SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ceramic element”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 451 records · Page 25

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2019

Cracking Problems in Low-Voltage Chip Ceramic Capacitors

Cracking remains the major reason of failures in multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) used in in space electronics. Due to a tight quality control of space-grade components, the probability that as manufactured capacitors have cracks is relatively low, and cracking is often occurs during assembly, handling and the following testing of the systems. Majority of capacitors with cracks are revealed during the integration and testing period, but although extremely rarely, defective parts remain undetected and result in failures during the mission. This situation is aggravated by manual soldering and rework that are often used during low volume production of circuit boards for space. Although failures of MLCCs are often attributed to the post-manufacturing stresses, in many cases they are due to a combination of certain deviations in the manufacturing processes that result in hidden defects in the parts and excessive stresses during assembly and use. This report gives an overview of design, manufacturing and testing processes of MLCCs focusing on elements related to cracking problems. The existing and new screening and qualification procedures and techniques are briefly described and assessed by their effectiveness in revealing cracks. The capability of different test methods to simulate stresses resulting in cracking, mechanisms of failures in capacitors with cracks, and possible methods of selecting the most robust to manual soldering stresses capacitors are discussed.

testing↗

DOE OSTI2022

Deep Neural Network Algorithm for CMC Microstructure Characterization and Variability Quantification

Microstructure characterization and variability quantification are crucial for understanding ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) mechanical behavior and deformation mechanisms across length scales. Traditionally, analyses of the micrographs obtained from microscopy are labor-intensive. However, with the vast improvement in computer vision (CV) and deep learning (DL), an automated algorithm can be designed to extract essential microstructure variability from micrographs which can then be used to construct a statistically representative volume element (SRVE). The DL-based algorithm spans the taxonomy of microstructure analyses, including semantic segmentation of microstructure constituents, secondary phases, matrix/fiber interface, and defects, and quantifying the microstructure variability in terms of probability distributions. In this work, C/SiNC and SiC/SiNC CMCs microstructures are semantically segmented through a deep convolutional neural network, followed by variability quantification through the implementation of a fully connected regression layer, hence forming a deep regression network. The deep regression network operates in a feedforward regime, in which the neuron output signal traverses through the network in a unidirectional manner. The weight tensor associated with each layer is updated through a backpropagation stochastic gradient descent approach. The input gray-scale image obtained through in-house scanning electron microscope and confocal microscope micrographs is augmented through affine transformations to increase the training set size, which is then processed through four strided convolutional layers. This compresses the image resolution by half at each layer while increasing the image depth by applying different filters (image encoding). The class activation maps (CAMs) corresponding to the applied filters highlight the key architectural features and assist with the semantic segmentation of the microstructure.

Hamza, Mohamed H.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Structural reliability analysis of laminated CMC components

For laminated ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials to realize their full potential in aerospace applications, design methods and protocols are a necessity. The time independent failure response of these materials is focussed on and a reliability analysis is presented associated with the initiation of matrix cracking. A public domain computer algorithm is highlighted that was coupled with the laminate analysis of a finite element code and which serves as a design aid to analyze structural components made from laminated CMC materials. Issues relevant to the effect of the size of the component are discussed, and a parameter estimation procedure is presented. The estimation procedure allows three parameters to be calculated from a failure population that has an underlying Weibull distribution.

Duffy, Stephen F.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Structural reliability analysis of laminated CMC components

Duffy, Stephen F.↗

DOE OSTI2023

A probabilistic-phase field model for the fracture of brittle materials

Abstract We develop a computational method to determine the failure probability of brittle materials under general mechanical loading conditions. The method is a combination of two parts: (1) numerical simulations of materials with multiple cracks using phase field theory, where the complete fracture process is viewed as ‘damage percolation’ along critical paths or clusters of cracks, rather than the traditional weak-link failure mechanism of Weibull, and (2) an extension of the Batdorf statistical theory of fracture to finite domains, where it is implemented within the finite element framework. The results of phase-field simulations at the ‘percolation threshold’ are used as failure data in the Batdorf theory to determine the overall probability of failure. The input to this approach is the size distribution of cracks in a pristine material. An example is shown, where alumina samples that were previously tested by Abe and coworkers (Abeet al2003J. Am. Ceram. Soc.861019–21) in four-point loading are compared to the results of our numerical simulations. The approach developed here has the advantage of being extendable to more complex thermomechanical loading.

Materials Science↗

NASA NTRS1989

Analysis of whisker-toughened ceramic components: A design engineer's viewpoint

The use of ceramics components in gas turbines, cutting tools, and heat exchangers has been limited by the relatively low flaw tolerance of monolithic ceramics. The development of whisker toughened ceramic composites offers the potential for considerable improvement in fracture toughness as well as strength. However, the variability of strength is still too high for the application of deterministic design approaches. Several phenomenological reliability theories proposed for this material system are reviewed and the development is reported of a public domain computer algorithm. This algorithm, when coupled with a general purpose finite element program, predicts the fast fracture reliability of a structural component under multiaxial loading conditions.

Duffy, Stephen F.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Sliding durability of two carbide-oxide candidate high temperature fiber seal materials in air to 900 C

A test program to determine the friction and wear properties of two complex carbide oxide ceramic fibers for high temperature sliding seal applications is described. The fibers are based on Si, C, O, and Ti or Si, C, N, and O ceramic systems. Pin on disk tests using ceramic fiber covered pins and Inconel 718 disks, were conducted in air from 25 to 900 C to evaluate potential seal materials. This testing procedure was used in a previous study of oxide ceramic fibers which were found to exhibit wear behavior based predominantly on their mechanical properties. Like the oxide fibers tested previously, these carbide oxide ceramic fibers, show an increase in friction and wear with increased test temperature. At room temperature, the wear behavior seems to be based upon mechanical properties, namely tensile strength. At 500 and especially 900 C, the fibers wear by both mechanical fracture and by oxidative type wear. Based upon post test microscopic and x ray analyses, interaction between the fiber constituents and elements transferred from the counterface, namely Ni and Cr, may have occurred enhancing the tribochemical wear process. These results are interpreted.

Dellacorte, Christopher↗

NASA NTRS1981

High-frequency measurements of multilayer ceramic capacitors

A resonant coaxial transmission line, short circuited at one end and open circuited at the other, whose fundamental resonant frequency and Q factor are known, is perturbed with a test capacitor connected either in series at the shorted end of the line, or in shunt at the open end. Measuring the Q factor of the system with the delta f technique yields the effective series resistance, capacitance, and the Q factor of the test specimen. This method of measurement has the advantage that there are no adjustable elements to alter circuit conditions in an unprescribed way, the only variable is the frequency which can be measured with an uncertainty of less than 1 ppm, the loss of the line as a function of frequency is quite predictable, and the Q factor of the line can be made sufficiently high to support accurate measurements of low loss capacitors.

Lafferty, R. E.↗

DOE OSTI2020

High-Energy X-Ray Diffraction Microscopy in Materials Science

High-energy diffraction microscopy (HEDM) is an implementation of three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy. HEDM yields maps of internal crystal orientation fields, strain states, grain shapes and locations as well as intragranular orientation distributions, and grain boundary character. Because it is nondestructive in hard materials, notably metals and ceramics, HEDM has been used to study responses of these materials to external fields including high temperature and mechanical loading. Currently available sources and detectors lead to a spatial resolution of ~1 μm and an orientation resolution of <0.1°. With the penetration characteristic of high energies ( E ≥ 50 keV), sample cross-section dimensions of ~1 mm can be studied in materials containing elements across much of the Periodic Table. This review describes hardware and software associated with HEDM as well as examples of applications. Overall, these applications include studies of grain growth, recrystallization, texture development, orientation gradients, deformation twinning, annealing twinning, plastic deformation, and additive manufacturing. We also describe relationships to other X-ray-based methods as well as prospects for further development.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1990

Space Station Freedom power supply commonality via modular design

At mature operations, Space Station Freedom will need more than 2000 power supplies to feed housekeeping and user loads. Advanced technology power supplies from 20 to 250 W have been hybridized for terrestrial, aerospace, and industry applications in compact, efficient, reliable, lightweight packages compatible with electromagnetic interference requirements. The use of these hybridized packages as modules, either singly or in parallel, to satisfy the wide range of user power supply needs for all elements of the station is proposed. Proposed characteristics for the power supplies include common mechanical packaging, digital control, self-protection, high efficiency at full and partial loads, synchronization capability to reduce electromagnetic interference, redundancy, and soft-start capability. The inherent reliability is improved compared with conventional discrete component power supplies because the hybrid circuits use high-reliability components such as ceramic capacitors. Reliability is further improved over conventional supplies because the hybrid packages, which may be treated as a single part, reduce the parts count in the power supply.

Krauthamer, S.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Analysis of Thick Sandwich Shells with Embedded Ceramic Tiles

The Composite Armored Vehicle (CAV) is an advanced technology demonstrator of an all-composite ground combat vehicle. The CAV upper hull is made of a tough light-weight S2-glass/epoxy laminate with embedded ceramic tiles that serve as armor. The tiles are bonded to a rubber mat with a carefully selected, highly viscoelastic adhesive. The integration of armor and structure offers an efficient combination of ballistic protection and structural performance. The analysis of this anisotropic construction, with its inherent discontinuous and periodic nature, however, poses several challenges. The present paper describes a shell-based 'element-layering' technique that properly accounts for these effects and for the concentrated transverse shear flexibility in the rubber mat. One of the most important advantages of the element-layering technique over advanced higher-order elements is that it is based on conventional elements. This advantage allows the models to be portable to other structural analysis codes, a prerequisite in a program that involves the computational facilities of several manufacturers and government laboratories. The element-layering technique was implemented into an auto-layering program that automatically transforms a conventional shell model into a multi-layered model. The effects of tile layer homogenization, tile placement patterns, and tile gap size on the analysis results are described.

Davila, Carlos G.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Thermal Analysis of the Sirius-3 Nuclear Propulsion Fuel Experiments

To support long space missions, NASA is designing and testing different fuels for nuclear thermal propulsion. These designs include a number ceramic metallic fuels which are to be irradiated in the Tranisent Test Reactor to test the fuel’s performance at protypical conditions. The irradiation campaign of these fuels is referred to as the Sirius experiments, and includes single and stacked experiment samples. In this paper we present the thermal analysis of the Sirius-3 experiment. For this analysis, temperatures from a Bison finite element model are compared to the temperatures obtained from an experiment thermocouple where good agreement between the two are found. Because agreement of the thermocouple and Bison finite element model, insight into the heat flow is provided to experimenters as they design future experiments. As an example of this insight, the rods through the fuel specimen as shown in Sirius A and B [1] were removed and replaced with hold down rings for the Sirius-2C

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

NASA NTRS1979

Development of SiAlON materials

Cold pressing and sintering techniques were used to produce ceramic test specimens in which the major phase was either Si3N4 or a solid solution having the beta Si3N4 structure. Additional components were incorporated to promote liquid phase sintering. Glass and/or crystalline phase were consequently retained in boundaries between Si3N4 grains which largely determined the physical properties of the bodies. Systems investigated most extensively included R-Si-Al-O-N (R = rare earth element) Zr-Si-Al-O-N, Y-Si-Be-O-N, and R1-R2-Si-O-N. Room temperature and 1370 C modulus of ruptured, 1370 C creep, and oxidation behavior are discussed in terms of phase relationships in a parent quinery, and relavent oxide systems.

Layden, G. K.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Experimental Verification of the Use of Metal Filled Via Hole Fences for Crosstalk Control of Microstrip Lines in LTCC Packages

Coupling between microstrip lines in dense RF packages is a common problem that degrades circuit performance. Prior three-dimensional-finite element method (3-D-FEM) electromagnetic simulations have shown that metal filled via hole fences between two adjacent microstrip lines actually Increases coupling between the lines: however, if the top of the via posts are connected by a metal strip, coupling is reduced. In this paper, experimental verification of the 3-D-FEM simulations is demonstrated for commercially fabricated low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) packages. In addition, measured attenuation of microstrip lines surrounded by the shielding structures is presented and shows that shielding structures do not change the attenuation characteristics of the line.

Ponchak, George E.↗

NASA NTRS2013

The Effect of Pre-Stressing on the Static Indentation Load Capacity of the Superelastic 60NiTi

Superelastic nickel-titanium alloys, such as 60NiTi (60Ni-40Ti by wt.%), are under development for use in mechanical components like rolling element bearings and gears. Compared to traditional bearing steels, these intermetallic alloys, when properly heat-treated, are hard but exhibit much lower elastic modulus (approx.100 GPa) and a much broader elastic deformation range (approx.3 percent or more). These material characteristics lead to high indentation static load capacity, which is important for certain applications especially space mechanisms. To ensure the maximum degree of elastic behavior, superelastic materials must be pre-stressed, a process referred to as "training" in shape memory effect (SME) terminology, at loads and stresses beyond expected use conditions. In this paper, static indentation load capacity tests are employed to assess the effects of pre-stressing on elastic response behavior of 60NiTi. The static load capacity is measured by pressing 12.7 mm diameter ceramic Si3N4 balls into highly polished, hardened 60NiTi flat plates that have previously been exposed to varying levels of pre-stress (up to 2.7 GPa) to determine the load that results in shallow but measurable (0.6 m, 25 in. deep) permanent dents. Hertz stress calculations are used to estimate contact stress. Without exposure to pre-stress, the 60NiTi surface can withstand an approximately 3400 kN load before significant denting (>0.4 m deep) occurs. When pre-stressed to 2.7 GPa, a static load of 4900 kN is required to achieve a comparable dent, a 30 percent increase. These results suggest that stressing contact surfaces prior to use enhances the static indentation load capacity of the superelastic 60NiTi. This approach may be adaptable to the engineering and manufacture of highly resilient mechanical components such as rolling element bearings.

DellaCorte, Christopher↗

NASA NTRS2023

Shock- and Corrosion-Resistant Bearings for Space Mechanisms

Nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloys are an emerging class of materials for rolling element bearing applications that require superior corrosion resistance and/or high load capability. Certain space mechanisms fall into one or both of those categories. Often, due to size and mass considerations, space mechanism systems are limited in torque margin and necessarily require small, precision-instrument bearings with very little frictional drag (i.e., low torque). In addition, space mechanism bearings must survive launch conditions without suffering raceway dents known as brinnelling, which would increase operating torque and reduce overall smoothness. Consequently, a bearing material or design that reduces or eliminates brinnelling under high contact stress conditions would represent a beneficial technology advancement. One specific alloy, nickel-titanium-hafnium (NiTi-Hf), under development for several years at the NASA Glenn Research Center as a bearing material, has the potential to mitigate concerns about brinnelling under extreme load conditions due to its unusually high elastic strain capability. In the present work, a sample of small precision bearings produced with three different ball materials (steel, ceramic, and NiTi-Hf) is subjected to a range of load conditions sufficient to dent the races. The dent depth as a function of load is compared and demonstrates that NiTi-Hf has the potential to increase bearing load capacity from the perspective of brinnelling under severe load conditions; additional testing of full NiTi-Hf bearings demonstrates corrosion resistance superior to that of 440C bearings.

Bearings↗

DOE OSTI2021

Integrated TBC/EBC for SiC Fiber Reinforced SiC Matrix Composites for Next Generation Gas Turbines (Final Report)

In this ambitious project, a significant challenge preventing widespread use of ceramic matrix composites in hot section components of gas power generating turbines was addressed. Hot section components made from SiC fiber reinforced SiC matrix composites (SiC/SiC composites), have the potential to achieve a combined cycle energy efficiency of above 65%. To achieve this efficiency, the temperature of the combustion gases on the turbine component surface is expected to reach as high as ~1700ºC (3100ºF). However, SiC/SiC composites suffer from volatilization at high temperature under high velocity steam environment – typical in a turbine hot chamber. This integrated collaborative project, between two research groups at Clemson University and a team of engineers and scientists at GE Gas Power, focused on design, fabrication and evaluation of a new graded environmental barrier coating. Using the excellent compositional tailorability of polymer derived ceramics (PDCs), we developed an integrated EBC/BC that smoothly transitions from bottom SiC/SiC bond interface to hermetic sesquioxide (Y 2 O 3 ) top surface. This smooth compositional transition avoided the sharp CTE mismatch at interfaces to greatly reduce the thermal stress. The developed EBC is compatible with and bonds well with the bond coat that GE uses. The top hermetic oxide surface ensures low oxygen transportation and volatilization rates under the high velocity steam environment. The graded microstructure with increasing sesquioxide concentration also decreases the amount of Si and C elements near the top hermetic sesquioxide layer. Coatings made using a process suitable for manufacturing – atmospheric plasma spraying was demonstrated. The microstructure of coatings made using this process were fully characterized. Finally, the performance of these coatings was investigated under the most demanding conditions for this application. Specifically, high temperature, high velocity steam exposure; thermal shock test; and thermal cycling tests. The graded coatings performed exceptionally well in all these tests. Specific suggestions for future development in this area have also been identified. In addition to the excellent technical progress, this project helped initiate a robust collaboration between the research groups at Clemson and GE Gas Power. It also provided a high-quality learning and mentoring opportunity for the three post-doctoral research associates and two UG students at Clemson University who worked on this project. All proposed tasks, sub-tasks were completed, and all milestones achieved.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

NASA NTRS2005

New Fiber Reinforced Waterless Concrete for Extraterrestrial Structural Applications

Commercial use of sulfur concrete on Earth is well established, particularly in corrosive, e.g., acid and salt, environments. Having found troilite (FeS) on the Moon raises the question of using extracted sulfur as a lunar construction mate: iii an attractive alternative to conventional concrete as it does not require water For the purpose of this paper it is assumed that lunar ore is mined, refined, and the raw sulfur processed with appropriate lunar regolith to form, for example, brick and beam elements. Glass fibers produced from regolith were used as a reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties of the sulfur concrete. Glass fibers and glass rebar were produced by melting the lunar regolith simulant. Lunar regolith stimulant was melted in a 25 cc Pt-Rh crucible in a Sybron Thermoline 46100 high temperature MoSi2 furnace at melting temperatures of 1450 to 1600G. The glass melt wets the ceramic rod and long continuous glass fibers were easily hand drawn. The glass fibers were immediately coated with a protective polymer to maintain the mechanical strength. The viability of sulfur concrete as a construction material for extraterrestrial application is presented. The mechanical properties of the glass fiber reinforced sulfur concrete were investigated.

Toutanji, H.↗