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At least 343 records · Page 19

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DOE OSTI2016

DRAPING SIMULATION OF WOVEN FABRICS

Woven fabric composites are extensively used in molding complex geometrical shapes due to their high conformability compared to other fabrics. Preforming is an important step in the overall process, where the two-dimensional fabric is draped to become the three-dimensional shape of the part prior to resin injection. During preforming, the orientation of the yarns may change significantly compared to the initial orientations. Accurate prediction of the yarn orientations after molding is important for evaluating the structural performance of the final part. This paper presents a systematic investigation of the angle changes during the preform operation for carbon fiber twill and satin weave fabrics. Preforming experiments were conducted using a truncated pyramid mold geometry designed and fabricated at the General Motors Research Laboratories. Predicted results for the yarn orientations were compared with experimental results and good agreement was observed

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2018

Digital electron amplifier with anode readout devices and methods of fabrication

Scalable electron amplifier devices and methods of fabricating the devices an atomic layer deposition ("ALD") fabrication process are described. The ALD fabrication process allows for large area (e.g., eight inches by eight inches) electron amplifier devices to be produced at reduced costs compared to current fabrication processes. The ALD fabrication process allows for nanostructure functional coatings, to impart a desired electrical conductivity and electron emissivity onto low cost borosilicate glass micro-capillary arrays to form the electron amplifier devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Digital electron amplifier with anode readout devices and methods of fabrication

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2019

Practical Challenges and Failure Modes During Fabrication of Haynes 230 Micro-Pin Solar Receivers for High Temperature Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Operation

Printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHX) fabricated from high nickel alloys have shown promise as primary heat exchangers, recuperators, and solar receivers for high temperature and pressure supercritical carbon dioxide power cycles. There are numerous challenges in fabricating these devices including forming channel features, joining via diffusion or transient liquid phase bonding, and brazing/welding of headers. Commercial entities are understandably hesitant to share propriety best practices, and both commercial and non-commercial entities working on these components tend not to publically share failures and mistakes. However, sharing of this information could prevent similar costly errors and further the understanding of the coupled manufacturing, materials and mechanics issues in creating these components. Thus, in this paper, we document the challenges, failures, and mitigation methods uncovered in fabrication of prototype micro-pin based solar thermal receivers constructed of Haynes 230 and fabricated through a combination of photochemical machining (PCM), wire electrical discharge machining (EDM), transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding, vacuum brazing, and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). The receiver is designed to absorb concentrated solar fluxes greater than 140 W cm-2, while heating supercritical carbon dioxide from 550 °C to 720 °C at a pressure of 20 MPa to 25 MPa. The prototype receiver consists of a thin (~ 450 µm), Haynes 230 coversheet bonded to a 15 cm × 15 cm Haynes 230 micro-pin plate. The pieces are joined using a TLP bonding process with a nickel-phosphorus interlayer. Prior to bonding, micro-pins with height ~150 µm and diameter 300 µm are fabricated using PCM in the plate, and through slot features are made using wire EDM. Finally, flow headers are joined to the microchannel plate through a combination of vacuum brazing and GTAW. During hydrostatic proof testing, the prototype device failed when the coversheet delaminated from the pin array at a pressure of 290 bar. A failure analysis including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to view failure sites and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to evaluate elemental analysis of the failed areas was conducted. The failure modes can be broadly categorized as (1) failures potentially relating to reliquification of the transient liquid phase bonds between the micro-pins plate and coversheet during post-processing, (2) failures related to manufacturing defects, and (3) failures attributed to design.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Y-12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX LEU-MO FEEDSTOCK FABRICATION UPDATE

The Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) participates in the fuel fabrication pillar of lhe National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA's) Office of Material Minimization and Management (M3) Office of Conversion Pillar. Y-12's primary responsibility is to establish a reliable fabrication process of low-enriched uranium-molybdenum (LEU-Mo) feedstock tor United States High Performance Research Reactors (US HPRRs). This update compares US HPRR LEU-Mo feedstock fabrication ettorts over the past several casting campaigns at Y-12 which vary in process methodologies and fabrication parameters. With recent changes to the latest feedstock casting campaign, Process Design Standard-2 (PD-STD-2). Y-12 has seen a significant decrease in isotopic uranium variability of the fuel feedstock fabricated.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Fabrication of advanced accident tolerant U-Si fuel forms

Prospective advanced accident tolerant UN-USi fuel forms for light-water reactors are being studied at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In this paper we present a recent effort to fabricate and characterize U{sub 3}Si{sub 5} and UN-U{sub 3}Si{sub 5} fuel. The U{sub 3}Si{sub 5} is prepared by arc-melting stoichiometric amounts of uranium and silicon metals. The arc melting process consists of cutting U metal plate into small pieces that can be placed in a tri-arc furnace for melting. The material is slowly heated until a uniform melt of the U and Si is achieved. The fabrication of the U{sub 3}Si{sub 5} pellets followed a conventional cold-press and sinter process. As for the fabrication of UN-U{sub 3}Si{sub 5}, the uranium nitride (UN) feedstock powder was synthesized using carbothermic reduction nitridation. The UN is milled and sieved to sub-74 μm. The UN was mixed with EBS (ethylene bis-stearamide) and milled for 45 minutes. The UN-EBS was combined with 10 wt.% U{sub 3}Si{sub 5} powder (equivalent to 15 vol.% in UN) and additional EBS. The fabrication of the UN-U{sub 3}Si{sub 5} pellets followed a conventional cold-press and sinter process similar to that used to fabricate the U{sub 3}Si{sub 5} pellets. A sample UN-U{sub 3}Si{sub 5} pellet was cross-sectioned, ground, and polished for optical microscopy. The UN and U{sub 3}Si{sub 5} phases are apparent as well as pores and micro-cracks. The affect of micro-cracking on fuel performance is unknown and should be assessed during post-irradiation examination.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2018

DIY 3D Microparticle Generation from Next Generation Optofluidic Fabrication

Abstract Complex‐shaped microparticles can enhance applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and structural materials, although techniques to fabricate these particles remain limited. A microfluidics‐based process called optofluidic fabrication that utilizes inertial flows and ultraviolet polymerization has shown great potential for creating highly 3D‐shaped particles in a high‐throughput manner, but the particle dimensions are mainly at the millimeter scale. Here, a next generation optofluidic fabrication process is presented that utilizes on‐the‐fly fabricated multiscale fluidic channels producing customized sub‐100 µm 3D‐shaped microparticles. This flexible design scheme offers a user‐friendly platform for rapid prototyping of new 3D particle shapes, providing greater potential for creating impactful engineered microparticles.

3D microparticles↗

DOE OSTI2017

Fabrication of Copper-Rich Cu-Al Alloy Using the Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing Process

An innovative wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process is used to fabricate Cu-9 at. pct Al on pure copper plates in situ, through separate feeding of pure Cu and Al wires into a molten pool, which is generated by the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. After overcoming several processing problems, such as opening the deposition molten pool on the extremely high-thermal conductive copper plate and conducting the Al wire into the molten pool with low feed speed, the copper-rich Cu-Al alloy was successfully produced with constant predesigned Al content above the dilution-affected area. Also, in order to homogenize the as-fabricated material and improve the mechanical properties, two further homogenization heat treatments at 1073 K (800 °C) and 1173 K (900 °C) were applied. The material and mechanical properties of as-fabricated and heat-treated samples were compared and analyzed in detail. With increased annealing temperatures, the content of precipitate phases decreased and the samples showed gradual improvements in both strength and ductility with little variation in microstructures. The present research opened a gate for in-situ fabrication of Cu-Al alloy with target chemical composition and full density using the additive manufacturing process.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2019

Fabrication and Characterization of Core–Shell Density-Graded 316L Stainless Steel Porous Structure

In the present work, cylindrical shape 316 L cellular structure with different densities in its core and outer layer (shell) is fabricated by using carbamide as a space holder, via powder metallurgy route and layer-by-layer technique. The arrangement of the created pore is the same as face-centered cubic atomic structure, and different densities are created in two regions by using carbamide particles having two different sizes in the range of 1.7-2 and 2-2.4 mm. The effect of creating a structure with higher porosity (64.5%) in the core and lower porosity (53.8%) in the shell and vice versa and also change in the ratio of the core to the cylinder cross-sectional areas, on the mechanical properties and compaction load bearing of the fabricated foam samples were investigated. In leaching process of the carbamide particles, as an important step of porous structure’s fabrication, it is shown that discontinuous leaching process is more favorable than continuous, by which it would be possible to remove more carbamide particles (around 20%) at the same time. Furthermore, the deformation of the density-graded foam shows the parallel mechanism in the core and shell sections, and the contribution of each part depends on its density and thickness. The energy absorption behavior of the fabricated specimens is evaluated optimally in terms of the energy absorption value associated with the ideal adsorption behavior. The maximum ideal energy absorption efficiency for the samples with more porosity in the shell was approximately equal to 0.91, while for the sample includes the lower amount of porosity in the shell, this value was in the range of 0.85 and 0.89.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Field validation of isotropic analytical models for simulating fabric shades

Fabric roller shades are common shading materials used in commercial and residential buildings. Accurately characterizing and modeling shades helps practitioners select the appropriate product and its control strategy based on climate and occupants' priorities, such as visual comfort and view to outdoors. Previous studies established a generalized method for modeling complex fenestration systems using data-driven tabulated bidirectional scattering distribution functions. However, deploying such a method at scale to all fabric shading products on the market is too costly and time-consuming. Analytical models that are based on a limited set of measurements (e.g., normal-normal and normal-hemispherical visible transmittance and reflectance, and directional cut-off angles) can be used to model the wide variety of shading products on the market. This study evaluates the performance of two isotropic analytical models, Roos-Wienold and Modified-Kotey, for modeling fabric roller shades, with a focus on the model's ability to predict occupant visual comfort. The performance evaluation was conducted through laboratory and field measurements and simulations. The results showed that both models are sufficient for predicting vertical illuminance at seated eye-level. Roos-Wienold model was able to predict binary visual comfort classification (glare/no-glare) under a wide range of luminance conditions, while Modified-Kotey model did not perform as well under high-contrast low-adaptation conditions. Both models are insufficient in predicting visual comfort at a four-point scale (e.g., imperceptible, perceptible, disturbing, intolerable). The two isotropic models become less accurate when the fabric exhibits high anisotropy.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2014

Fabrication and characterization of n-ZnO:Eu/p-ZnO:(Ag, N) homojunction by spray pyrolysis

Graphical abstract: In this paper authors report the fabrication of ZnO homojunction by the deposition of 2 at.% Eu doped ZnO (n-ZnO:Eu) layer grown over the 4 at.% Ag–N dual acceptor doped ZnO (p-ZnO:(Ag, N)) layer by spray pyrolysis technique. The as-grown n-type and p-type ZnO films on glass substrates have been characterized by Hall measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), UV–vis and luminescence spectroscopy techniques. Hall measurement shows that 4 at.% ZnO:(Ag, N) film exhibits p-type conductivity with high hole concentration of 2.17 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup −3} and n-type conductivity is observed in the ZnO:Eu film. The current–voltage characteristics measured from the two-layer structure show typical rectifying characteristics of p–n homojunction with a low turn on voltage of about 1.85 V. I–V characteristics of the n-ZnO:Eu/p-ZnO:(Ag, N) homojunction. - Highlights: • The n-ZnO:Eu/p-ZnO:(Ag, N) homojunction is fabricated and characterized. • Low resistive and stable p-type ZnO films are achieved by dual acceptor-doping. • Homojunction with best dual-doped ZnO film shows good rectifying characteristics. • The fabricated ZnO homojunction is suitable for optoelectronic devices. - Abstract: In the present study, the authors report the fabrication of ZnO homojunction by the deposition of 2 at.% Eu doped ZnO (n-ZnO:Eu) layer grown over the 4 at.% Ag–N dual acceptor doped ZnO (p-ZnO:(Ag, N)) layer by spray pyrolysis technique. The as-grown n-type and p-type ZnO films on glass substrates have been characterized by Hall measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), UV–vis and luminescence spectroscopy techniques. Hall measurement shows that 4 at.% ZnO:(Ag, N) film exhibits p-type conductivity with high hole concentration of 2.17 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup −3} and n-type conductivity is observed in the ZnO:Eu film. The current–voltage characteristics measured from the two-layer structure show typical rectifying characteristics of p–n homojunction with a low turn on voltage of about 1.85 V.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2017

Fabrication of magnetic core PEI-silica shell particles

Highlights: • PEI-silica shell fabrication was developed for iron-carbonyl core material. • Magnetic separation of core-free by-product of the fabrication proved successful. • Varying fabrication method/concentration successfully tuned shell characteristics. • Sonication methods produced smooth coatings with a trend towards multicore particles. • Raspberry-like coatings were made by the slow addition, one- and two-pot methods. - Abstract: Magnetic core-silica shell particles combine the physico-chemical properties of the silica shell with the magnetic properties of the core. Seven possible particle coating methods utilizing the biomimetic polyamine polyethyleneimine (PEI) as the silication catalyst, have been identified and the objective of this study was to link the properties of the final PEI-silica coating with the methodology. The PEI-silica coated carbonyl iron particles were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy. Varying the fabrication method and silane concentration successfully tuned the shell characteristics. Methods using sonication produced smooth more evenly distributed coatings with a tendency towards multicore particles. In contrast, raspberry-like coatings were produced via the slow addition, one- and two-pot methods. The magnetic separation process after synthesis achieved a degree of purification that makes these core–shell particles useful for potential applications that require specific surface interactions and the ease of magnetic separation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2016

Manipulating mammalian cell by phase transformed titanium surface fabricated through ultra-short pulsed laser synthesis

Developing cell sensitive indicators on interacting substrates that allows specific cell manipulation by a combination of physical, chemical or mechanical cues is a challenge for current biomaterials. Hence, various fabrication approaches have been created on a variety of substrates to mimic or create cell specific cues. However, to achieve cell specific cues a multistep process or a post-chemical treatment is often necessitated. So, a simple approach without any chemical or biological treatment would go a long way in developing bio-functionalized substrates to effectively modulate cell adhesion and interaction. The present investigation is aimed to study the manipulative activity induced by phase transformed titanium surface. An ultra-short laser is used to fabricate the phase transformed titanium surface where a polymorphic titanium oxide phases with titanium monoxide (TiO), tri-titanium oxide (Ti{sub 3}O) and titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) have been synthesized on commercially pure titanium. Control over oxide phase transformed area was demonstrated via a combination of laser scanning time (laser pulse interaction time) and laser pulse widths (laser pulse to pulse separation time). The interaction of phase transformed titanium surface with NIH3T3 fibroblasts and MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells developed a new bio-functionalized platforms on titanium based biomaterials to modulate cell migration and adhesion. The synthesized phase transformed titanium surface on the whole appeared to induce directional cues for cell migration with unique preferential cell adhesion unseen by other fabrication approaches. The precise bio-functionalization controllability exhibited during fabrication offers perceptible edge for developing a variety of smart bio-medical devices, implants and cardiovascular stents where the need in supressing specific cell adhesion and proliferation is of great demand. - Highlights: • Generation of titanium oxide phase transformed surface by ultra-short pulsed laser synthesis is presented here. • Laser pulse to pulse separation time variation results in polymorphic titanium oxide phases. • The approach enables site specific mammalian cell adhesion and migration. • This method paves way for developing smart titanium based biomedical devices such as implants and biosensors.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Carbon nanotubes reinforced copper composite with uniform CNT distribution and high yield of fabrication

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in metal matrix composites has been an unsolved issue since the discovery of CNTs. This paper presents a newly developed fabrication process of bulk Cu/CNT composite with uniformly distributed CNTs. That is, copper encapsulated CNTs powders were firstly fabricated by an electrochemical deposition where CNTs can be completely dispersed in the copper electrolyte assisted by sonication, and then the fabricated composite powders were used to make bulk Cu/CNT composite by a powder metallurgy process. The increment in microhardness of Cu/CNT composite after compaction and sintering was observed to be ~47.6% per 1% CNTs. The developed fabrication process of Cu/CNT composite powders by electrochemical co-deposition can be scaled up to meet specific application needs, and a similar process is expected to be applicable for other metals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2014

An automated pipette puller for fabrication of glass micropipettes

Glass micropipettes are versatile probing tools for performing micro- and nano-manipulation tasks. This paper presents the design and development of an automated pipette puller system for fabrication of glass micropipettes. The pipette puller employs a new strategy for fabrication of micropipettes that enables achieving independent control of their taper, tip diameter, and bend-angle, and also facilitates theoretical derivation of simple, approximate relationships between the pipette shape and the pulling parameters. Subsequently, the design and fabrication of the pipette puller is described, which include that of the pipette heating system, the mechanical motion stages, and the control electronics of the pipette puller. The fabricated pipette puller is experimentally evaluated to demonstrate control of the taper, tip diameter, and the bend-angle of the micropipette. Further, the dependence of the taper and tip diameter on the pulling parameters is evaluated and is shown to be in alignment with the proposed theoretical relationships.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2014

Fabrication of AlN/BN bishell hollow nanofibers by electrospinning and atomic layer deposition

Aluminum nitride (AlN)/boron nitride (BN) bishell hollow nanofibers (HNFs) have been fabricated by successive atomic layer deposition (ALD) of AlN and sequential chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of BN on electrospun polymeric nanofibrous template. A four-step fabrication process was utilized: (i) fabrication of polymeric (nylon 6,6) nanofibers via electrospinning, (ii) hollow cathode plasma-assisted ALD of AlN at 100 °C onto electrospun polymeric nanofibers, (iii) calcination at 500 °C for 2 h in order to remove the polymeric template, and (iv) sequential CVD growth of BN at 450 °C. AlN/BN HNFs have been characterized for their chemical composition, surface morphology, crystal structure, and internal nanostructure using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. Measurements confirmed the presence of crystalline hexagonal BN and AlN within the three dimensional (3D) network of bishell HNFs with relatively low impurity content. In contrast to the smooth surface of the inner AlN layer, outer BN coating showed a highly rough 3D morphology in the form of BN nano-needle crystallites. It is shown that the combination of electrospinning and plasma-assisted low-temperature ALD/CVD can produce highly controlled multi-layered bishell nitride ceramic hollow nanostructures. While electrospinning enables easy fabrication of nanofibrous template, self-limiting reactions of plasma-assisted ALD and sequential CVD provide control over the wall thicknesses of AlN and BN layers with sub-nanometer accuracy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2016

Fabrication of organic-inorganic perovskite thin films for planar solar cells via pulsed laser deposition

We report on fabrication of organic-inorganic perovskite thin films using a hybrid method consisting of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of lead iodide and spin-coating of methylammonium iodide. Smooth and highly crystalline CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} thin films have been fabricated on silicon and glass coated substrates with fluorine doped tin oxide using this PLD-based hybrid method. Planar perovskite solar cells with an inverted structure have been successfully fabricated using the perovskite films. Because of its versatility, the PLD-based hybrid fabrication method not only provides an easy and precise control of the thickness of the perovskite thin films, but also offers a straightforward platform for studying the potential feasibility in using other metal halides and organic salts for formation of the organic-inorganic perovskite structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2016

Fabrication of FeSi and Fe{sub 3}Si compounds by electron beam induced mixing of [Fe/Si]{sub 2} and [Fe{sub 3}/Si]{sub 2} multilayers grown by focused electron beam induced deposition

Fe-Si binary compounds have been fabricated by focused electron beam induced deposition by the alternating use of iron pentacarbonyl, Fe(CO){sub 5}, and neopentasilane, Si{sub 5}H{sub 12} as precursor gases. The fabrication procedure consisted in preparing multilayer structures which were treated by low-energy electron irradiation and annealing to induce atomic species intermixing. In this way, we are able to fabricate FeSi and Fe{sub 3}Si binary compounds from [Fe/Si]{sub 2} and [Fe{sub 3}/Si]{sub 2} multilayers, as shown by transmission electron microscopy investigations. This fabrication procedure is useful to obtain nanostructured binary alloys from precursors which compete for adsorption sites during growth and, therefore, cannot be used simultaneously.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗