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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1960

The Surface-Tension Method of Visually Inspecting Honeycomb-Core Sandwich Plates

When one face of a metal-honeycomb-core sandwich plate is heated or cooled relative to the other, heat transfer through the core causes the temperature on each face at the lines of contact with the core to be slightly different from that on the rest of the face. If a thin liquid film is applied to the face, the variation of surface tension with temperature causes the liquid to move from warmer to cooler areas and thus to develop a pattern corresponding to the temperature pattern on the face. Irregularities in the pattern identify the locations where the core is not adequately bonded to the face sheet. The pattern is easily observed when a fluorescent liquid is used and illumination is by means of ultraviolet light. Observation in ordinary light is also possible when a very deeply colored liquid is used. A method based on the use of a thermographic phosphor to observe the temperature pattern was found to be less sensitive than the surface-tension method. A sublimation method was found to be not only less sensitive but also far more troublesome.

Katzoff, Samuel↗
NASA NTRS1976

Adhesion and friction of thin metal films

Sliding friction experiments were conducted in vacuum with thin films of titanium, chromium, iron, and platinum sputter deposited on quartz or mica substrates. A single crystal hemispherically tipped gold slider was used in contact with the films at loads of 1.0 to 30.0 and at a sliding velocity of 0.7 mm/min at 23 C. Test results indicate that the friction coefficient is dependent on the adhesion of two interfaces, that between the film and its substrate and the slider and the film. There exists a relationship between the percent d bond character of metals in bulk and in thin film form and the friction coefficient. Oxygen can increase adhesive bonding of a metal film (platinum) to a substrate.

Buckley, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1980

An all-plated, low cost contact system for silicon solar cells

The plating sequences Pd-Cr-Cu and Pd-Ni-Cu are demonstrated. The surface was sensitized with a 50 A-thick Pd layer obtained from an immersion bath. After 15 min heating at 400 C in N2, a thin barrier layer of either Cr or Ni was deposited from electroless baths operated at temperatures around 90 C. The sintering process was repeated, and a thin copper layer of 500 A was deposited by electroless means. An electrolytic copper bath was used to build the copper layer to 3-4 micron thicknesses. Cells with good I-V curves were obtained, and the all-plated contacts had good adhesion. Preliminary cost estimates show that the process costs approximately 12 cents per watt excluding the cost of the masking procedure.

Tanner, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Spherical bearing

A spherical bearing including an inner ball with an opening for receiving a shaft and a spherical outer surface is described. Features of the bearing include: (1) a circular outer race including a plurality of circumferentially spaced sections extending around the inner ball for snugly receiving the inner ball; and (2) a groove extending circumferentially around the race producing a thin wall portion which permits the opposed side portions to flex relative to the ball for maximizing the physical contact between the inner surface of the race and the spherical outer surface of the ball.

Myers, W. N.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Low cost silicon-on-ceramic photovoltaic solar cells

A technique has been developed for coating low-cost mullite-based refractory substrates with thin layers of solar cell quality silicon. The technique involves first carbonizing one surface of the ceramic and then contacting it with molten silicon. The silicon wets the carbonized surface and, under the proper thermal conditions, solidifies as a large-grained sheet. Solar cells produced from this composite silicon-on-ceramic material have exhibited total area conversion efficiencies of ten percent.

Koepke, B. G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Ultrasonic level sensors for liquids under high pressure

An ultrasonic level sensor of novel design continuously measures the level of a liquid subjected to a high pressure (up to about 40 MPa), as is sometimes required for the effective transfer of the liquid. The sensor operates as a composite resonator fabricated from a standard high-pressure plug. A flat-bottom hole is machined into the plug along its center line. An ultrasonic transducer is bonded rigidly to the interior surface of the bottom wall, while the exterior surface is in contact with the liquid. Although the bottom wall is designed to satisfy the pressure code, it is still sufficiently thin to permit ready excitation of the axisymmetric plate modes of vibration. The liquid level is measured by a conventional pulse-echo technique. A prototype sensor was tested successfully in a 2300-l water vessel at pressures up to about 37 MPa. A spectral analysis of the transmitted pulse reveals that the flexural, extensional, thickness-shear, and radial plate modes are excited into vibration, but none of these appears to be significantly affected by the pressurization of the liquid.

Zuckerwar, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Mounting Thin Samples For Electrical Measurements

New method for mounting thin sample for electrical measurements involves use of vacuum chuck to hold a ceramic mounting plate, which holds sample. Contacts on mounting plate establish electrical connection to sample. Used to make electrical measurements over temperature range from 77 to 1,000 K and does not introduce distortions into magnetic field during Hall measurements.

Matus, L. G.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Ink jet assisted metallization for low cost flat plate solar cells

Computer-controlled ink-jet-assisted metallization of the front surface of solar cells with metalorganic silver inks offers a maskless alternative method to conventional photolithography and screen printing. This method can provide low cost, fine resolution, reduced process complexity, avoidance of degradation of the p-n junction by firing at lower temperature, and uniform line film on rough surface of solar cells. The metallization process involves belt furnace firing and thermal spiking. With multilayer ink jet printing and firing, solar cells of about 5-6 percent efficiency without antireflection (AR) coating can be produced. With a titanium thin-film underlayer as an adhesion promoter, solar cells of average efficiency 8.08 percent without AR coating can be obtained. This efficiency value is approximately equal to that of thin-film solar cells of the same lot. Problems with regard to lower inorganic content of the inks and contact resistance are noted.

Teng, K. F.↗
NASA NTRS2004

High-Performance SiC/SiC Ceramic Composite Systems Developed for 1315 C (2400 F) Engine Components

As structural materials for hot-section components in advanced aerospace and land-based gas turbine engines, silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic matrix composites reinforced by high performance SiC fibers offer a variety of performance advantages over current bill-of-materials, such as nickel-based superalloys. These advantages are based on the SiC/SiC composites displaying higher temperature capability for a given structural load, lower density (approximately 30- to 50-percent metal density), and lower thermal expansion. These properties should, in turn, result in many important engine benefits, such as reduced component cooling air requirements, simpler component design, reduced support structure weight, improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, higher blade frequencies, reduced blade clearances, and higher thrust. Under the NASA Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) Project, much progress has been made at the NASA Glenn Research Center in identifying and optimizing two highperformance SiC/SiC composite systems. The table compares typical properties of oxide/oxide panels and SiC/SiC panels formed by the random stacking of balanced 0 degrees/90 degrees fabric pieces reinforced by the indicated fiber types. The Glenn SiC/SiC systems A and B (shaded area of the table) were reinforced by the Sylramic-iBN SiC fiber, which was produced at Glenn by thermal treatment of the commercial Sylramic SiC fiber (Dow Corning, Midland, MI; ref. 2). The treatment process (1) removes boron from the Sylramic fiber, thereby improving fiber creep, rupture, and oxidation resistance and (2) allows the boron to react with nitrogen to form a thin in situ grown BN coating on the fiber surface, thereby providing an oxidation-resistant buffer layer between contacting fibers in the fabric and the final composite. The fabric stacks for all SiC/SiC panels were provided to GE Power Systems Composites for chemical vapor infiltration of Glenn designed BN fiber coatings and conventional SiC matrices. Composite panels with system B were heat treated at Glenn, and the pores that remained open were filled by silicon melt infiltration (MI). Panels with system A and the other SiC/SiC systems were not heat treated, and remaining open pores in these systems were filled with SiC slurry and silicon MI.

DiCarlo, James A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Architectures for High-Performance Ceramic Composites Being Improved

A major thrust of the Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) Program at the NASA Glenn Research Center is to develop advanced hot-section engine components using SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMC's) with thermostructural capability to 2400 F (1315 C). In previous studies, UEET determined that the higher the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the as-fabricated CMC, the greater its structural performance at 2400 F. Thus efforts have been ongoing within UEET to understand and develop fiber architecture approaches that can improve the UTS of SiC/SiC CMC's. Under UEET, SiC/SiC test panels and demonstration engine components are currently produced by the multi-ply layup of two-dimensional fabric pieces. The fabric is typically formed of multifilament tows containing high-performance Sylramic (Dow Corning) SiC fiber that is woven into two-dimensional five-harness satin fabric with 20 ends per inch in the 0 degree and 90 degree directions. In some cases, fabric pieces containing woven Sylramic fiber tows are thermally treated at NASA to form Sylramic-iBN fibers that contain a very thin in-situ-grown boron nitride layer on their surfaces. The final SiC/SiC panels and components are fabricated at the CMC vendor by compressing the fabric pieces in tools and then depositing a thin BN interphase coating on the fibers by chemical vapor deposition. The last step at the vendor is to infiltrate the BN-coated fiber architecture with SiC and silicon matrix constituents to form a dense product. Because the as-produced Sylramic fiber tows are sized with a thin polymer coating to facilitate handling and weaving, the individual fibers within the tows and fabric are in close contact with each other. This contact is further increased during fabric compression. One important recent finding is that increasing Sylramic fiber tow width in a fabric increases the UTS of the final SiC/SiC CMC. This effect is presumably related to minimizing fiber/fiber contact, which can be detrimental to CMC strength because of the boron-rich chemistry and roughness of the Sylramic fiber surface. Tows can be spread by mechanically agitating the Sylramic fabric prior to CMC fabrication or by simply thermally treating the Sylramic fabric as in the formation of the Sylramic-iBN fibers. However, CMC's with the treated Sylramic-iBN fabric are even stronger than CMC's with mechanically spread Sylramic tows. The extra strength capability is presumably related to the in situ BN on the fiber surface, which adds compliance to the fiber surfaces and is more resistant to oxygen impurities introduced during the chemical vapor deposition BN process. As shown, another important finding is that the use of fabric with tows having less than the standard of 20 ends per inch provides advantages in terms of reduced ply height and increased ply and CMC strength. The reduced ply height provides more control of part thickness by allowing more plies for a given thickness and by reducing interlaminar residual stresses between plies. The increased ply strength is presumably related to a reduced number of interlaced 90 tows, which, in turn, reduces the crimp angle on the high-modulus fibers in the 0 degree tows. Also, as shown, although fabric with fewer ends per inch reduced the maximum fiber fraction in an eight-ply CMC panel; CMC UTS actually increased because of increased ply strength. Thus, using fabric with fewer ends per inch has several advantages, including providing a significantly higher strength per fiber fraction in the CMC. Consequently, ongoing UEET efforts will attempt to use architectural approaches for components that minimize fiber-fiber contacts and fiber bending within the final composite microstructure.

Yun, Hee Mann↗
NASA NTRS2008

Chemical Detection using Electrically Open Circuits having no Electrical Connections

This paper presents investigations to date on chemical detection using a recently developed method for designing, powering and interrogating sensors as electrically open circuits having no electrical connections. In lieu of having each sensor from a closed circuit with multiple electrically connected components, an electrically conductive geometric pattern that is powered using oscillating magnetic fields and capable of storing an electric field and a magnetic field without the need of a closed circuit or electrical connections is used. When electrically active, the patterns respond with their own magnetic field whose frequency, amplitude and bandwidth can be correlated with the magnitude of the physical quantities being measured. Preliminary experimental results of using two different detection approaches will be presented. In one method, a thin film of a reactant is deposited on the surface of the open-circuit sensor. Exposure to a specific targeted reactant shifts the resonant frequency of the sensor. In the second method, a coating of conductive material is placed on a thin non-conductive plastic sheet that is placed over the surface of the sensor. There is no physical contact between the sensor and the electrically conductive material. When the conductive material is exposed to a targeted reactant, a chemical reaction occurs that renders the material non-conductive. The change in the material s electrical resistance within the magnetic field of the sensor alters the sensor s response bandwidth and amplitude, allowing detection of the reaction without having the reactants in physical contact with the sensor.

Woodward, Stanley E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Friction and wear behavior of single-crystal silicon carbide in contact with titanium

Sliding friction experiments were conducted with single crystal silicon carbide in sliding contact with titanium. Results indicate that the friction coefficient is greater in vacuum than in argon and that this is due to the greater adhesion or adhesive transfer in vacuum. Thin films of silicon carbide transferred to titanium also adhered to silicon carbide both in argon at atmospheric pressure and in high vacuum. Cohesive bonds fractured on both the silicon carbide and titanium surfaces. The wear debris of silicon carbide created by fracture plowed the silicon carbide surface in a plastic manner. The friction characteristics of titanium in contact with silicon carbide were sensitive to the surface roughness of silicon carbide, and the friction coefficients were higher for a rough surface of silicon carbide than for a smooth one. The difference in friction results was due to plastic deformation (plowing of titanium).

Miyoshi, K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Dismembered Archaean ophiolite in the southeastern Wind River Mountains, Wyoming: Remains of Archaean oceanic crust

Archean mafic and ultramafic rocks occur in the southeastern Wind River Mountains near Atlantic City, Wyoming and are interpreted to represent a dismembered ophiolite suite. The ophiolitic rocks occur in a thin belt intruded by the 2.6 Ga Louis Lake Batholith on the northwest. On the southeast they are in fault contact with the Miners Delight Formation comprised primarily of metagraywackes with minor calc-alkaline volcanics. The ophiolitic and associated metasedimentry rocks (Goldman Meadows Formation) have been multiply deformed and metamorphosed. The most prominant structures are a pronounced steeply plunging stretching lineation and steeply dipping foliation. These structural data indicate that the ophiolitic and associated metasedimentary rocks have been deformed by simple shear. The ophiolitic rocks are interpreted as the remains of Archean oceanic crust, probably formed at either a mid-ocean ridge or back-arc basin. All the units of a complete ophiolite are present except for upper mantle periodotities. The absence of upper mantle rocks may be the result of detactment within the crust, rather than within the upper mantle, during emplacement. This could have been the result of a steeper geothermal gradient in the Archean oceanic lithosphere, or may have resulted from a thicker oceanic crust in the Archean.

Harper, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Pieces of Other Worlds - Extraterrestrial Samples for Education and Public Outreach

During the Year of the Solar System spacecraft from NASA and our international partners will encounter two comets; orbit the asteroid Vesta, continue to explore Mars with rovers, and launch robotic explorers to the Moon and Mars. We have pieces of all these worlds in our laboratories, and their continued study provides incredibly valuable "ground truth" to complement space exploration missions. Extensive information about these unique materials, as well as actual lunar samples and meteorites, are available for display and education. The Johnson Space Center (JSC) has the unique responsibility to curate NASA's extraterrestrial samples from past and future missions. Curation includes documentation, preservation, preparation, and distribution of samples for research, education, and public outreach. At the current time JSC curates six types of extraterrestrial samples: (1) Moon rocks and soils collected by the Apollo astronauts (2) Meteorites collected on US expeditions to Antarctica (including rocks from the Moon, Mars, and many asteroids including Vesta) (3) "Cosmic dust" (asteroid and comet particles) collected by high-altitude aircraft (4) Solar wind atoms collected by the Genesis spacecraft (5) Comet particles collected by the Stardust spacecraft (6) Interstellar dust particles collected by the Stardust spacecraft These rocks, soils, dust particles, and atoms continue to be studied intensively by scientists around the world. Descriptions of the samples, research results, thousands of photographs, and information on how to request research samples are on the JSC Curation website: http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/ NASA provides a limited number of Moon rock samples for either short-term or long-term displays at museums, planetariums, expositions, and professional events that are open to the public. The JSC Public Affairs Office handles requests for such display samples. Requestors should apply in writing to Mr. Louis Parker, JSC Exhibits Manager. Mr. Parker will advise successful applicants regarding provisions for receipt, display, and return of the samples. All loans will be preceded by a signed loan agreement executed between NASA and the requestor's organization. Email address: louis.a.parker@nasa.gov Sets of twelve thin sections of Apollo lunar samples and sets of twelve thin sections of meteorites are available for short-term loan from JSC Curation. The thin sections are designed for use in college and university courses where petrographic microscopes are available for viewing. Requestors should contact the Ms. Mary Luckey, Education Sample Curator. Email address: mary.k.luckey@nasa.gov

Allen, Carlton C.↗
NASA NTRS2010

New Technology for Microfabrication and Testing of a Thermoelectric Device for Generating Mobile Electrical Power

We report the results of fabrication and testing of a thermoelectric power generation module. The module was fabricated using a new "flip-chip" module assembly technique that is scalable and modular. This technique results in a low value of contact resistivity ( < or = 10(exp 5) Ohms-sq cm). It can be used to leverage new advances in thin-film and nanostructured materials for the fabrication of new miniature thermoelectric devices. It may also enable monolithic integration of large devices or tandem arrays of devices on flexible or curved surfaces. Under mild testing, a power of 22 mW/sq cm was obtained from small (<100 K) temperature differences. At higher, more realistic temperature differences, approx.500 K, where the efficiency of these materials greatly improves, this power density would scale to between 0.5 and 1 Watt/cm2. These results highlight the excellent potential for the generation and scavenging of electrical power of practical and usable magnitude for remote applications using thermoelectric power generation technologies.

Prasad, Narashimha S.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Thin film solar cell inflatable ultraviolet rigidizable deployment hinge

A flexible inflatable hinge includes curable resin for rigidly positioning panels of solar cells about the hinge in which wrap around contacts and flex circuits are disposed for routing power from the solar cells to the power bus further used for grounding the hinge. An indium tin oxide and magnesium fluoride coating is used to prevent static discharge while being transparent to ultraviolet light that cures the embedded resin after deployment for rigidizing the inflatable hinge.

Simburger, Edward J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Effect of Reverse Bias Stress on Leakage Currents and Breakdown Voltages of Solid Tantalum Capacitors

The majority of solid tantalum capacitors are produced by high-temperature sintering of a fine tantalum powder around a tantalum wire followed by electrolytic anodization that forms a thin amorphous Ta2O5 dielectric layer and pyrolysis of manganese nitrite on the oxide to create a conductive manganese dioxide electrode. A contact to tantalum wire is used as anode terminal and to the manganese layer as a cathode terminal of the device. This process results in formation of an asymmetric Ta -- Ta2O5 -- MnO2 capacitor that has different characteristics at forward (positive bias applied to tantalum) and reverse (positive bias applied to manganese cathode) voltages. Reverse bias currents might be several orders of magnitude larger than forward leakage currents so I-V characteristics of tantalum capacitors resemble characteristics of semiconductor rectifiers. Asymmetric I-V characteristics of Ta -- anodic Ta2O5 systems have been observed at different top electrode materials including metals, electrolytes, conductive polymers, and manganese oxide thus indicating that this phenomenon is likely related to the specifics of the Ta -- Ta2O5 interface. There have been multiple attempts to explain rectifying characteristics of capacitors employing anodic tantalum pentoxide dielectrics. A brief review of works related to reverse bias (RB) behavior of tantalum capacitors shows that the mechanism of conduction in Ta -- Ta2O5 systems is still not clear and more testing and analysis is necessary to understand the processes involved. If tantalum capacitors behave just as rectifiers, then the assessment of the safe reverse bias operating conditions would be a relatively simple task. Unfortunately, these parts can degrade with time under reverse bias significantly, and this further complicates analysis of the I-V characteristics and establishing safe operating areas of the parts. On other hand, time dependence of reverse currents might provide additional information for investigation of the processes under reverse bias conditions. In practice, there were instances when, due to unforeseen events, the system operated at conditions when capacitors experience periodically a relatively small reverse bias for some time followed by normal, forward bias conditions. In such a case an assessment should be made on the degree to which these capacitors are degraded by application of low-voltage reverse bias, and whether this degradation can be reversed by normal operating conditions. In this study, reverse currents in different types of tantalum capacitors were monitored at different reverse voltages below 15%VR and temperatures in the range from room to 145 C for up to 150 hours to get better understanding of the degradation process and determine conditions favorable to the unstable mode of operation. The reversibility of RB degradation has been evaluated after operation of the capacitors at forward bias conditions. The effect of reverse bias stress (RBS) on reliability at normal operating conditions was evaluated using highly accelerated life testing at voltages of 1.5VR and 2 VR and by analysis of changes in distributions of breakdown voltages. Possible mechanisms of RB degradation are discussed.

Teverovsky, Alexander A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Grid-Sphere Electrodes for Contact with Ionospheric Plasma

Grid-sphere electrodes have been proposed for use on the positively biased end of electrodynamic space tethers. A grid-sphere electrode is fabricated by embedding a wire mesh in a thin film from which a spherical balloon is formed. The grid-sphere electrode would be deployed from compact stowage by inflating the balloon in space. The thin-film material used to inflate the balloon is formulated to vaporize when exposed to the space environment. This would leave the bare metallic spherical grid electrode attached to the tether, which would present a small cross-sectional area (essentially, the geometric wire shadow area only) to incident neutral atoms and molecules. Most of the neutral particles, which produce dynamic drag when they impact a surface, would pass unimpeded through the open grid spaces. However, partly as a result of buildup of a space charge inside the grid-sphere, and partially, the result of magnetic field effects, the electrode would act almost like a solid surface with respect to the flux of electrons. The net result would be that grid-sphere electrodes would introduce minimal aerodynamic drag, yet have effective electrical-contact surface areas large enough to collect multiampere currents from the ionospheric plasma that are needed for operation of electrodynamic tethers. The vaporizable-balloon concept could also be applied to the deployment of large radio antennas in outer space.

Stone, Nobie H.↗