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At least 37 records · Page 2

Measuring the Wear and Abrasive Resistance of Air Plasma Sprayed Aluminum Oxide for Lunar Exploration

Lunar regolith, especially finer dust particles traveling at high velocities, can cause significant wear and abrasive damage to structural components that ensure a prolongated presence on the surface of the Moon. With the absence of an atmosphere and lower gravity than on Earth, regolith particles maintain high velocities at large distances from where they were generated, for example next to lunar landers. Wear-resistant ceramic and ceramic composite materials can improve the durability of spacecraft components during long missions on the Moon’s surface. Aluminum oxide coatings are lightweight, have multifunctional properties, and have high strength including high hardness and wear resistance. These properties can help improve the durability of structures used in space exploration. Air plasma sprayed (APS) aluminum oxide coatings have demonstrated the potential to protect critical structures. This study investigated the abrasive wear resistance of APS aluminum oxide coatings via Taber abrasion experiments. Taber abrasion offers the advantage of quantifying the abrasive wear behavior of particles with different shapes on a surface. In this work, an abrasive wheel made of silicon carbide was utilized to evaluate wear properties of specimens progressively over 5000 cycles. This experiment focused on testing two series of specimens to determine whether a bond coat composed of nickel, chromium, aluminum, and yttrium (NiCrAlY) improved the protective behavior of the APS aluminum oxide coating. The specimens varied in topcoat thickness and were made with and without an approximately 100 µm bond coat layer. The mass of the specimens was measured at 400 cycles, 800 cycles, 3800 cycles, and 5000 cycles. Increasing thickness was found to result in higher wear for samples with and without a bond coat. Increased mass loss in samples with a bond coat was observed indicating a need for further studies on the overall impact of the use of a bond coat on the protective behavior of the coatings. To continue designing wear resistant coatings for structural protection in space missions, the multifunctional properties of the APS aluminum oxide coating will be studied. Future experiments will determine whether the APS aluminum oxide coating can protect the structures from other aspects of the harsh space environment, such as extreme temperature variations and ionizing radiation.

aluminum oxide↗

Micro-Abrasion Wear Resistance of Borided 316L Stainless Steel and AISI 1018 Steel

The 316L stainless steel has high corrosion resistance but low tribological performance. In different industrial sectors (biomedical, chemical, petrochemical, and nuclear engineering), improvement upon wear resistance of 316L stainless steel components using accessible and inexpensive methods is critical. The AISI 1018 steel is widely used in industry, but its tribological performance is not the best among steels. Therefore, in this study the behavior of the borided 316L stainless steel and 1018 steel is evaluated under micro-abrasion wear. The boriding was carried out at 1223 K over 6 h of exposure time, resulting in a biphase layer composed of FeB/Fe{sub 2}B phases. In order to evaluate Fe{sub 2}B phase with no influence from FeB phase, AISI 1018 steel samples were borided at 1273 K for over 20 min and then diffusion annealed at 1273 K over 2 h to obtain a Fe{sub 2}B mono-phase layer. Micro-abrasion wear resistance was evaluated by a commercial micro-abrasion testing rig using a mix of F-1200 SiC particles with deionized water as abrasive slurry. The obtained wear rates for FeB and Fe{sub 2}B phases and for the 316L stainless steel were compared. Wear resistance of 316L stainless steel increases after boriding. The wear mechanisms for both phases and for the stainless steel were identified. Also, transient conditions for rolling and grooving abrasion were determined for the FeB and Fe{sub 2}B phases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Solid Lubrication Fundamentals and Applications: Abrasion: Plowing and Cutting - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 discusses abrasion, a common wear phenomenon of great economic importance. It has been estimated that 50% of the wear encountered in industry is due to abrasion. Also, it is the mechanism involved in the finishing of many surfaces. Experiments are described to help in understanding the complex abrasion process and in predicting friction and wear behavior in plowing and/or cutting. These experimental modelings and measurements used a single spherical pin (asperity) and a single wedge pin (asperity). Other two-body and three-body abrasion studies used hard abrasive particles.

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗

Rock Abrasion and Ventifact Formation on Mars from Field Analog, Theoretical, and Experimental Studies

Rocks observed by the Viking Landers and Pathfinder Lander/Sojourner rover exhibit a suite of perplexing rock textures. Among these are pits, spongy textures, penetrative flutes, lineaments, crusts, and knobs Fluvial, impact, chemical alteration, and aeolian mechanisms have been proposed for many of these. In an effort to better understand the origin and characteristics of Martian rock textures, abraded rocks in the Mojave Desert and other regions have been studied. We find that most Martian rock textures, as opposed to just a few, bear close resemblance to terrestrial aeolian textures and can most easily be explained by wind, not other, processes. Flutes, grooves, and some pits on Mars are consistent with abrasion by saltating particles, as described previously. However, many other rock textures probably also have an aeolian origin. Sills at the base of rocks that generally lie at high elevations, such as Half Dome, are consistent with such features on Earth that are related to moats or soil ramps that shield the basal part of the rock from erosion. Crusts consisting of fluted fabrics, such as those on Stimpy and Chimp, are similar to fluted crusts on Earth that spall off over time. Knobby and lineated rocks are similar to terrestrial examples of heterogeneous rocks that differentially erode. The location of specific rock textures on Mars also gives insight into their origin. Many of the most diagnostic ventifacts found at the Pathfinder site are located on rocks that lie near the crests or the upper slopes of ridges. On Earth, the most active ventifact formation occurs on sloped or elevated topography, where windflow is accelerated and particle kinetic energy and flux are increased. Integrated 0 together, these observations point to significant aeolian 0 modification of rocks on Mars and cast doubt on whether many primary textures resulting from other processes are preserved. Experimental simulations of abrasion in the presence of abundant sand indicate that rocks on Mars should erode at a rate of 7.7 to 210 micrometers/yr. These rates cannot have operated over the entire history of the Pathfinder site or elsewhere on Mars, because craters, knobs, and other obstacles would be quickly worn away. More likely, rock abrasion occurs over short time periods when sand supplies are sufficient and saltation friction speeds are frequently reached. Depletion or exhaustion of sand and a decline in wind fluxes at speeds greater than that of saltation friction will then act to reduce the rate of further abrasion. We are currently engaged in a new set of wind tunnel experiments coupled with theoretical models and field studies that address rock abrasion and ventifact formation on Mars and Earth. These studies have implications for the Noachian, when sand supplies were probably more plentiful and the threshold friction speed was possibly lower because of a more dense atmosphere. Under these conditions, erosion rates from the wind could have been much greater than to day, contributing, along with probable fluvial erosion, to the Noachian landscape that is in limited preservation today.

Bridges, N. T.↗

Electron Microscopy Abrasion Analysis of Candidate Fabrics for Planetary Space Suit Protective Overgarment Application

The Electron Microscopy Abrasion Analysis of Candidate Fabrics for Planetary Space Suit Protective Overgarment Application is in support of the Abrasion Resistance Materials Screening Test. The fundamental assumption made for the SEM abrasion analysis was that woven fabrics to be used as the outermost layer of the protective overgarment in the design of the future, planetary space suits perform best when new. It is the goal of this study to determine which of the candidate fabrics was abraded the least in the tumble test. The sample that was abraded the least will be identified at the end of the report as the primary candidate fabric for further investigation. In addition, this analysis will determine if the abrasion seen by the laboratory tumbled samples is representative of actual EVA Apollo abrasion.

Hennessy, Mary J.↗

Investigation of abrasion in Al–MgO metal matrix composites

In this study, the effects of reinforcement volume fractions on abrasive wear behavior were examined in Al–MgO reinforced metal matrix composites of 5%, 10% and 15% reinforcement – volume ratios produced by melt-stirring. Abrasive wear tests were carried out by 60, 80 and 100 mesh sized Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} abrasive papers and pin-on-disc wear test apparatus under 10, 20 and 30 N loads at 0.2 m/s sliding speed. The mechanical properties such as hardness and fracture strength were determined. Subsequent to the wear tests, the microstructures of worn surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscope analyses. While increased MgO reinforcement volume fraction in the composite resulted increased hardness, fracture strength was determined to decrease. Additionally, it was found that increased MgO reinforcement volume fraction in the composite was accompanied with increased wear loss and porosity as well as reinforcement – volume ratio was identified to be significant determinants of abrasive wear behavior.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Artificial linear brush abrasion of coatings for photovoltaic module first-surfaces

Natural soiling and the subsequent necessary cleaning of photovoltaic (PV) modules result in abrasion damage to the cover glass. The durability of the front glass has important economic consequences, including determining the use of anti-reflective and/or anti-soiling coatings as well as the method and frequency of operational maintenance (cleaning). Artificial linear brush abrasion using Nylon 6/12 bristles was therefore examined to explore the durability of representative PV first-surfaces, i.e., the surface of a module incident to direct solar radiation. Specimens examined include silane surface functionalized-, roughened (etched)-, porous silica-coated-, fluoropolymer-coated-, and ceramic (TiO 2 or ZrO 2 /SiO 2 /ZrO 2 /SiO 2 )-coated-glass, which are compared to monolithic-poly(methyl methacrylate) and -glass coupons. Characterization methods used in this study include: optical microscopy, ultraviolet–visible–near-infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) spectroscopy, sessile drop goniometry, white-light interferometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and depth-profiling X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The corresponding characteristics examined include: surface morphology, transmittance (i.e., optical performance), surface energy (water contact angle), surface roughness, scratch width and depth, and chemical composition, respectively. The study here was performed to determine coating failure modes; identify characterization methods that can detect nascent failures; compare the durability of popular contemporary coating materials; identify their corresponding damage characteristics; and compare slurry and dry-dust abrasion. This study will also aid in developing an abrasion standard for the PV industry.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

"Soiling, Cleaning, and Abrasion: The Results of the Five-Year Photovoltaic Glass Coating Field Study" [Slides]

External contamination ("soiling") of the incident surface is a major limiting factor for solar technologies. A 5-year field glass coupon study was conducted to better understand external contamination and its effects; compare cleaning methods and the use of preventative coatings; and explore the abrasion resulting from cleaning to advise on accelerated abrasion testing. Test sites included the cities of Dubai (UAE), Kuwait City (Kuwait), Mesa (AZ), Mumbai (India), and Sacramento (CA). Through the 5-year cumulative study, dry brush, water spray, and wet sponge and squeegee cleaning methods were compared to no cleaning. Optical microscopy was used to obtain images, including representative color images, grayscale images for object analysis, and oblique images for coating integrity assessment. A thresholding protocol was developed to analyze and distinguish specimens using the ImageJ software. Optical performance was quantified using a spectrophotometer, including comprehensive optical characterization (transmittance, reflectance, and absorptance in addition to forward- and back-scattering). Atomic force microscopy was used to verify the abrasion damage morphology, including the width and depth of surface scratches. Analysis of the results included correlation of optical performance and particle area coverage, rank order (by coating or location), and the acceleration factor for abrasion damage. The efficacy of external cleaning was more readily distinguished from the effectiveness of antisoiling coatings. The acceleration factor for dry brush cleaning of a porous silica coating was found to be on the order of unity.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Finishing with Free and Bound Abrasive

Abrasive finishing of a single crystal by means of free and bound abrasive is compared in conditions with forced and free workpiece rotation. Experimental data show that the influence of forced and free workpiece rotation is different for finishing by means of free and bound abrasive. In machining by bound abrasive with forced rotation, the cutting rate and productivity are 25% higher, on average, than with free rotation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Artificial Linear Brush Abrasion of Coatings for Photovoltaic Module First Surfaces

Natural soiling and the subsequent requisite cleaning of photovoltaic (PV) modules result in abrasion damage to the cover glass. The durability of the front glass has important economic consequences, including determining the use of anti-reflective and/or anti-soiling coatings as well as the method and frequency of operational maintenance (cleaning). Artificial linear brush abrasion using Nylon 6/12 bristles was therefore examined to explore the durability of representative PV first-surfaces, i.e., the surface of a module incident to direct solar radiation. Specimens examined include silane surface functionalized-, roughened (etched)-, porous silica-coated-, fluoropolymer-coated-, and ceramic (TiO2 or ZrO2/SiO2/ZrO2/SiO2)-coated-glass, which are compared to monolithic-poly(methyl methacrylate) and -glass coupons. Characterization methods used in this study include: optical microscopy, ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) spectroscopy, sessile drop goniometry, white-light interferometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and depth-profiling X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The corresponding characteristics examined include: surface morphology, transmittance (i.e., optical performance), surface energy (water contact angle), surface roughness, scratch width and depth, and chemical composition, respectively. The study here was performed to determine coating failure modes; identify characterization methods that can detect nascent failures; compare the durability of popular contemporary coating materials; identify their corresponding damage characteristics; and compare slurry and dry-dust abrasion. This study will also aid in developing an abrasion standard for the PV industry.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

Review of Artificial Abrasion Test Methods for PV Module Technology

This review is intended to identify the method or methods--and the basic details of those methods--that might be used to develop an artificial abrasion test. Methods used in the PV literature were compared with their closest implementation in existing standards. Also, meetings of the International PV Quality Assurance Task Force Task Group 12-3 (TG12-3, which is concerned with coated glass) were used to identify established test methods. Feedback from the group, which included many of the authors from the PV literature, included insights not explored within the literature itself. The combined experience and examples from the literature are intended to provide an assessment of the present industry practices and an informed path forward. Recommendations toward artificial abrasion test methods are then identified based on the experiences in the literature and feedback from the PV community. The review here is strictly focused on abrasion. Assessment methods, including optical performance (e.g., transmittance or reflectance), surface energy, and verification of chemical composition were not examined. Methods of artificially soiling PV modules or other specimens were not examined. The weathering of artificial or naturally soiled specimens (which may ultimately include combined temperature and humidity, thermal cycling and ultraviolet light) were also not examined. A sense of the purpose or application of an abrasion test method within the PV industry should, however, be evident from the literature.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Abrasion-resistant antireflective coating for polycarbonate

Following plasma-polymerization technique, treatment in oxygen glow discharge further enhances abrasion resistance and transmission. Improvement in abrasion resistance was shown by measuring percentage of haze resulting from abrasion. Coating samples were analyzed for abrasion using standard fresh rubber eraser. Other tests included spectra measurements and elemental analysis with spectrometers and spectrophotometers.

Wydeven, T. J.↗

Rate of wind abrasion on Mars

A brief description is given of the experiments performed to obtain data on windblown particles and abrasion of rocks in a simulated Martian environment. Preliminary results are presented and combined with Viking meteorological data in estimating rates of wind abrasion at the VL-1 site on Mars. Attention is also given to the implications that the results have for Martian surface history. Calculations of the present rates of abrasion by windblown particles on Mars yield values ranging from 0.021 cm/yr to nearly zero, depending on the target, the agent of abrasion, and the availability of windblown particles.

Greeley, R.↗

Abrasion cross sections for Ne-20 projectiles at 2.1 GeV/nucleon

Utilizing eikonal scattering theory, an optical model potential approximation to the exact nucleus-nucleus multiple scattering series is used in an abrasion-ablation collision formalism to predict abrasion cross sections for relativistic Ne-20 projectile nuclei. Excellent agreement with recent experimental abrasion results is obtained. The sensitivity of the abrasion predictions to Pauli exclusion principle correlation effects and to the assumed shape of the nuclear single-particle density distribution is also demonstrated.

Townsend, L. W.↗

Abrasive tip treatment for use on compressor blades

A co-spray process was used which simultaneously but separately introduces abrasive grits and metal matrix powder into the plasma stream and entraps the abrasive grits within a molten matrix to form an abrasive coating as the matrix material solidifies on test specimen surfaces. Spray trials were conducted to optimize spray parameter settings for the various matrix/grit combinations before actual spraying of the test specimens. Rub, erosion, and bond adhesion tests were conducted on the coated specimens in the as-sprayed condition as well as on coated specimens that were aged for 100 hours at a temperature of 866K (1100 F). Microscopic examinations were performed to determine the coating abrasive-particle content, the size and shape of the adhesive particles in the coating, and the extent of compositional or morphological changes resulting from the aging process. A nickel chromium/aluminum composite with No. 150 size (0.002 to 0.005 inch) silicon carbide grits was selected as the best matrix/abrasive combination of the candidates surveyed for coating compressor blade tips.

Pedersen, H. C.↗

Abrasion and deformed layer formation of manganese-zinc ferrite in sliding contact with lapping tapes

Wear experiments were conducted using replication electron microscopy and reflection electron diffraction to study abrasion and the deformed layers produced in single-crystal Mn-Zn ferrite simulated heads during contact with lapping tapes. The crystaline state of the head is changed drastically during the abrasion process. Crystalline states ranging from nearly amorphous to highly textured polycrystalline can be produced on the wear surface of a single-crystal Mn-Zn ferrite head. The total thickness of the deformed layer was approximately 0.8 microns. This thickness increased as the load and abrasive grit size increased. The anisotropic wear of the ferrite was found to be inversely proportional to the hardness of the wear surface. The wear was lower in the order 211 111 10 0110. The wear of the ferrite increased markedly with an increase in sliding velocity and abrasive grit size.

Miyoshi, K.↗

Studies of Rock Abrasion on Earth and Mars

Many field studies have been conducted that document the morphology of ventifacts and the directionality of their features relative to current and past wind regimes. Field plots and wind tunnel studies have identified heights and particle concentrations above the surface where maximum abrasion occurs. However, as of yet, the rates and detailed methods by which rocks abrade and evolve into ventifacts are poorly documented and understood. This abstract addresses this gap in knowledge by interpreting controlled laboratory and field analog studies. We begin with an overview of the methods by which the wind tunnel experiments and field studies were done, followed by how the resulting data were analyzed and interpreted. A presentation of the results comes next, after which the implications for rock abrasion and ventifact formation on Earth and Mars are discussed. We show that initial rock shape and texture play important roles in determining both rate and style of abrasion, with steep-sided, rough rocks eroding the fastest but with intermediate-angled faces exhibiting the greatest shape change. Most rocks tend to evolve toward an equilibrium shape whose form is poorly conducive to further abrasion. Most rocks on Mars and in terrestrial ventifact localities never reach this mature state, with erosion ceasing or slowing down due to exhaustion of the sand supply and other factors.

N T Bridges↗

Martian and Terrestrial Rock Abrasion from Wind Tunnel and Field Studies

Earth and Mars exhibit ventifacts, rocks that have been abraded by saltating sand. Previous theoretical and laboratory studies have determined abrasion susceptibilities of rocks as a function of sand type and impact angle and rock material strengths. For the last two years we have been engaged in wind tunnel and field studies to better understand the fundamental factors which control and influence rock abrasion and ventifact formation on Earth and Mars. In particular, we are examining: 1) What types of rocks (composition, texture, and shape) preferentially erode and what are the relative rates of one type vs. another? 2) What are the controlling factors of the aeolian sand cloud (flux, particle speed, surface roughness, etc) which favor rock abrasion?, 3) How do specific ventifact characteristics tie into their mode of formation and rock properties? We find several important factors: 1) Initial rock shape controls the rate of abrasion, with steeper faces abrading faster than shallower ones. The relationship is partly dependent on angle-dependent flux (proportional to sin[theta]) but exhibits additional non-linear effects from momentum transfer efficiency and rebound effects that vary with incidence angle. 2) Irregular targets with pits or grooves abrade at greater rates than targets with smooth surfaces, with indentations generally enlarging with time. Surfaces become rougher with time. 3) Targets also abrade via slope retreat, which is roughly dependent on the slope of the front face. The formation of basal sills is common, as observed on terrestrial and Martian ventifacts.

Bridges, N. T.↗