy storage density. These new flexible energy storage devices are being developed to be fabricated with on-demandadditive electronics manufacturing processes, so that they can be fabricated when needed in space on the International Space Station and planned lunar habitat and other future missions. These flexible energy storage devices will provide the storage in concert with other printed power generation devices to allow crew health and structural health monitoring sensor devices and systems to be self-powered, not requiring any external power or batteries.

energy storage↗

NASA NTRS1989

Program For Local-Area-Network Electronic Mail

MailRoom is computer program for local-area network (LAN) electronic mail. Enables users of LAN to exchange electronically notes, letters, reminders, or any sort of communication via their computers. Links all users of LAN into communication circle in which messages created, sent, copied, printed, downloaded, uploaded, and deleted through series of menu-driven screens. Includes feature that enables users to determine whether messages sent have been read by receivers. Written in Microsoft QuickBasic.

Weiner, Michael J.↗

NASA NTRS1995

The search for CFC alternatives is over?

The Electronics Manufacturing Productivity Facility (EMPF) is a U.S. Navy Center of Excellence tasked to do research in electronics manufacturing. For the past seven years, the EMPF has performed extensive research in various cleaning materials and processes that have recently been made available to printed circuit board assemblers. This paper outlines our research and points out the positive and negative aspects that need to be considered when choosing an alternative process.

Crawford, Tim↗

NASA NTRS2026

Influence of Processing Parameters on the Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Borosilicate Particulate Reinforced Polymer Composites

Emerging composite materials are expanding the potential of additive manufacturing and enabling applications previously restricted by traditional manufacturing methods. The multi-phase nature of these composite materials combined with the complex in-ternal geometry of additively manufactured parts have enabled unique behavior, and potentially new applications. Additionally, these materials can be pyrolyzed to create dense metal, ceramic, and glass parts with geometries typically not achievable by tra-ditional processes. Additive manufacturing of borosilicate glass-based systems can open new applications in nuclear engineering, astronomy, and bone regrowth therapy. To elucidate the process-parameter relationship of borosilicate-polylactic acid (PLA) composites, mechanical testing was conducted and compared with a pure polylactic acid polymer baseline. Test specimens were fabricated by fused-filament fabrication with minimal post-processing. Yield strength, ultimate strength, and elastic modulus were calculated from stress-strain curves. Optical and scanning electron microscopy were conducted to observe the specimen microstructure before and after testing. The highest compressive yield strength for the composite was 28.22 MPa, and the highest compressive yield strength for PLA was 49.30 MPa. Print orientation was found to benefit the composite material but have a detrimental effect on the pure matrix material. An elastic modulus of 2.66 GPa was recorded for the borosilicate-PLA composite at 100% infill, 1 shell wall, and layer lines parallel to compression axis. Microscopy revealed that lower modulus composite specimens had the particulates re-distributed within the matrix. Tensile testing was done according to a polymer testing standard, which caused difficulties obtaining consistent fracture within the gauge length.

mechanical testing↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Windform® XT 2.0 Use as 3U CubeSat Primary Structure

CubeSats provide a platform for small-scale space research and technology demonstration at reduced complexity, cost, and development time. These advantages drove the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to develop and launch the GPX2 3U CubeSat to explore the viability of using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) differential GPS (dGPS) in low earth orbit. To reduce manufacturing costs and increase design flexibility, the project chose additive manufactured Windform® XT 2.0 as the primary bus material rather than traditional subtractive manufactured (milled) metal. The bus is a two-part, Selective Laser Sintered, 3D-print structure consisting of a single-piece, five-walled chassis and single-walled cover. The bus was specially designed to allow the project to accommodate the payload electronics stack as well as antennas, receivers, and deployable mechanisms. By using an additive manufactured solution, LaRC was able to design in features unrealizable through traditional milling, with a lead-time of roughly two weeks. In comparison, traditional subtractive manufacturing limits geometry options due to toolpath reach and bus construction would have required multiple components for each wall. This would have resulted in a more costly, longer lead-time article with more joints, fasteners, and complexity with a commensurate increase in overall mass. A number of lessons-learned were captured during the design, analysis, and testing of the GPX2 CubeSat covering thermal and structural analysis, vibration modeling, and geometric tolerancing. Additionally, a variety of material testing and verification were performed before and during spacecraft design and integration to assure the suitability of Windform® XT 2.0 for the launch and mission environments. This article provides the highlights of designing and testing the GPX2 bus.

CubeSat↗

NASA NTRS2013

Light emitting, photovoltaic or other electronic apparatus and system

The present invention provides an electronic apparatus, such as a lighting device comprised of light emitting diodes (LEDs) or a power generating apparatus comprising photovoltaic diodes, which may be created through a printing process, using a semiconductor or other substrate particle ink or suspension and using a lens particle ink or suspension. An exemplary apparatus comprises a base; at least one first conductor; a plurality of diodes coupled to the at least one first conductor; at least one second conductor coupled to the plurality of diodes; and a plurality of lenses suspended in a polymer deposited or attached over the diodes. The lenses and the suspending polymer have different indices of refraction. In some embodiments, the lenses and diodes are substantially spherical, and have a ratio of mean diameters or lengths between about 10:1 and 2:1. The diodes may be LEDs or photovoltaic diodes, and in some embodiments, have a junction formed at least partially as a hemispherical shell or cap.

Ray, William Johnstone↗

NASA NTRS2013

Light emitting, photovoltaic or other electronic apparatus and system

The present invention provides an electronic apparatus, such as a lighting device comprised of light emitting diodes (LEDs) or a power generating apparatus comprising photovoltaic diodes, which may be created through a printing process, using a semiconductor or other substrate particle ink or suspension and using a lens particle ink or suspension. An exemplary apparatus comprises a base; at least one first conductor; a plurality of substantially spherical or optically resonant diodes coupled to the at least one first conductor; at least one second conductor coupled to the plurality of diodes; and a plurality of substantially spherical lenses suspended in a polymer attached or deposited over the diodes. The lenses and the suspending polymer have different indices of refraction. In some embodiments, the lenses and diodes have a ratio of mean diameters or lengths between about 10:1 and 2:1. The diodes may be LEDs or photovoltaic diodes, and in some embodiments, have a junction formed at least partially as a hemispherical shell or cap.

Ray, William Johnstone↗

NASA NTRS2016

Light Emitting, Photovoltaic or Other Electronic Apparatus and System

Ray, William Johnstone↗

NASA NTRS2016

Light Emitting, Photovoltaic or Other Electronic Apparatus and System

The present invention provides an electronic apparatus, such as a lighting device comprised of light emitting diodes (LEDs) or a power generating apparatus comprising photovoltaic diodes, which may be created through a printing process, using a semiconductor or other substrate particle ink or suspension and using a lens particle ink or suspension. An exemplary apparatus comprises a base; at least one first conductor; a plurality of substantially spherical or optically resonant diodes coupled to the at least one first conductor; at least one second conductor coupled to the plurality of diodes; and a plurality of substantially spherical lenses suspended in a polymer attached or deposited over the diodes. The lenses and the suspending polymer have different indices of refraction. In some embodiments, the lenses and diodes have a ratio of mean diameters or lengths between about 10:1 and 2:1. The diodes may be LEDs or photovoltaic diodes, and in some embodiments, have a junction formed at least partially as a hemispherical shell or cap.

Ray, William Johnstone↗

NASA NTRS2018

Light Emitting, Photovoltaic or Other Electronic Apparatus and System

Ray, William Johnstone↗

NASA NTRS2011

Onboard Short Term Plan Viewer

Onboard Short Term Plan Viewer (OSTPV) is a computer program for electronic display of mission plans and timelines, both aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and in ISS ground control stations located in several countries. OSTPV was specifically designed both (1) for use within the limited ISS computing environment and (2) to be compatible with computers used in ground control stations. OSTPV supplants a prior system in which, aboard the ISS, timelines were printed on paper and incorporated into files that also contained other paper documents. Hence, the introduction of OSTPV has both reduced the consumption of resources and saved time in updating plans and timelines. OSTPV accepts, as input, the mission timeline output of a legacy, print-oriented, UNIX-based program called "Consolidated Planning System" and converts the timeline information for display in an interactive, dynamic, Windows Web-based graphical user interface that is used by both the ISS crew and ground control teams in real time. OSTPV enables the ISS crew to electronically indicate execution of timeline steps, launch electronic procedures, and efficiently report to ground control teams on the statuses of ISS activities, all by use of laptop computers aboard the ISS.

Hall, Tim↗

NASA NTRS2015

Additive Manufacturing of SiC Based Ceramics and Ceramic Matrix Composites

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics and SiC fiber reinforcedSiC ceramic matrix composites (SiCSiC CMCs) offer high payoff as replacements for metals in turbine engine applications due to their lighter weight, higher temperature capability, and lower cooling requirements. Additive manufacturing approaches can offer game changing technologies for the quick and low cost fabrication of parts with much greater design freedom and geometric complexity. Four approaches for developing these materials are presented. The first two utilize low cost 3D printers. The first uses pre-ceramic pastes developed as feed materials which are converted to SiC after firing. The second uses wood containing filament to print a carbonaceous preform which is infiltrated with a pre-ceramic polymer and converted to SiC. The other two approaches pursue the AM of CMCs. The first is binder jet SiC powder processing in collaboration with rp+m (Rapid Prototyping+Manufacturing). Processing optimization was pursued through SiC powder blending, infiltration with and without SiC nano powder loading, and integration of nanofibers into the powder bed. The second approach was laminated object manufacturing (LOM) in which fiber prepregs and laminates are cut to shape by a laser and stacked to form the desired part. Scanning electron microscopy was conducted on materials from all approaches with select approaches also characterized with XRD, TGA, and bend testing.

3-D printing↗

NASA NTRS1978

Handbook for estimating fabrication costs

Guide helps design engineers determine total cost of fabricating electronic equipment. It contains tables of "factors" for determining costs associated with fabrication. "Standards" section includes estimations of time required for procedures ranging from machining, to wiring, to printed-circuit board fabrication.

Freeman, L. M.↗

NASA NTRS2006

NASA Scientific and Technical Information Standards

This document presents general recommended standards for documenting scientific and technical information (STI) from a number of scientific and engineering disciplines. It is a companion publication to NASA SP-7084, "Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization: A Handbook for Technical Writers and Editors," and is intended primarily for STI personnel and publishing personnel within NASA and who support NASA STI publishing. Section 1 gives an overview of NASA STI publications. Section 2 discusses figure preparation considerations. Section 3 covers table design, and Section 4 gives information about symbols and math related to STI publishing. Section 5 covers units of measure. Section 6 discusses References, and Section 7 discusses electronic documents. Section 8 covers information related to the review of STI prior to publication; this covers both technical and dissemination review and approval, including data quality. Section 9 discusses printing and dissemination related to STI, and Section 10 gives abbreviations and acronyms used in the document.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2013

Integrated High-Speed Torque Control System for a Robotic Joint

A control system for achieving high-speed torque for a joint of a robot includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) having a collocated joint processor and high-speed communication bus. The PCBA may also include a power inverter module (PIM) and local sensor conditioning electronics (SCE) for processing sensor data from one or more motor position sensors. Torque control of a motor of the joint is provided via the PCBA as a high-speed torque loop. Each joint processor may be embedded within or collocated with the robotic joint being controlled. Collocation of the joint processor, PIM, and high-speed bus may increase noise immunity of the control system, and the localized processing of sensor data from the joint motor at the joint level may minimize bus cabling to and from each control node. The joint processor may include a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

Davis, Donald R.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Sub-Optical Lithography With Nanometer Definition Masks

Nanometer feature size lithography represents a major paradigm shift for the electronics and micro-electro-mechanical industries. In this paper, we discuss the capacity of dynamic focused reactive ion beam (FIB) etching systems to undertake direct and highly anisotropic erosion of thick evaporated gold coatings on boron-doped silicon X-ray mask membranes. FIB offers a new level of flexibility in micro fabrication, allowing for fast fabrication of X-ray masks, where pattern definition and surface alteration are combined in the same step which eliminates the whole lithographic process, in particular resist, resist development, electro-deposition and resist removal. Focused ion beam diameters as small as 7 nm can be obtained enabling fabrication well into the sub-20 nm regime. In preliminary demonstrations of this X-ray mask fabrication technique 22 nm width lines were milled directly through 0.9 microns of gold and a miniature mass spectrometer pattern was milled through over 0.5 microns of gold. Also presented are the results of the shadow printing, using the large depth of field of synchrotron high energy parallel X-ray beam, of these and other sub-optical defined patterns in photoresist conformally coated over surfaces of extreme topographical variation. Assuming that electronic circuits and/or micro devices scale proportionally, the surface area of devices processed with X-ray lithography and 20 nm critical dimension X-ray masks would be 0.5% that of contemporary devices (350 nm CD). The 20 CD mask fabrication represents an initial effort - a further factor of three reduction is anticipated which represents a further order-of-magnitude reduction in die area.

Hartley, Frank T.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Novel Overhang Support Designs for Powder-Based Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM)

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, in collaboration with the University of Alabama, has developed a contact-free support structure used to fabricate overhang-type geometries via EBAM. The support structure is used for 3-D metal-printed components for the aerospace, automotive, biomedical and other industries. Current techniques use support structures to address deformation challenges inherent in 3-D metal printing. However, these structures (overhangs) are bonded to the component and need to be removed in post-processing using a mechanical tool. This new technology improves the overhang support structure design for components by eliminating associated geometric defects and post-processing requirements.

Nabors, Sammy A.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Simulating Dynamics Of The Gamma-Ray Observatory Satellite

GRODY developed alongside GROSS computer program (GSC-13147), a FORTRAN dynamics-simulator program performing same functions. GRODY conceived for use in case study to assess feasibility and effectiveness of Ada programming language for development of flight-dynamics software. Designed for those familiar with analysis of attitudes of spacecraft. Supports planning of maneuvers as well as analytical testing and evaluation of attitude-determination and -control system used on board Gamma-Ray Observatory (GRO) satellite. Simulates computer and control processor electronics aboard GRO satellite. Enables analyst to check and update commands sent from ground and values of parameters, obtain displays of status of simulation, interrupt simulation, analyze previous runs, and obtain printed output of simulation runs. Written mainly in Ada (99 percent) with remainder in FORTRAN.

Stark, M.↗