SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “material performance”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 235 records · Page 13

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2001

Compatibility Testing of Non-Metallic Materials for the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) of International Space Station (ISS)

In the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts will convert urine into potable water with the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA). The urine is distilled, with the concentrated form containing about 15% brine solids, and the dilute form as a blend of pre-treated urine/wastewater. Eighteen candidate non-metallic materials for use with the UPA were tested in 2000 for compatibility with the concentrated and dilute urine solutions for continuous times of at least 30 days, and at conditions of 0.5 psia pressure and 100 F, to simulate the working UPA environment. A primary screening test for each material (virgin and conditioned) was dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in the stress relaxation mode, with the test data used to predict material performance for a 10-year use in space. Data showed that most of the candidate materials passed the compatibility testing, although a few significant changes in stress relaxation modulus were observed.

Wingard, Charles Doug↗

NASA NTRS2018

Lessons Learned from Recent Testing in the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator

The Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES) facility is designed to perform realistic non-nuclear testing of nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) fuel elements and fuel materials. Although the NTREES facility cannot reproduce the neutron and gamma environment of an operating NTR, it can simulate the thermal hydraulic environment within an NTR fuel element to provide critical information on material performance and compatibility. The NTREES facility is currently being reconfigured with an all new suite of pyrometers, a new coil and feedthrough design along with a new gas sampling system for the mass spectrometer. Also new is the ability to perform chamber purges using argon. All of these modifications are the result of experiences gained through several years of testing various NTR components under a wide range of operating conditions. The testing details and the lessons learned from those tests are discussed in this presentation.

Emrich, William J., Jr.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Higher-order factorization machine for accurate surrogate modeling in material design

Efficient and robust optimization is important in material science for identifying optimal structural parameters and enhancing material performance. Surrogate-based active learning algorithms have recently gained great attention for their ability to efficiently navigate large, high-dimensional design spaces. Among surrogate models, 2 nd -order factorization machine (FM) models are widely employed as the surrogate model in active learning algorithms due to their balance between simplicity and effectiveness. However, their quadratic nature limits their capacity to capture complex, higher-order interactions among variables, often leading to suboptimal solutions. To overcome this limitation, we propose an active learning scheme integrating a 3 rd -order FM model, capable of modeling three-variable interactions and more intricate relationships in material systems. We comprehensively evaluate the surrogate modeling performance of the 3 rd -order FM case using various objective functions. Furthermore, we examine the optimization reliability and efficiency of the 3 rd -order FM-based active learning in a real-world material design task (e.g., nanophotonic structures for transparent radiative cooling). Our study shows that the 3 rd -order FM outperforms the 2 nd -order model in both surrogate accuracy and optimization performance, highlighting higher-order models’ promises for material design and optimization problems.

Factorization machine↗

NASA NTRS1965

Evaluation of materials in entry heating simulation

The effects of several environmental parameters on the behavior of ablation materials have been examined. Practically all the entry heating parameters such as enthalpy, pressure, heating rate, aerodynamic shear, and so forth, affect material performance. However, the significance of the effects depends to a large extent upon the type of material. Inasmuch as it is rarely possible to simulate several environment effects simultaneously, the primary inputs must be determined and the test simulation must account for the effects of these inputs. The particular materials of concern must be characterized by test and analysis to determine which of the many environmental inputs are the most significant.

Simulation↗

NASA NTRS1998

Flammability, Odor, Offgassing, and Compatibility Requirements and Test Procedures for Materials in Environments that Support Combustion

This handbook establishes NASA program requirements for evaluation, testing, and selection of materials to preclude unsafe conditions related to flammability, odor, offgassing, and fluid compatibility. Materials intended for use in space vehicles, specified test facilities, and specified ground support equipment (GSE) must meet the requirements of this document. Additional materials performance requirements may be specified in other program or NASA center specific documentation. Responsible NASA centers materials organizations must include applicable requirements of this document in their materials control programs. Materials used in habitable areas of spacecraft, including the materials of the spacecraft, stowed equipment, and experiments, must be evaluated for flammability, odor, and offgassing characteristics. All materials used in other areas must be evaluated for flammability characteristics. In addition, materials that are exposed to liquid oxygen (LOX), gaseous oxygen (GOX), and other reactive fluids' must be evaluated for compatibility with the fluid in their use application. Materials exposed to pressurized breathing gases also must be evaluated for odor and offgassing characteristics. The worst-case anticipated use environment (most hazardous pressure, temperature, material thickness, and fluid exposure conditions) must be used in the evaluation process. Materials that have been shown to meet the criteria of the required tests are acceptable for further consideration in design. Whenever possible, materials should be selected that have already been shown to meet the test criteria in the use environment. Existing test data are compiled in the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Materials and Processes Technical Information System (MAPTIS) and published periodically as the latest revision of a joint document with Johnson Space Center (JSC), MSFC-HDBK-527/JSC 09604. MAPTIS can be accessed by computer datalink. Systems containing materials that have not been tested or do not meet the criteria of the required tests must be verified to be acceptable in the use configuration by analysis or testing. This verification rationale must be documented and submitted to the responsible NASA center materials organization for approval.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of DED and LPBF Fe-based Alloys Process Application Envelopes based on Performance, Process Economics, Supply Chain Risks, and Reactor-specific Targeted Components

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program aims to develop extreme-environment materials solutions for use in the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors and the sustainment of the current fleet. To achieve this objective, a combination of experiment, a computational tool, and machine learning (ML) for the design of materials is adopted for the maturation of materials for nuclear technology. Through advanced manufacturing techniques such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and laser powder direct energy deposition (LP-DED), components with complex geometries can be fabricated with reduced time and effort. Such advanced manufacturing methods can also provide the opportunity to improve materials performance through optimized microstructures and mechanical properties. However, existing engineering alloys are not always well suited for fabrication with additive manufacturing (AM), as their compositions have been tuned to optimize fabrication via conventional methods. Thus, similar alloys with modified compositions that are better suited for AM can be studied for improved performance. Over the past three years, the AMMT teams from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) studied various known Fe-based alloys by evaluating their initial printability using LPBF, and an AMMT-developed down-selection and decision matrix reduced the number of alloys to be studied from six to three in fiscal year (FY) 2024. Additionally, in FY 2024, for parallel evaluation, these three alloys were studied using LPDED. While LPBF is better for small- to medium-sized components with high detail and internal features, LP-DED combines a material feed system to place the powder onto the exact spot where the laser will melt the material. This AM method can be easily scaled to extremely large components and provides high build rate speeds compared to those of conventional LPBF systems. Additionally, DED is a better choice for complex geometries and compositional gradients.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2021

SNF Canister Coatings for Corrosion Prevention and Mitigation (FY21 Status Report)

This report summarizes the current actives in FY21 related to the effort by Sandia National Laboratories to identify and test coating materials for the prevention, mitigation, and repair of spent nuclear fuel dry storage canisters against potential chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking. This work follows up on the details provided in Sandia National Laboratories FY20 report on the same topic, which provided a detailed description of the specific coating properties desired for application and implementation on spent nuclear fuel canisters, as well as provided detail into several different coatings and their applicability to coat spent nuclear fuel canisters. In FY21, Sandia National Laboratories has engaged with private industry to create a Memorandum of Understanding and established a collaborative R&D program building off the analytical and laboratory capabilities at Sandia National Laboratories and the material design and synthesis capabilities of private industry. The resulting Memorandum of Understanding included four companies to date (Oxford Performance Materials, White Horse R&D, Luna Innovations, and Flora Coating) proposing six different coating technologies (polyetherketoneketone, modified polyimide/polyurea, modified phenolic resin, silane-based polyurethane hybrid with and without a Znrich primer, and a quasi-ceramic sol-gel polyurethane hybrid) to be tested, evaluated, and optimized for their potential use for this application. This report provides a detailed description of each of the coating systems proposed by the participating industry partners. It also provides a description of the planned experimental actives to be performed by Sandia National Laboratories including physical tests, electrochemical tests, and characterization methods. These analyses will be used to identify specific ways to further improve coating technologies toward their application and implementation on spent nuclear fuel canisters. In FY21, Sandia National Laboratories began baseline testing of the base metal material in according with activities of the Memorandum of Understanding. In FY22, Sandia National Laboratories will receive coated coupons from each of the participating industry partners and begin characterization, physical, and electrochemical testing following the test plan described herein.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2024

Machine learning for the redox potential prediction of molecules in organic redox flow battery

Here, organic redox flow batteries (ORFB) are recognized as an innovative technology for the large-scale storage of renewable energy. The redox potential of organic redox-active molecules plays a vital role in their performance. Advanced screening techniques like high-throughput experiment and machine learning (ML) have significantly enhanced organic material performance and transformed the field of ORFB. However, the scarcity of experimental data poses a considerable challenge for ML model development in this domain. In our study, we developed lightweight graph-based Gaussian process regression (GPR) models with GPU-accelerated marginalized graph kernel and hybrid kernel to predict the redox potentials of organic redox-active molecules for ORFBs, specifically focusing on small datasets. To evaluate model accuracy, we created a new experimental database of organic redox-active molecules by the data from hundreds of published papers and assembled previous computational datasets. We also considered some key parameters, such as pH conditions and solvent type, to assess their impact on redox potential prediction. Our GPR model predicted redox potentials with high accuracy across all datasets using minimal training data. The study provides powerful tools for molecule screening and design and delivers valuable guidance on designing training datasets for costly experiments.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Traps and transport resistance are the next frontiers for stable non-fullerene acceptor solar cells

Stability is one of the most important challenges facing material research for organic solar cells (OSC) on their path to further commercialization. In the high-performance material system PM6:Y6 studied here, we investigate degradation mechanisms of inverted photovoltaic devices. We have identified two distinct degradation pathways: one requires the presence of both illumination and oxygen and features a short-circuit current reduction, the other one is induced thermally and marked by severe losses of open-circuit voltage and fill factor. We focus our investigation on the thermally accelerated degradation. Our findings show that bulk material properties and interfaces remain remarkably stable, however, aging-induced defect state formation in the active layer remains the primary cause of thermal degradation. The increased trap density leads to higher non-radiative recombination, which limits the open-circuit voltage and lowers the charge carrier mobility in the photoactive layer. Furthermore, we find the trap-induced transport resistance to be the major reason for the drop in fill factor. Our results suggest that device lifetimes could be significantly increased by marginally suppressing trap formation, leading to a bright future for OSC.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Reducing experimental uncertainty in the calculation of cavity swelling in a transmission electron microscope through crystallographically aided void volume tracking

Accurate measurement of cavity swelling in a transmission electron microscope is essential to define material performance under irradiation, and the conventionally applied spherical assumption for the calculation of cavity volumes in irradiated materials can result in errors ranging between a 25% underestimation and 72% overestimation of volume purely based on the assumption of shape. This assumption is undeniably expedient for calculation but does not sufficiently account for the 3D nature of polyhedral cavities and their shape projection in the transmission electron microscope, and therefore presents too large of an associated uncertainty in swelling determination for faceted cavities. This uncertainty has been defined for many common cavity shapes in FCC and BCC crystal systems, and has been tabulated across the cubic fundamental region. A revised methodology for crystallographically aided void volume tracking, or CAVV-T, is presented and demonstrated on a specimen of neutron irradiated Ni. In-depth discussion on the application of this technique is provided along with resources to allow for conversion between the spherical assumption and this revised method. This work seeks to increase experimental confidence in the characterization and quantification of critical aspects of irradiation damage in materials by applying a crystallographically-resolved approach for cavity swelling calculation.

Haag IV, James V. [Pacific Northwest National Labo↗

DOE OSTI2024

Decarbonizing Cooking Appliances With Hydrogen

A novel hydrogen compatible heterogeneous burner prototype was engineered, fabricated, and evaluated for applications in cooking appliances. The key features targeted and accomplished under this effort included fuel flexibility, tolerance to high hydrogen concentrations (up to 85% in atmospheric design and 100% in premixed design), wide range of thermal power ratings, thermal cycling, reliability, and most importantly safety. The burner was operated in the range of 3000 – 12,000 Btu/h under all practical operating conditions (cold start, hot restart, fuel concentration variance). The heterogeneous oxidation burner technology was evaluated for overall performance targeting safety, reliability, emissions, fuel flexibility, and energy efficiency in a commercial RV and residential cooking range appliance prototypes. The burner demonstrated safe and reliable performance generating infrared heating energy without the consumption of any parasitic energy while using low-cost materials. Performance evaluation testing of the novel IR burner demonstrated fuel flexibility with hydrogen blended natural gas while significantly eliminating air pollutants like NOx and methane and increasing the energy efficiency by up to 20%.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS1995

High performance nickel electrodes for space power applications

The specific energy density and the performance of nickel electrodes are generally limited by the electrode microstructure and the nature of the active material within the electrode matrix. Progress is being made in our laboratory in a collaborative effort with NASA-LEWIS Research Center to develop lighter weight, mechanically stable and highly efficient nickel electrodes for aerospace applications. Our approach is based on an electrode microstructure fabricated from a mixture of nickel fibers as small as 2 micro m diameter and cellulose fibers. Results will be presented to show the optimum conditions for impregnating this electrode microstructure with nickel hydroxide active material. Performance data in half-cell tests and cycle life data will also be presented. The flexibility of this electrode microstructure and the significant advantages it offers in terms of weight and performance will be demonstrated, in particular its ability to accept charge at high rates and to discharge at high rates.

Adanuvor, Prosper K.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Overview of the 6 Meter HIAD Inflatable Structure and Flexible TPS Static Load Test Series

To support NASAs long term goal of landing humans on Mars, technologies which enable the landing of heavy payloads are being developed. Current entry, decent, and landing technologies are not practical for this class of payloads due to geometric constraints dictated by current launch vehicle fairing limitations. Therefore, past and present technologies are now being explored to provide a mass and volume efficient solution to atmospheric entry, including Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIADs). At the beginning of 2014, a 6m HIAD inflatable structure with an integrated flexible thermal protection system (TPS) was subjected to a static load test series to verify the designs structural performance. The 6m HIAD structure was constructed in a stacked toroid configuration using nine inflatable torus segments composed of fiber reinforced thin films, which were joined together using adhesives and high strength textile woven structural straps to help distribute the loads throughout the inflatable structure. The 6m flexible TPS was constructed using multiple layers of high performance materials to protect the inflatable structure from heat loads that would be seen during atmospheric entry. To perform the static load test series, a custom test fixture was constructed. The fixture consisted of a structural tub rim with enough height to allow for displacement of the inflatable structure as loads were applied. The bottom of the tub rim had an airtight seal with the floor. The centerbody of the inflatable structure was attached to a pedestal mount as seen in Figure 1. Using an impermeable membrane seal draped over the test article, partial vacuum was pulled beneath the HIAD, resulting in a uniform static pressure load applied to the outer surface. During the test series an extensive amount of instrumentation was used to provide many data sets including: deformed shape, shoulder deflection, strap loads, cord loads, inflation pressures, and applied static load.In this overview, the 6m HIAD static load test series will be discussed in detail, including the 6m HIAD inflatable structure and flexible TPS design, test setup and execution, and finally initial results and conclusions from the test series.

inflatable aerodynamic decelerator↗

NASA NTRS2017

NASA-STD-6001B Test 7: Impact of Test Methodology and Detection Advancements on the Obsolescence of Historical Offgas Data

NASA-STD-6001B states "all nonmetals tested in accordance with NASA-STD-6001 should be retested every 10 years or as required by the responsible program/project." The retesting of materials helps ensure the most accurate data are used in material selection. Manufacturer formulas and processes can change over time, sometimes without an update to product number and material information. Material performance in certain NASA-STD-6001 tests can be particularly vulnerable to these changes, such as material offgas (Test 7). In addition, Test 7 analysis techniques at NASA White Sands Test Facility were dramatically enhanced in the early 1990s, resulting in improved detection capabilities. Low level formaldehyde identification was improved again in 2004. Understanding the limitations in offgas analysis data prior to 1990 puts into question the validity and current applicability of that data. Case studies on Super Koropon (Registered trademark) and Aeroglaze (Registered trademark) topcoat highlight the importance of material retesting.

Buchanan, Vanessa D.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Overview of the 6m HIAD Inflatable Structure and Flexible TPS Static Load Test Series

To support NASAs long term goal of landing humans on Mars, technologies which enable the landing of heavy payloads are being developed. Current entry, decent, and landing technologies are not practical for this class of payloads due to geometric constraints dictated by current launch vehicle fairing limitations. Therefore, past and present technologies are now being explored to provide a mass and volume efficient solution to atmospheric entry, including Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIADs). At the beginning of 2014, a 6m HIAD inflatable structure with an integrated flexible thermal protection system (TPS) was subjected to a static load test series to verify the designs structural performace. The 6m HIAD structure was constructed in a stacked toroid configuration using nine inflatable torus segments composed of fiber reinforced thin films, which were joined together using adhesives and high strength textile woven structural straps to help distribute the loads throughout the inflatable structure. The 6m flexible TPS was constructed using multiple layers of high performance materials to protect the inflatable structure from heat loads that would be seen during atmospheric entry. To perform the static load test series, a custom test fixture was constructed. The fixture consisted of a structural tub rim with enough height to allow for displacement of the inflatable structure as loads were applied. The bottom of the tub rim had an airtight seal with the floor. The centerbody of the inflatable structure was attached to a pedestal mount as seen in Figure 1. Using an impermeable membrane seal draped over the test article, partial vacuum was pulled beneath the HIAD, resulting in a uniform static pressure load applied to the outer surface. During the test series an extensive amount of instrumentation was used to provide many data sets including: deformed shape, shoulder deflection, strap loads, cord loads, inflation pressures, and applied static load.In this overview, the 6m HIAD static load test series will be discussed in detail, including the 6m HIAD inflatable structure and flexible TPS design, test setup and execution, and finally initial results and conclusions from the test series.

TPS↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mars Space Suit Materials Testing Using SHERLOC Calibration Target Data: The Max-CF Project

The Mars 2020/“Perseverance” rover carries a suite of space suit materials as part of the SHERLOC* calibration target [1]. The materials are periodically analyzed by SHERLOC as part of a regular calibration routine and are generating a rich data set regarding their degradation in the martian surface environment. The Maximization of Calibration Fabrics (Max-CF) project will effectively turn SHERLOC data into a measure of space suit material service lifetimes by exposing a second set of materials in a Mars chamber, replicating SHERLOC measurements using the analogous ACRONM** instrument at JSC, and then performing materials testing to include tensile testing. These data can be used to inform space suit design and/or materials development, improving crew safety for future Mars missions. This will partially address NASA’s Strategic Knowledge Gap 8 (Mars Surface Technology) which identifies a need to develop technologies to “sustain humans on the surface of Mars [and] enable human mobility and exploration” [2]. This abstract describes the overall Max-CF project and progress on the laboratory-based study to date.

M Fries↗

DOE OSTI2024

Dynamic and quasi-static strength of additively repaired aluminum

Additive manufacturing has the potential to repair high value components, saving significant time and resources; however, the level of reliability and performance of additive repairs is still relatively unknown. In this work, the structure–property and performance of laser wire additive manufacturing repairs in 1100 aluminum are investigated. Two types of intentional damage are inflicted on the samples and subsequently repaired with pulsed laser deposition additive manufacturing. Quasi-static (10 –3 s –1 ) and high strain-rate (10 –3 s –1 ) mechanical testing is carried out with in situ diagnostics and post-mortem imaging. The results show that while the quasi-static strength and ductility of samples with a repaired region are lower than a pristine sample, the dynamic strength under shock loading is comparable. This work highlights both the potential utility of additive manufacturing for repair purposes, the significant risk of compromised performance of additive parts under specific conditions, and the need to test at varying strain rates to fully characterize material performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Strategies for control and mitigation of efflorescence in metakaolin-based geopolymers

Efflorescence can be harmful to material performance as a consequence of microstructural changes due to leaching and carbonation of alkalis. This article identifies mechanisms of efflorescence in metakaolin-based geopolymers, and approaches to reduce free/mobile alkali cations and pore network connectivity, and hence reduce efflorescence. Mechanical, mass transport and microstructural properties are assessed in metakaolin-based geopolymer cements produced using different alkali concentrations in the alkali activator and substitution/addition of blast furnace slag, silica fume, calcium aluminate cement, silicone oil and a dispersive admixture. The most effective strategy to reduce efflorescence results from increasing Si/Al in the geopolymer gel by addition of soluble silicate, silica fume or silicone oil. Addition of calcium aluminate cement or a dispersive admixture also reduce efflorescence, but are less effective. These results confirm that efflorescence may be reduced by controlling the amount of soluble silicates and reducing free alkali cations in geopolymers, providing enhanced performance and durability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗