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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Experimental determination of the solubility of iridium in silicate melts: Preliminary results

Little is known of the geochemical behavior of iridium. Normally this element is taken to be chalcophile and/or siderophile so that during planetary differentiation processes, e.g., core formation, iridium is extracted from silicate phases into metallic phases. Experimental determination of the metal/silicate partition coefficient of iridium is difficult simply because it is so large. Also there are no data on the solubility behavior of iridium in silicate melts. With information on the solubility of iridium in silicate melts it is possible, in combination with experimental data for Fe-Ir alloys, to calculate the partition coefficient between a metallic phase and a silicate melt.

Borisov, Alexander↗
NASA NTRS1992

Mg-perovskite/silicate melt partition coefficients in the CMS system at 2430 C and 226 Kbars

The partitioning of elements among lower mantle phases and silicate melts is of interest in unraveling the early thermal history of the Earth. Because of the technical difficulty in carrying out such measurements, only one direct set of measurements has been reported, and these results as well as interpretations based on them have generated controversy. The first set of direct measurements on a synthetic system in the CaO-MgO-SiO2 (CMS) is reported. An experiment was conducted at Stony Brook, using the USSA-2000 split sphere anvil apparatus. An experiment in the CMS system doped with oxides of Al, Ti, Sc, and Sm and run at a nominal temperature of 2380 C and pressure of 226 kbars is reported. Nominal temperatures were measured with a W 3 percent Re/W 25 percent Re thermocouple. The hot spot temperature, where the liquidus is located, is estimated to be at 2430 C. A 10 mm MgO octahedron was used in concert with 4 mm truncation edge lengths on the WC cubes. The sample was contained in a Re capsule which was inserted into a LaCrO3 furnace. Pressure was calibrated at 2000 C. Run duration was approximately 3 minutes. The charge was mounted in epoxy and analyzed using a CAMECA SX-50 electron microprobe. Standard operating conditions were employed, although counting time for the less abundant elements was increased to improved counting statistics. The melt is unquenchable, and forms a dendritic intergrowth of quench crystals and residual melt. It was analyzed using a 30 micron raster. The structural identity of the Mg-perovskite phase was confirmed using x ray microdiffractometry. The results of the investigation are presented.

Mcfarlane, Elisabeth A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Melting of the Abrikosov flux lattice in anisotropic superconductors

It has been proposed that the Abrikosov flux lattice in high-Tc superconductors is melted over a significant fraction of the phase diagram. A thermodynamic argument is provided which establishes that the angular dependence of the melting temperature is controlled by the superconducting mass anisotropy. Using a low-frequency torsional-oscillator technique, this relationship has been tested in untwinned single-crystal YBa2Cu3O(7-delta). The results offer decisive support for the melting proposal.

Beck, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Pressure dependence of the melting temperature of solids - Rare-gas solids

A method presented by Schlosser et al. (1989) for analyzing the pressure dependence of experimental melting-temperature data is applied to rare-gas solids. The plots of the logarithm of the reduced melting temperature vs that of the reduced pressure are straight lines in the absence of phase transitions. The plots of the reduced melting temperatures for Ar, Kr, and Xe are shown to be approximately straight lines.

Schlosser, Herbert↗
NASA NTRS1992

The effect of oxygen fugacity on the solubility of carbon-oxygen fluids in basaltic melt

The solubility of CO2-CO fluids in a midocean ridge basalt have been measured at 1200 C, 500-1500 bar, and oxygen fugacities between NNO and NNO-4. In agreement with results of previous studies, the results reported here imply that, at least at low pressures, CO2 dissolves in basaltic melt only in the form of carbonate groups. The dissolution reaction is heterogeneous, with CO2 molecules in the fluid reacting directly with reactive oxygens in the melt to produce CO3(2-). CO, on the other hand, is insoluble, dissolving neither as carbon, molecular CO, nor CO3(2-). It is shown that, for a given pressure and temperature, the concentration of dissolved carbon-bearing species in basaltic melt in equilibrium with a carbon-oxygen fluid is proportional to the mole fraction of CO2 in the fluid, which is a function of fO2. At low pressures CO2 solubility is a linear function of CO2 fugacity at constant temperatures.

Pawley, Alison R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The parent magma of the nakhlite meteorites - Clues from melt inclusions

Several forms of trapped liquid found within nakhlite meteorites have been examined, including interstitial melt and magmatic inclusions within the cores of large olivine grains. Differences in the mineralogy and texture between two types of trapped melt inclusions, and between these inclusions and the mesostasis, indicate that vitrophyric inclusions are most appropriate for estimating the composition of a nakhlite parental magma in equilibrium with early-forming olivine and augite. Parent liquids were calculated from the mineralogy of large inclusions in Nakhla and Governador Valadares, using a system of mass-balance equations solved by linear regression methods. The chosen parental liquids were cosaturated in olivine and augite and had Mg/Fe values consistent with measured augite/liquid Kds. These parental magma compositions are similar to other published compositions for Nakhla, Chassigny, and Shergotty parental melts, and may correspond to a significant magma type on Mars.

Harvey, Ralph P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Coeval Ar-40/Ar-39 ages of 65.0 million years ago from Chicxulub crater melt rock and Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary tektites

Ar-40/Ar-39 dating of drill-core samples of a glassy melt rock recovered from beneath a massive impact breccia contained with the 180-kilometer subsurface Chicxulub crater yields well-behaved incremental heating spectra with a mean plateau age of 64.98 +/- 0.05 million years ago (Ma). The glassy melt rock of andesitic composition was obtained from core 9 (1390 to 1393 meters) in the Chicxulub 1 well. The age of the melt rock is virtually indistinguishable from Ar-40/Ar-39 ages obtained on tektite glass from Beloc, Haiti, and Arroyo el Mimbral, northeastern Mexico, of 65.01 +/- 0.08 Ma (mean plateau age for Beloc) and 65.07 +/- 0.10 Ma (mean total fusion age for both sites). The Ar-40/Ar-39 ages, in conjunction with geochemical and petrological similarities, strengthen the suggestion that the Chicxulub structure is the source for the Haitian and Mexican tektites and is a viable candidate for the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact site.

Swisher, Carl C., III↗
NASA NTRS1992

Sudbury Igneous Complex: Impact melt or igneous rock? Implications for lunar magmatism

The recent suggestion that the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) is a fractionated impact melt may have profound implications for understanding the lunar crust and the magmatic history of the Moon. A cornerstone of much current thought on the Moon is that the development of the lunar crust can be traced through the lineage of 'pristine' igneous rocks. However, if rocks closely resembling those from layered igneous intrusions can be produced by differentiation of a large impact melt sheet, then much of what is thought to be known about the Moon may be called into question. This paper presents a brief evaluation of the SIC as a differentiated impact melt vs. endogenous igneous magma and possible implications for the magmatic history of the lunar crust.

Norman, Marc D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Viscosity determinations of some frictionally generated silicate melts: Implications for slip zone rheology during impact-induced faulting

Analytical scanning electron microscopy, using combined energy dispersive and wavelength dispersive spectrometry, was used to determine the major-element compositions of some natural and artificial glasses and their crystalline equivalents derived by the frictional melting of acid to intermediate protoliths. The major-element compositions are used to calculate the viscosities of their melt precursors using the model of Shaw at temperatures of 800-1400 C, with Fe(2+)/Fe(tot) = 0.5 and for 1-3 wt percent H2O. These results are then modified to account for suspension effects in order to determine viscosities. The results have implications for the generation of pseudotachylitic breccias as seen in the basement lithologies of the Sudbury and Vredefort structures and possibly certain dimict lunar breccias. Many of these breccias show similarities with the more commonly developed pseudotachylite fault and injection veins seen in endogenic fault zones that typically occur in thicknesses of a few centimeters or less. The main difference is one of scale: Impact-induced pseudotachylite breccias can attain several meters in thickness. This would suggest that they were generated under exceptionally high slip rates and hence high strain rates and that the friction melts generated possessed extremely low viscosities.

Spray, John G.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Studies on the reactive melt infiltration of silicon and silicon-molybdenum alloys in porous carbon

Investigations on the reactive melt infiltration of silicon and silicon-1.7 and 3.2 at percent molybdenum alloys into porous carbon preforms have been carried out by process modeling, differential thermal analysis (DTA) and melt infiltration experiments. These results indicate that the initial pore volume fraction of the porous carbon preform is a critical parameter in determining the final composition of the raction-formed silicon carbide and other residual phases. The pore size of the carbon preform is very detrimental to the exotherm temperatures due to liquid silicon-carbon reactions encountered during the reactive melt infiltration process. A possible mechanism for the liquid silicon-porous (glassy) carbon reaction has been proposed. The composition and microstructure of the reaction-formed silicon carbide has been discussed in terms of carbon preform microstructures, infiltration materials, and temperatures.

Singh, M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Melt-processing of lunar ceramics

The goal of this project is to produce useful ceramics materials from lunar resources using the by products of lunar oxygen production processes. Emphasis is being placed on both fabrication of a variety of melt-processed ceramics, and on understanding the mechanical properties of these materials. Previously, glass-ceramics were formed by casting large glass monoliths and heating these to grow small crystallites. The strengths of the resulting glass-ceramics were found to vary with the inverse square root of the crystal grain size. The highest strengths (greater than 300 MPa) were obtained with the smallest crystal sizes (less than 10 microns). During the past year, the kinetics of crystallization in simulated lunar regolith were examined in an effort to optimize the microstructure and, hence, mechanical properties of glass ceramics. The use of solar energy for melt-processing of regolith was examined, and strong (greater than 630 MPa) glass fibers were successfully produced by melt-spinning in a solar furnace. A study of the mechanical properties of simulated lunar glasses was completed during the past year. As on Earth, the presence of moisture was found to weaken simulated lunar glasses, although the effects of surface flaws was shown to outweigh the effect of atmospheric moisture on the strength of lunar glasses. The effect of atmospheric moisture on the toughness was also studied. As expected, toughness was found to increase only marginally in an anhydrous atmosphere. Finally, our efforts to involve undergraduates in the research lab fluorished this past year. Four undergraduates worked on various aspects of these projects; and two of them were co-authors on papers which we published.

Fabes, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Melt flow properties of LARC-TPI 1500 series mixtures

This study examines the melt-flow properties of 50/50 mixtures of high flow grade/medium flow grade LARC-TPI 1500 series pellets and a new form (94/6), of medium flow grade material which contains 6 percent of a low molecular weight imide additive. The flow properties are compared with previously reported flow properties of mixtures of earlier batches of high and medium flow grade TPI 1500 materials. Unlike the earlier batches of materials, the later materials were synthesized and mixed at Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc., Japan, and made into pellets before NASA received them for characterization. They exhibited a lower melt viscosity as well as improved melt stability.

Burks, H. D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Formation of a metastable ferromagnetic tau phase during containerless melt processing in Mn-Al-C alloys

This paper reports the production of a metastable ferromagnetic tau phase directly from the melt in Mn(0.55)Al(0.433)C(0.017), using a containerless processing method involving levitation melting followed by quenching. Using the results from differential thermal analysis measurements and an analysis of the phase equilibria, it was found that the minimum amount of undercooling level required for ferromagnetic metastable tau phase formation in this alloy was Delta T = 87 K. The attainment of this undercooling may be facilitated by the application of containerless melt processing.

Kim, Y. J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A petrologic and ion microprobe study of a Vigarano Type B refractory inclusion - Evolution by multiple stages of alteration and melting

A Type B Ca-, Al-rich 6-m-diam inclusion (CAI) found in the Vigarano C3V chondrite was inspected using optical and scanning electron microscopies and ion microprobe analyses. It was found that the primary constituents of the CAI inclusion are (in percent), melilite (52), fassaite, (20), anorthite (18), spinel (10), and trace Fe-Ni metal. It is noted that, while many of the properties of the inclusion indicate solidification from a melt droplet, the Al-26/Mg-26 isotopic systematics and some textural relationships are incompatible with single-stage closed system crystallization of a homogeneous molten droplet, indicating that the history of this inclusion must have been more complex than melt solidification alone. Moreover, there was unusually high content of Na in melilite, suggesting that the droplet did not form by melting of pristine high-temperature nebular condensates.

Macpherson, Glenn J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Flash melting of chondrule precursors in excess of 1600 C. Series 1: Type 2 (B1) chondrule composition experiments

Several questions in chondrule production remain an enigma despite years of experiments. What were the melting temperatures experienced by chondrules? What were the physical characteristics of chondrule precursors? How and why did volatile elements (i.e. Na) found within chondrules survive the formation process? We present the initial results of a series of experiments designed to investigate the above questions by using flash melting to duplicate the melting stage of chondrule formation.

Connolly, Harold C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A discontinuous melt sheet in the Manson impact structure

Petrologic studies of the core recovered from holes drilled in the Manson, Iowa, buried impact structure may unravel the thermal history of the crater-fill debris. We made a cursory examination of about 200 m of core recovered from the M-1 bore hole. The M-1 bore hole was the first of 12 holes drilled as part of a cooperative drilling program between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Iowa Geological Survey Bureau. The M-1 core hole is about 6 km northeast of the center of the impact structure, apparently on the flank of its central peak. We developed a working hypothesis that a 30-m-thick breccia unit within a 53-m-thick unit previously termed the 'crystalline clast breccia with glassy matrix' is part of a discontinuous melt sheet in the crater-fill impact debris. The 30-m-thick breccia unit reached temperatures sufficient to partially melt some small breccia clasts and convert the fine-grained breccia matrix into a silicate melt that cooled to a greenish-black, flinty, microcrystalline rock. The results of the investigation of this unit are presented.

Izett, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The Nakhla parent melt: REE partition coefficients and clues to major element composition

Nakhla is one of the SNC meteorites, generally believed to be of Martian origin. It is a medium-grained augite-olivine cumulate with a variolitic groundmass of sodic plagioclase, alkali feldspar, and Fe-rich pyroxenes and olivine. One of the major tasks in deciphering Nakhla's petrogenesis is determining the composition of its parent melt. Gaining an understanding of the composition and petrogenesis of this parent melt may help unravel Nakhla's relationship to the other SNCs, and provide clues to Martian petrogenesis in general. Our experimental partitioning studies provide new information that helps constrain both the major and trace element composition of the Nakhla parent melt.

Mckay, G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Three-dimensional solidification and melting using magnetic field control

A new two-fluid mathematical model for fully three dimensional steady solidification under the influence of an arbitrary acceleration vector and with or without an arbitrary externally applied steady magnetic field have been formulated and integrated numerically. The model includes Joule heating and allows for separate temperature dependent physical properties within the melt and the solid. Latent heat of phase change during melting/solidification was incorporated using an enthalpy method. Mushy region was automatically captured by varying viscosity orders of magnitude between liquidus and solidus temperature. Computational results were obtained for silicon melt solidification in a parallelepiped container cooled from above and from a side. The results confirm that the magnetic field has a profound influence on the solidifying melt flow field thus changing convective heat transfer through the boundaries and the amount and shape of the solid accrued. This suggests that development of a quick-response algorithm for active control of three dimensional solidification is feasible since it would require low strength magnetic fields.

Dulikravich, George S.↗