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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.

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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

Evaluation of Case Size 0603 BME Ceramic Capacitors

High volumetric efficiency of commercial base metal electrode (BME) ceramic capacitors allows for a substantial reduction of weight and sizes of the parts compared to currently used military grade precious metal electrode (PME) capacitors. Insertion of BME capacitors in space applications requires a thorough analysis of their performance and reliability. In this work, six types of cases size 0603 BME capacitors from three vendors have been evaluated. Three types of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) were designed for automotive industry and three types for general purposes. Leakage currents in the capacitors have been measured in a wide range of voltages and temperatures, and measurements of breakdown voltages (VBR) have been used to assess the proportion and severity of defects in the parts. The effect of soldering-related thermal shock stresses was evaluated by analysis of distributions of VBR for parts in 'as is' condition and after terminal solder dip testing at 350 C. Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) at different temperatures was used to assess the activation energy of degradation of leakage currents and predict behavior of the parts at life test and normal operating conditions. To address issues related to rework and manual soldering, capacitors were soldered onto different substrates at different soldering conditions. The results show that contrary to a common assumption that large-size capacitors are mostly vulnerable to soldering stresses, cracking in small size capacitors does happen unless special measures are taken during assembly processes.

testing↗
DOE OSTI2024

Testing of Helium-Cooled Metal Molybdenum Disk Target

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes LLC is planning to produce an important medical radioisotope, molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), through photonuclear reaction on molybdenum-100 (Mo-100). In this approach, molybdenum metal will be bombarded with a 40-MeV electron beam. Because enriched Mo-100 is expensive, it is desired to use as much beam power as possible to achieve maximum production yield and minimize target mass. This objective leads to very high beam power density (heat deposition in the target), which sets challenging requirements for cooling. Together with scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a team at Argonne National Laboratory has developed and demonstrated a cooling approach using pressurized helium, which allows for efficient heat removal. One of the main challenges in this approach is the management of the heat load on the target window. The target window separates the high-pressure helium inside the target from the vacuum in the beamline, so it is constantly under stress from differential pressure. Also, the window is cooled only by the helium gas flowing on one side, making the window cooling even more challenging. High heat deposition in the target disks also imposes a strict requirement on performance of the helium cooling system and thickness of the target disks. The target disks are produced from metal powder via a press-and-sinter process. The resulting disks do not possess tensile strength as high as solid molybdenum and might not survive the vibration from the high-velocity helium coolant and high thermal stress from beam heating. An Argonne team of scientists performed a series of tests at Argonne’s Low Energy Accelerator Facility (LEAF) [3-7]. This report describes two series of tests for scale down production target designs that utilize full-scale 29 millimeters diameter, 0.75 mm thick press-and-sintered disks. We performed two thermal tests with different beam parameters and configurations of the disk laminations. We compared the results of the window temperature measurements and cooling system parameters obtained in the experiments with those predicted by analytical calculations and Computation Flow Dynamic (CFD) simulations. Results of the experiments and calculations are presented below.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1973

Modeling and measuring limb fine-motor unsteadiness

Fine-motor unsteadiness its properties, conceptual and analytical models, and experimental measurements is examined. Based on a data review, the tentative model derived includes: neuromuscular system, grip interface, and control system dynamic elements. The properties of this model change with muscle tension and match a wide group of extant data. A simple experiment was performed to investigate the amplitude/force relationships of the tremor mode. As the finger-pull force increased from 5 to 20 Newtons, the tremor mode frequency for a given individual stayed within roughly + or - 1 Hz over a range from 9-12 Hz, while the average magnitude of the rms tremor acceleration increased tenfold. A standardized test for making such measurements is given and applications in the fields of psychophysiological stress and strain measurements are mentioned.

Magdaleno, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Turbulent boundary layer on a convex, curved surface

The effects of strong convex curvature on boundary layer turbulence were investigated. The data gathered on the behavior of Reynolds stress suggested the formulation of a simple turbulence model. Three sets of data were taken on two separate facilities. Both rigs had flow from a flat surface, over a convex surface with 90 deg of turning, and then onto a flat recovery surface. The geometry was adjusted so that, for both rigs, the pressure gradient along the test surface was zero - thus avoiding any effects of streamwise acceleration on the wall layers. Results show that after a sudden introduction of curvature, the shear stress in the outer part of the boundary layer is sharply diminished and is even slightly negative near the edge. The wall shear also drops off quickly downstream. In contrast, when the surface suddenly becomes flat again, the wall shear and shear stress profiles recover very slowly towards flat wall conditions.

Gillis, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS2026

A Dispersion-Strengthened Low-Density Niobium Alloy and Its Elevated Temperature Mechanical Performance

In response to the elevated-temperature and weight-reduction demands of modern aerospace applications, a novel oxide-dispersion-strengthened low-density niobium alloy (LDNb-ODS) was fabricated using laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). To overcome powder procurement barriers, L-PBF feedstock was produced by blending commercial Nb521, Ti64, and Cr powder with Y2O3 nanoparticles via resonant acoustic mixing. Following L-PBF and a 1400°C vacuum heat treatment, the alloy achieved a density of 6.73 g/cc and a fine mean grain size of 4.62 µm stabilized by uniform ~30 nm yttria dispersoids. Microstructural analysis revealed a chemically inhomogeneous build with lack-of-fusion defects and a titanium (Ti) shift from a nominal 31.5 wt% in the starting powder blend to 24.8 wt% in the printed part due to preferential Ti loss during printing. Elevated-temperature tensile testing demonstrated that LDNb-ODS maintained a superior specific yield strength of 60-85 MPa/(g/cc) up to 800°C, outperforming nickel-based alloys Ni625, Ni230, and GRX-810. Between 870°C and 950°C, its specific strength surpassed both Ni718 and Ni625. In rapid stress-rupture testing at 1093°C and 20.7 MPa, uncoated LDNb-ODS survived 21.4 hours (a tenfold increase over legacy C-103) while an R512E silicide coating extended rupture life to 84.8 hours, confirming that oxidation accelerates low-stress failure. These findings demonstrate that additive manufacturing of LDNb-ODS provides a viable, lightweight alternative to nickel-based superalloys for high-temperature (>850°C) aerospace components.

Low Density Niobium Alloy↗
NASA NTRS2008

High-precision Non-Contact Measurement of Creep of Ultra-High Temperature Materials for Aerospace

For high-temperature applications (greater than 2,000 C) such as solid rocket motors, hypersonic aircraft, nuclear electric/thermal propulsion for spacecraft, and more efficient jet engines, creep becomes one of the most important design factors to be considered. Conventional creep-testing methods, where the specimen and test apparatus are in contact with each other, are limited to temperatures approximately 1,700 C. Development of alloys for higher-temperature applications is limited by the availability of testing methods at temperatures above 2000 C. Development of alloys for applications requiring a long service life at temperatures as low as 1500 C, such as the next generation of jet turbine superalloys, is limited by the difficulty of accelerated testing at temperatures above 1700 C. For these reasons, a new, non-contact creep-measurement technique is needed for higher temperature applications. A new non-contact method for creep measurements of ultra-high-temperature metals and ceramics has been developed and validated. Using the electrostatic levitation (ESL) facility at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, a spherical sample is rotated quickly enough to cause creep deformation due to centrifugal acceleration. Very accurate measurement of the deformed shape through digital image analysis allows the stress exponent n to be determined very precisely from a single test, rather than from numerous conventional tests. Validation tests on single-crystal niobium spheres showed excellent agreement with conventional tests at 1985 C; however the non-contact method provides much greater precision while using only about 40 milligrams of material. This method is being applied to materials including metals and ceramics for non-eroding throats in solid rockets and next-generation superalloys for turbine engines. Recent advances in the method and the current state of these new measurements will be presented.

Rogers, Jan R.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Analysis of International Space Station Materials on MISSE-3 and MISSE-4

For high-temperature applications (> 2,000 C) such as solid rocket motors, hypersonic aircraft, nuclear electric/thermal propulsion for spacecraft, and more efficient jet engines, creep becomes one of the most important design factors to be considered. Conventional creep-testing methods, where the specimen and test apparatus are in contact with each other, are limited to temperatures ~1,700 deg. C. Development of alloys for higher-temperature applications is limited by the availability of testing methods at temperatures above 2000 C. Development of alloys for applications requiring a long service life at temperatures as low as 1500 C, such as the next generation of jet turbine superalloys, is limited by the difficulty of accelerated testing at temperatures above 1700 0c. For these reasons, a new, non-contact creep-measurement technique is needed for higher temperature applications. A new non-contact method for creep measurements of ultra-high-temperature metals and ceramics has been developed and validated. Using the electrostatic levitation (ESL) facility at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, a spherical sample is rotated quickly enough to cause creep deformation due to centrifugal acceleration. Very accurate measurement of the deformed shape through digital image analysis allows the stress exponent n to be determined very precisely from a single test, rather than from numerous conventional tests. Validation tests on single-crystal niobium spheres showed excellent agreement with conventional tests at 1985 C; however the non-contact method provides much greater precision while using only about 40 milligrams of material. This method is being applied to materials including metals and ceramics for noneroding throats in solid rockets and next-generation superalloys for turbine engines. Recent advances in the method and the current state of these new measurements will be presented.

Finckenor, Miria M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Effects of cholinergic and beta-adrenergic blockade on orthostatic tolerance in healthy subjects

Cardiovascular responses during a graded lower body negative pressure (LBNP) protocol were compared before and after atropine and propranolol administration to test the hypothesis that both sympathetic and parasympathetic control of cardio-acceleration are associated with syncopal predisposition to orthostatic stress in healthy subjects. Eleven men were categorized into two groups having high (HT, N = 6) or low (LT, N = 5) tolerance based on their total time before the onset of presyncopal symptoms. HT and LT groups were similar in physical characteristics, fitness, and baseline cardiovascular measurements. Atropine treatment had no effect on LBNP tolerance or mean arterial pressure at presyncope, despite an atropine-induced increase in heart rate. Propranolol treatment reduced (p<0.05) LBNP tolerance in both groups. Diminished LBNP tolerance after propranolol administration was associated with reductions in cardiac output, whereas increase in systemic peripheral resistance from baseline to presyncope was unaffected by propranolol. Reduction in cardiac output and LBNP tolerance after beta blockade reflected a chronotropic effect because lower LBNP tolerance for the HT (-50%) and LT (-39%) groups was associated with dramatic reductions (p <0.05) in the magnitude of LBNP-induced tachycardia without significant effects on stroke volume at presyncope. Absence of an atropine-induced difference in cardiac output and systemic peripheral resistance between HT and LT groups failed to support the notion that cardiac vagal withdrawal represents a predominant mechanism that could account for differences in orthostatic tolerance. Because a reduction in LBNP tolerance in both HT and LT groups after propranolol treatment was most closely associated with reduced tachycardia, the data suggest that a primary autonomically mediated mechanism for maintenance of mean arterial pressure and orthostatic tolerance in healthy subjects is beta adrenergic-induced tachycardia.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2020

Conceptual Design of a HTS Dipole Insert Based on Bi2212 Rutherford Cable

The U.S. Magnet Development Program (US-MDP) is aimed at developing high-field accelerator magnets with magnetic fields beyond the limits of Nb 3 Sn technology. Recent progress with composite wires and Rutherford cables based on the first generation high-temperature superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8-x (Bi2212) allows considering them for this purpose. However, Bi2212 wires and cables are sensitive to transverse stresses and strains, which are large in high-field accelerator magnets. This requires magnet designs with stress management concepts to control azimuthal and radial strains in the coil windings and prevent the degradation of the current carrying capability of Bi2212 conductor or even its permanent damage. This paper describes a novel stress management approach, which was developed at Fermilab for high-field large-aperture Nb 3 Sn accelerator magnets, and is now being applied to high-field dipole inserts based on Bi2212 Rutherford cables. The insert conceptual design and main parameters, including the superconducting wire and cable, as well as the coil stress management structure, key technological steps and approaches, test configurations and their target parameters, are presented and discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

PV Module BOM and Test Data

This dataset contains compiled results from annual PV Module Reliability Scorecards published by PV Evolution Labs – also known as PVEL. These scorecards show summary results of PV module testing performed by PVEL and name specific models of PV modules as "Top Performers" in various tests. Full details on testing, Top Performer status and other criteria for inclusion in Scorecards are documented in reports and online documentation available from https://www.modulescorecard.pvel.com. This dataset is not affiliated with PVEL and is intended only to simplify sorting and filtering Scorecard data and finding specific PV module models and Top Performer results. Note that data included in Scorecards has evolved over time, so not all data is available for all years, and testing protocols and Scorecard criteria have been changed over time.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1981

Development of an accelerated reliability test schedule for terrestrial solar cells

An accelerated test schedule using a minimum amount of tests and a minimum number of cells has been developed on the basis of stress test results obtained from more than 1500 cells of seven different cell types. The proposed tests, which include bias-temperature, bias-temperature-humidity, power cycle, thermal cycle, and thermal shock tests, use as little as 10 and up to 25 cells, depending on the test type.

Lathrop, J. W.↗
DOE OSTI2023

A multi-length-scale investigation of the applicability of ductility laws for annealed and work-hardened copper

Small-scale mechanical testing provides unique advantages over conventional testing in investigating the mechanical response of nuclear materials. While small-scale testing enables accelerated materials research, it raises the question of comparability to large-scale properties for engineering design considerations. Among different mechanical properties for structural design considerations such as yield and ultimate tensile stress, ductility is of critical importance with respect to structural component health. The effectiveness of using small-scale mechanical testing for probing these mechanical properties is dictated by understanding how the mechanical responses translate from the microscale to the engineering scale. Therefore, a better understanding of size scaling effects via gathering and analysis of experimental data is required to bridge length-scales. Further, this work builds upon previous reports to provide statistical data on how mechanical response changes as the size of the specimens are reduced from conventional sizes. One hundred twenty mesoscale tensile coupons of oxygen-free high thermal conductivity (OFHC) copper in work-hardened and annealed state have been manufactured using micro-wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) and tested under uniaxial tension. The mesoscale specimens have dimensions dictated by pre-selected geometric ratios (i.e., gauge section length over the square root of the cross-section area) with gauge length dimensions of 3 mm (or less) and sub-millimeter gauge widths and thicknesses. The mesoscale responses were compared to bulkscale properties to reveal the effect of specimen size on the mechanical response as a function of grain size and material state for a single phase face-centered cubic metal.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1987

The stability of lamellar gamma-gamma-prime structures

The stability of stress-annealed gamma/gamma-prime lamellar structures were investigated using three nickel-base single-crystal alloys (the NASAIR 100 and two similar alloys, E and F, containing 5 and 10 wt pct Co, respectively) stress-annealed at 1000 C to form lamellae perpendicular to the applied stress. The rate of the lamellar thickening under various thermal and creep exposures was examined by SEM. For unstressed aging at 1100 C, the lamellar structures of the NASAIR and the E alloys exhibited continuous but slow lamellar coarsening, whereas the lamellae of the alloy F showed pronounced thickening plus spheroidization. Resistance to lamellar thickening was correlated with high magnitudes of lattice mismatch, which promoted a more regular lamellar structure and a finer spacing of misfit dislocations. Specimens which were tension-annealed prior to compressive creep testing exhibited an earlier onset of tertiary creep in comparison with only heat-treated specimens. This was associated with accelerated lamellar coarsening in the stress-annealed specimens.

Nathal, M. V.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Accelerated corrosion testing of cold spray coatings on 304L in chloride environments

Cold spray is an advanced metal manufacturing technique applied across many fields for a wide range of functions. Low heat input and compressive stresses induced into the substrate by the cold spray process makes it a promising choice for protective corrosion resistant coatings. One potential application for cold spray is as a protective coating against corrosion for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) interim dry storage canisters. As these canisters are currently stored at interim storage locations longer than originally intended, chloride induced stress corrosion cracking has been identified as a high priority knowledge gap, specifically with respect to prolonging or extending canister lifetimes ( Teague et al., 2019 ). The high deployability of cold spray, for which nozzles have been developed for application in constrained spaces, in conjunction with beneficial properties inherent to cold spray makes this a good candidate for a corrosion protection coating on SNF canisters. This work explores a pathway to rapidly down-select cold spray coatings for canisters by focusing on the corrosion properties. Specifically, this study examines the corrosion protection abilities of nickel and nickel-based alloy cold spray coatings on 304 L stainless steel in chloride rich environments through electrochemical scans and ferric chloride pitting tests (ASTM G48 Method A). It was shown that the porosity of the coating, the processing gas, material selection, and deformation in the substrate all impact the corrosion behavior of cold spray coatings and are areas where optimization could reduce potential materials degradation, enabling enhanced coatings development.

Karasz, Erin K.↗
NASA NTRS1974

The effects of bed rest on crew performance during simulated shuttle reentry. Volume 1: Study overview and physiological results

A centrifuge study was carried out to measure physiological stress and control task performance during simulated space shuttle orbiter reentry. Jet pilots were tested with, and without, anti-g-suit protection. The pilots were exposed to simulated space shuttle reentry acceleration profiles before, and after, ten days of complete bed rest, which produced physiological deconditioning similar to that resulting from prolonged exposure to orbital zero g. Pilot performance in selected control tasks was determined during simulated reentry, and before and after each simulation. Physiological stress during reentry was determined by monitoring heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration rate. Study results indicate: (1) heart rate increased during the simulated reentry when no g protection was given, and remained at or below pre-bed rest values when g-suits were used; (2) pilots preferred the use of g-suits to muscular contraction for control of vision tunneling and grayout during reentry; (3) prolonged bed rest did not alter blood pressure or respiration rate during reentry, but the peak reentry acceleration level did; and (4) pilot performance was not affected by prolonged bed rest or simulated reentry.

Chambers, A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Reliability improvement of wire bonds subjected to fatigue stresses.

The failure of wire bonds due to repeated flexure when semiconductor devices are operated in an on-off mode has been investigated. An accelerated fatigue testing apparatus was constructed and the major fatigue variables, aluminum alloy composition, and bonding mechanism, were tested. The data showed Al-1% Mg wires to exhibit superior fatigue characteristics compared to Al-1% Cu or Al-1% Si and ultrasonic bonding to be better than thermocompression bonding for fatigue resistance. Based on these results highly reliable devices were fabricated using Al-1% Mg wire with ultrasonic bonding which withstood 120,000 power cycles with no failures.

Ravi, K. V.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Piezoelectric Bolt Breakers and Bolt Fatigue Testers

A proposed family of devices for inducing fatigue in bolts in order to break the bolts would incorporate piezoelectric actuators into resonant fixtures as in ultrasonic/ sonic drills/corers and similar devices described in numerous prior NASA Tech Briefs articles. These devices were originally intended primarily for use as safer, more-reliable, more-versatile alternatives to explosive bolts heretofore used to fasten spacecraft structures that must subsequently be separated from each other quickly on command during flight. On Earth, these devices could be used for accelerated fatigue testing of bolts. Fatigue theory suggests that a bolt subjected to both a constant-amplitude dynamic (that is, oscillatory) stress and a static tensile stress below the ultimate strength of the bolt material will fail faster than will a bolt subjected to only the dynamic stress. This suggestion would be applied in a device of the proposed type. The device would be designed so that the device and the bolt to be fatigue-tested or broken would be integral parts of an assembly (see figure). The static tension in the tightened bolt would apply not only the clamping force to hold the joined structures (if any) together but also the compression necessary for proper operation of the piezoelectric actuators as parts of a resonant structural assembly. The constant-amplitude dynamic stress would be applied to the bolt by driving the piezoelectric actuators with a sinusoidal voltage at the resonance frequency of longitudinal vibration of the assembly. The amplitude of the excitation would be made large enough so that the vibration would induce fatigue in the bolt within an acceptably short time. In the spacecraft applications or in similar terrestrial structural-separation applications, devices of the proposed type would offer several advantages over explosive bolts: Unlike explosive bolts, the proposed devices would be reusable, could be tested before final use, and would not be subject to catastrophic misfire. In fatigue-testing applications, devices of the proposed type would offer advantages of compactness and low cost, relative to conventional fatigue- testing apparatuses. In both structural- separation and fatigue-testing applications, bolts to be broken or tested could be instrumented with additional ultrasonic transducers for monitoring of pertinent physical properties and of fatigue failure processes.

Sherrit, Stewart↗