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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Friction and wear behavior of nitrogen-doped ZnO thin films deposited via MOCVD under dry contact

Most researches on doped ZnO thin films are tilted toward their applications in optoelectronics and semiconductor devices. Research on their tribological properties is still unfolding. In this work, nitrogen-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on 304 L stainless steel substrate from a combination of zinc acetate and ammonium acetate precursor by MOCVD technique. Compositional and structural studies of the films were done using Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The frictional behavior of the thin film coatings was evaluated using a ball-on-flat configuration in reciprocating sliding under dry contact condition. After friction test, the flat and ball counter-face surfaces were examined to assess the wear dimension and failure mechanism. In conclusion, both friction behavior and wear (in the ball counter-face) were observed to be dependent on the crystallinity and thickness of the thin film coatings.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Stress characterization for friction-stir-welded electric vehicle battery trays with application of neutron diffraction

The battery tray is an essential component that protects and controls battery-cell temperatures in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The functional stress limit of the battery tray heavily depends on the residual stress acquired from the manufacturing process. Consequently, exceeding the stress limit of the battery tray during operation could compromise the battery-cell banks and may risk the vehicle's safety. Hence, understanding residual stress formation is vital for design and safety concerns. Here, in the current study, AA 6061-plates were friction stir welded to an A365 high-pressure die-cast battery tray to create sealed coolant channels in the battery tray. However, this multi-material lap friction stir weld introduces residual stress into the battery tray, resulting in distortion. This distortion was mitigated using burnishing or coining operations, though straightening the battery tray had initially unknown effects on the residual stress. Therefore, neutron diffraction was utilized to characterize residual stresses after straightening. The results indicate that the friction stir welding (FSW) operation generated residual stresses exceeding the yield strength of the material, consequently deforming the battery tray by ±3 mm from the pre-weld geometry. The burnishing operation reduced the residual stresses below the material's yield strength while restoring the tray to within ±0.75 mm of the pre-weld geometry. Similarly, the coining operation restored the battery tray to within ±0.75 mm of the pre-weld geometry, however, increasing the number of locations where the residual stress exceeds the yield strength of the material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Impact of supercritical carbon dioxide on the frictional strength of and the transport through thin cracks in shale

Understanding the mechanical and transport behavior of thin (i.e. small aperture) cracks slipping under supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO 2 ) conditions is essential to evaluate the integrity of sealing formations with buoyant sc-CO 2 below and the success of waterless fracturing. The two major items of interest in this work are frictional strength and permeability change of the crack. We used a triaxial cell that permits in situ visualization to conduct and monitor slippage along the faces of narrow cracks subjected to triaxial stresses. Such cracks are analogs to small geological faults. We tested carbonate-rich, 1-inch diameter Wolfcamp shale samples that are saw cut 30° to vertical to create a thin crack. Friction coefficients ranged from about 0.6 to 0.8 consistent with expectations for brittle rocks. The sc-CO 2 generally did not alter friction coefficient over the time scale of experiments. From a transport perspective, saturating cracks with sc-CO 2 substantially decreased permeability of the crack by 26%–52%, while slip resulted in a variety of permeability responses. Overall, the combined impact of sc-CO 2 saturation and slip reduced fault permeability for all tests. Our observations support the notion that the sealing capacity of some caprocks improves when saturated with sc-CO 2 and that some slip of small fractures is not necessarily detrimental to caprock integrity.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Microstructure, mechanical properties and microtexture of friction stir welded S690QL high yield steel

Two try-out campaigns of friction stir welding (FSW) were performed with different friction parameters to join S690QL high yield strength steel. The welds were investigated at macroscopic and microscopic scales using optical and electronic microscopy and microhardness mapping. Welds of the second campaign exhibit microstructures and mechanical properties in accordance with requirements for service use. Microtexture measurements were carried out in different zones of welds by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). It is shown that that texture of the bottom of the weld is similar to that of the base metal, suggesting a diffusion bonding mechanism. Finally, the mechanical properties (tensile strength, resilience, bending) were established on the most promising welds. It is shown that it is possible to weld this high yield strength steel using FSW process with satisfactory geometric, microstructural and mechanical properties. - Highlights: •1000 mm ∗ 400 mm ∗ 8 mm S690QL steel plates are joined by friction stir welding (FSW). •Maximum hardness is reduced by optimization of process parameters. •Various microstructures are formed but no martensite after process optimization. •Texture is modified in mechanically affected zones of the weld. •Texture in the bottom of the weld is preserved, suggesting diffusion bonding.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Microstructure evolution in the conventional single side and bobbin tool friction stir welding of thick rolled 7085-T7452 aluminum alloy

Highlights: • Comparison of microstructure evolution via EBSD of SS-FSW and BB-FSW was investigated. • Friction heat, strain rate and degree of recrystallization affected grain size. • Discontinuously dynamic recrystallization occurred in the weld nugget zone. • The degree of recrystallization was mainly controlled by the strain rate. - Abstract: The microstructure evolution during the conventional single side friction stir welding (SS-FSW) and the bobbin tool FSW (BB-FSW) of 7085-T7452 alloy thick plate was extensively studied by using the state-of-the-art materials characterization techniques. The Electron backscattering diffraction results reveal that a significant grain refinement and a larger percentage of high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) exist in the weld nugget zone (WNZ) and the thermal-mechanical affected zone (TMAZ) compared with the base material. Meanwhile, more obviously inhomogeneous refined grains and HAGBs in WNZ along the thickness direction and a larger percentage of low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) were observed in SS-FSW joint than that in BB-FSW joint. The change of the average grain size is the result of friction heat and strain rate of plastic deformation combined with a certain degree of recrystallization. Moreover, the recrystallization is mainly controlled by the strain rate during the FSW process. The presence of Cube and Cube ND after welding shows that the discontinuously dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) is a major factor in the final microstructural response. The research and findings help the understanding of the mechanism of microstructure homogenization and further optimizing the welding process for application.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Correlation between corrosion resistance, anodic hydrogen evolution and microhardness in friction stir weldment of AA2198 alloy

Highlights: • There is a relationship between hardness, corrosion and H{sub 2} evolution in AA2198-T851 alloy friction stir weldment • Variation in the population density of T1 particles is the correlating factor for the relationship • The parent material is the region that is most susceptible to corrosion. • The weld zones of AA2198-T851 alloy friction stir weldment exhibit different forms of corrosion. - Abstract: Correlation between corrosion resistance, anodic hydrogen evolution and microhardness in the friction stir weldment of AA2198-T851 alloy has been investigated. Different microscopy techniques, scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) and potentiodynamic polarization tests were employed in the investigation. Unlike other 3rd generation Al-Cu-Li alloys where the regions that are most susceptible to corrosion are always within the weld region, the results reveal that the parent material is the most susceptible in this case. There is a direct correlation between corrosion resistance, anodic hydrogen evolution and microhardness in the weldment, and the T{sub 1} phase is associated with the direct correlation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Friction stir welding of multi-walled carbon nanotubes reinforced Al matrix composites

Highlights: • Al/MWCNT composites were successfully welded using friction stir welding. • After FSW, the composites possessed an excellent balance of mechanical properties. • High tensile strength and elongation over BM owing to MWCNTs after FSW. • Microstructures were investigated according to MWCNT contents and FSW conditions. - Abstract: In this study, we prepared composites between Al and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using the friction stir welding (FSW) method and investigated their microstructural evolution and mechanical properties by controlling the amount of MWCNT (1 and 3 vol%) and the plunging load (400 and 600 kg) used. After the FSW process, MWCNT showed slight coarsening of grain with random shear textures and accumulated dislocations; the differences obtained by varying the plunging load and MWCNT amount were insignificant. The friction-stir welded composite obtained using 3 vol% MWCNT and a plunging load of 600 kg possessed two-times better balance between strength and ductility than the base metal, due to the presence of both MWCNTs and the partially decomposed Al{sub 4}C{sub 3} in the composite.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Material flow behavior and microstructural refinement of AA6061 alloy during friction extrusion

In this work we used friction extrusion (FE), a solid phase processing technique, to produce dense, fully consolidated 5?mm rods of aluminum alloy 6061 (AA6061). The combination of large shear stresses and high temperatures at the tool-billet interface during extrusion produced equiaxed, dynamically recrystallized grains and finely distributed precipitates. Texture and microstructure evolution during extrusion was investigated in detail using scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulation was performed to study complex material flow during extrusion. Simulation results suggest spiral material flow during extrusion which corroborated experimental results. Advantages of friction extruded microstructure over conventionally extruded counterparts are also explored using flash annealing for solution treatment followed by artificial aging. Mechanical properties of the as-friction extruded, and the artificially aged specimens were evaluated using tensile testing and compared with conventional extruded material properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effect of feed-rod tilting on friction surfacing of steel

During the friction surfacing process, the forge-axial force, rotation rate, and traverse speed of the consumable feed-rod play crucial roles in determining the deposition rate and layer morphology. Although some researchers have studied the enhancement of deposition by introducing a backward tilt relative to the traverse direction, there has been limited investigation into the effects of other tilt orientations. Therefore, this study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of feed-rod tilting in friction surfacing. In this investigation, the consumable feed-rod undergoes tilting in four distinct directions: forward, backward, advancing side, and retreating side, each tested at two different tilt angles (1.5° and 3.0°). The results reveal that the feed-rod tilting can influence the deposition dynamics by altering the location and area of the rubbing interface situated between the feed-rod and the substrate. Moreover, the feed-rod tilting can significantly enhance the bond width, deposition rate, and deposition efficiency. The enhancement in deposition efficiency signifies a successful reduction in flash formation. Furthermore, a distinct layered microstructure is evident within each deposition layer, regardless of tilt conditions, indicating the unique deposition process inherent to friction surfacing. Finally, the innovative approach proposed in this study not only offers a straightforward and feasible means to improve deposition rate and efficiency but also expands the potential for constructing more intricate geometries or authentic surfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Convective heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of molten salts in spirally fluted tubes

Spirally fluted tubes have been widely used for heat exchangers due to their superior heat transfer enhancement. However, most of the previous studies focused on the effects of a limited number of geometric parameters, i.e., the flute pitch and flute depth, on convective heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of low-Prandtl-number fluids, i.e., air and water. The correlations developed in these studies may not be accurate or applicable for medium-Prandtl-number fluids, such as molten salts. A numerical analysis using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool, STAR–CCM+, is therefore carried out in this study to systematically investigate the effects of four geometric parameters, including the flute pitch ρ, flute depth e, flute start number N s (or flute helix angle θ), and trough length L tr on convective heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of a medium-Prandtl-number fluid, FLiNaK (46.5LiF-11.5NaF-42KF mol %), in spirally fluted tubes. Additionally, the convective heat transfer and Darcy friction factor correlations are proposed and validated, with ± 20% uncertainties, for medium-Prandtl-number fluids under the following conditions: Re = 88–1600, Pr = 2.5–40, ρ/D c = 0.44–3.51, e/D c = 0.10–0.40, θ/90= 0.20–0.81, and L tr /D c = 0.71–2.16. The correlations proposed help improve the design of spirally fluted-tube heat exchangers.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Rapid surface hardening and enhanced tribological performance of 4140 steel by friction stir processing

Tribological performance of steel materials can be substantially enhanced by various thermal surface hardening processes. For relatively low-carbon steel alloys, case carburization is often used to improve surface performance and durability. If the carbon content of steel is high enough (>0.4%), thermal treatments such as induction, flame, laser, etc. can produce adequate surface hardening without the need for surface compositional change. This paper presents an experimental study of the use of friction stir processing (FSP) as a means to hardened surface layer in AISI 4140 steel. The impacts of this surface hardening process on the friction and wear performance were evaluated under both dry and lubricated contact conditions in reciprocating sliding. FSP produced the same level of hardening and superior tribological performance when compared to conventional thermal treatment, using only 10% of the energy and without the need for quenching treatments. With FSP surface hardness of about 7.8 GPa (62 Rc) was achieved while water quenching conventional heat treatment produced about 7.5 GPa (61 Rc) hardness. Microstructural analysis showed that both FSP and conventional heat treatment produced martensite. Although the friction behavior for FSP treated surfaces and the conventional heat treatment were about the same, the wear in FSP processed surfaces was reduced by almost 2× that of conventional heat treated surfaces. Furthermore, the superior performance is attributed to the observed grain refinement accompanying the FSP treatment in addition to the formation of martensite. As it relates to tribological performance, this study shows FSP to be an effective, highly energy efficient, and environmental friendly (green) alternative to conventional heat treatment for steel.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Towards a predictive, physics-based friction model for the dynamics of jointed structures

Bolted connections are ubiquitous in mechanical designs and pose a significant challenge to understanding and predicting the vibration response of assembled structures. The present paper develops a physics-based rough contact model of the frictional interactions within a joint. This model sums over the probable interactions of asperities – defined as locally maximum surface features – to determine the contact forces. Here, the tangential contact forces vary smoothly between sticking and slipping and allow the model to better capture the qualitative trends of experimental amplitude dependent frequency and damping than previous studies. Furthermore, the novel model is generalized to allow for arbitrarily varying normal pressure including potential separation to better represent the interfacial dynamics. This includes developing a new, computationally tractable approximation to the analytical Mindlin partial slip solution for tangential loading of contacting spheres. Further, the results highlight the importance of accurately characterizing the as-built topology of the interface, the plastic behavior of the contacting asperities, the relevant length scale of asperities, and the eccentricity of asperities. A predictive friction coefficient based on plasticity provides a poor match to experiments, so fitting the friction coefficient is also considered. Numerical results are compared to experiments on the Brake-Reuß Beam to assess the predictive potential of the models. While blind predictions over-predict the slip limit, the current model presents a significant improvement in physics-based modeling and highlights areas for ongoing research.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Reduced Internal Friction by Osmolyte Interaction in Intrinsically Disordered Myelin Basic Protein

Urea is a strong denaturing osmolyte that disrupts noncovalent bonds in proteins. Here, we present a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and neutron spin–echo spectroscopy (NSE) study on the structure and dynamics of the intrinsically disordered myelin basic protein (MBP) denatured by urea. SANS results show that urea-denatured MBP is more compact than ideal polymers, while its secondary structure content is entirely lost. Additionally, NSE experiments reveal concomitantly an increase of the relaxation time and of the amplitude of internal motions in urea-denatured MBP as compared to native MBP. If interpreted in terms of the Zimm model including internal friction (ZIF), the internal friction parameter decreased by a factor of 6.5. Urea seems to not only smooth local energy barriers, reducing internal friction on a local scale, but also significantly reduces the overall depth of the global energy landscape. This leads to a nearly complete loss of restoring forces beyond entropic forces and in turn allows for larger motional amplitudes. Obviously, the noncovalent H-bonds are largely eliminated, driving the unfolded protein to be more similar to a synthetic polymer.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Permeability Evolution and Frictional Stability of Fabricated Fractures With Specified Roughness

Roughness is widely observed on natural fractures, and its impact on the potential for induced seismicity and associated fluid migration in the subsurface remains unclear. Here we perform fracture shearing and fluid flow experiments on artificially fabricated fractures with specified roughness to investigate the role of fracture roughness on frictional properties and permeability evolution. Given the experimental conditions, we observe that rough fractures show high roughness ratio S q /L w and return higher frictional strength due to the presence of cohesive interlocking asperities. Rough fracture surfaces show velocity strengthening behavior in the initial shearing stage, which may evolve to velocity neutral and velocity weakening at greater displacements—suggesting a dynamic weakening that rough fractures become less stable with shearing. The surface roughness exerts a dominant control on permeability evolution over the entire shearing history. Permeability declines monotonically by about 2 orders of magnitude for smooth fractures. For high roughness fractures, the permeabilities evolve episodically due to cycled compaction and dilation during shearing. With a slip distance of 6 to 8 mm, permeability of the rough surface may enhance up to an order of magnitude, but significant permeability reduction may also occur for rough samples when asperities are highly worn with gouge clogging flow paths. However, there is no obvious correlation between permeability evolution and frictional behavior for rough fracture samples when fractures are subject to sudden sliding velocity changes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Frictional and Lithological Controls on Shallow Slow Slip at the Northern Hikurangi Margin

Slow slip events (SSEs) have been identified at subduction zones globally as an important link in the continuum between elastodynamic ruptures and stable creep. The northern Hikurangi margin is home to shallow SSEs which propagate to within 2 km of the seafloor and possibly to the trench, providing insights into the physical conditions conducive to SSE behavior. We report on a suite of friction experiments performed on protolith material entering the SSE source region at the Hikurangi margin, collected during the International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 375. We performed velocity stepping and slide-hold-slide experiments over a range of fault slip rates, from plate rate (5 cm/yr or 1.6 × 10 –9 m/s) to ~1 mm/s (10 –3 m/s) and quantified the frictional velocity dependence and healing rates for a range of lithologies atdifferent stresses. The frictional velocity dependence (a-b) and critical slip distance DC increase with fault slip rate in our experiments. We observe atransition from velocity weakening to strengthening at slip rates of ~0.3 µm/s. This velocity dependence of DC could be due to a combination of dilatant strengthening and a widening of the active shear zone at higher slip rates. We document low healing rates in the clay-rich volcaniclastic conglomerates, which lie above the incoming plate basement at least locally, and relatively higher healing rates in the chalk lithology. Finally, our experimental constraints on healing rates in different input lithologies extrapolated to timescales of 1–10 years are consistent with the geodetically inferred low stress drops and healing rates characteristic of the Hikurangi SSEs.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Frictional Behavior Downdip Along the Subduction Megathrust: Insights From Laboratory Experiments on Exhumed Samples at In Situ Conditions

Subduction megathrusts exhibit a spectrum of slip modes, including catastrophic earthquakes. Although the mechanical and frictional properties of materials sampled from subduction zones have been studied extensively, few datasets have been collected for compositions and at pressure and temperature conditions representative of those in situ. The Nankai subduction zone in southwest Japan is a well-studied margin, and abundant data provide an opportunity to advance our understanding of fault and earthquake physics. Here, we use samples exhumed in the Shimanto and Sanbagawa Belts on Shikoku Island of southwest Japan that represent analogs for materials along the present-day megathrust at depths of ~5–>25 km, and we shear these at their peak in situ pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions. Effective normal stresses range from 28 to 192 MPa, and temperatures from 105°C to 470°C. We used pore fluid pressures of 45–240 MPa, corresponding to fluid overpressure ratios λ of 0.65 and 0.90. Slip velocities of 0.1–100 μm/s were used, in order to focus on the nucleation of instability and earthquakes. We found predominantly velocity-strengthening (inherently stable) behavior under all conditions for λ = 0.65. For λ = 0.90, velocity-weakening behavior was observed at 350°C, with velocity-strengthening behavior at lower and higher temperatures. The rate/state frictional stability parameter (a-b) increases with slip velocity at temperatures up to ~200°C and remains constant or decreases with slip velocity at higher temperatures. Altogether, our results demonstrate the potentially important roles of both temperature and slip velocity in controlling the distribution of stress and frictional rheology along subduction thrusts.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Note: A rigid piezo motor with large output force and an effective method to reduce sliding friction force

We present a completely practical TunaDrive piezo motor. It consists of a central piezo stack sandwiched by two arm piezo stacks and two leg piezo stacks, respectively, which is then sandwiched and spring-clamped by a pair of parallel polished sapphire rods. It works by alternatively fast expanding and contracting the arm/leg stacks while slowly expanding/contracting the central stack simultaneously. The key point is that sufficiently fast expanding and contracting a limb stack can make its two sliding friction forces well cancel, resulting in the total sliding friction force is <10% of the total static friction force, which can help increase output force greatly. The piezo motor's high compactness, precision, and output force make it perfect in building a high-quality harsh-condition (vibration resistant) atomic resolution scanning probe microscope.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Single-layer MoS{sub 2} roughness and sliding friction quenching by interaction with atomically flat substrates

We experimentally study the surface roughness and the lateral friction force in single-layer MoS{sub 2} crystals deposited on different substrates: SiO{sub 2}, mica, and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Roughness and sliding friction measurements are performed by atomic force microscopy. We find a strong dependence of the MoS{sub 2} roughness on the underlying substrate material, being h-BN the substrate which better preserves the flatness of the MoS{sub 2} crystal. The lateral friction also lowers as the roughness decreases, and attains its lowest value for MoS{sub 2} flakes on h-BN substrates. However, it is still higher than for the surface of a bulk MoS{sub 2} crystal, which we attribute to the deformation of the flake due to competing tip-to-flake and flake-to-substrate interactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗