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NASA NTRS1993

Spectroscopic investigations of beam-plasma interactions in an ion plume

We report the results of spectroscopic investigations of beam-plasma interactions in the plume from a 3 cm ion source operated on argon. Ion-electron, ion-neutral, and electron-neutral scattering are identified by studying the dependence of neutral and ion emission intensities on chamber pressure and mass flow rate, and by analyzing the emission lineshapes at a non-orthogonal angle to the plume axis. Through the Doppler shift, we are able to separate contributions from fast beam ions and fast charge-exchange neutrals on the one hand, and of slow neutrals and slow ions on the other. We discuss the application of this new technique to the characterization of beam plasma interactions in the downstream region of ion thruster engines, and its potential for identifying the processes which lead to grid erosion.

Ruyten, W. M.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Experimental transient and permanent deformation studies of steel-sphere-impacted or impulsively-loaded aluminum beams with clamped ends

The sheet explosive loading technique (SELT) was employed to obtain elastic-plastic, large-deflection transient and/or permanent strain data on simple well-defined structural specimens and materials: initially-flat 6061-T651 aluminum beams with both ends ideally clamped via integral construction. The SELT loading technique was chosen since it is both convenient and provides forcing function information of small uncertainty. These data will be useful for evaluating pertinent structural response prediction methods. A second objective was to obtain high-quality transient-strain data for a well-defined structural/material model subjected to impact by a rigid body of known mass, impact velocity, and geometry; large-deflection, elastic-plastic transient response conditions are of primary interest. The beam with both ends clamped and a steel sphere as the impacting body were chosen. The steel sphere was launched vertically by explosive propulsion to achieve various desired impact velocities. The sphere/beam impact tests resulted in producing a wide range of structural responses and permanent deformations, including rupture of the beam from excessive structural response in two cases. The transient and permanent strain data as well as the permanent deflection data obtained are of high quality and should be useful for checking and evaluating methods for predicting the responses of simple 2-d structures to fragment (sphere) impact. Transient strain data very close to the point of impact were not obtained over as long a time as desirable because the gage(s) in that region became detached during the transient response.

Witmer, E. A.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Hollow cathode startup using a microplasma discharge

Attention is given to a microplasma discharge to initiate a hollow cathode discharge for such applications as plasma flow experiments, the electric propulsion of space vehicles, and as a replacement for filament cathodes in neutral beam injector ion sources. The technique results in a cathode that is easy to start, simple in design, and which does not require external RF exciters, inserts or heating elements. Future applications may include ion beam milling and ion implantation.

Aston, G.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Detecting overpenetration of electron-beam welds

Gold plate beneath weldment reveals areas of excess penetration during X-ray inspection. Technique is applicable to critical electron-beam welds, such as those in gas turbines and pressure vessels.

Macfarlane, D. I.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Ion beam sputter etching and deposition of fluoropolymers

Fluoropolymer etching and deposition techniques including thermal evaporation, RF sputtering, plasma polymerization, and ion beam sputtering are reviewed. Etching and deposition mechanism and material characteristics are discussed. Ion beam sputter etch rates for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were determined as a function of ion energy, current density and ion beam power density. Peel strengths were measured for epoxy bonds to various ion beam sputtered fluoropolymers. Coefficients of static and dynamic friction were measured for fluoropolymers deposited from ion bombarded PTFE.

Banks, B. A.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Ion beam sputter etching and deposition of fluoropolymers

Fluoropolymer etching and deposition techniques including thermal evaporation, RF sputtering, plasma polymerization, and ion beam sputtering are reviewed. Etching and deposition mechanisms and material characteristics are discussed. Ion beam sputter etch rates for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were determined as a function of ion energy, current density and ion beam power density. Peel strengths were measured for epoxy bonds to various ion beam sputtered fluoropolymers. Coefficients of static and dynamic friction were measured for fluoropolymers deposited from ion bombarded PTFE.

Banks, B. A.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The stress intensity factor for the double cantilever beam

Fourier transforms and the Wiener-Hopf technique are used in conjunction with plane elastostatics to examine the singular crack tip stress field in the double cantilever beam (DCB) specimen. In place of the Dirac delta function, a family of functions which duplicates the important features of the concentrated forces without introducing unmanageable mathematical complexities is used as a loading function. With terms of order h-squared/a-squared retained in the series expansion, the dimensionless stress intensity factor is found to be K (h to the 1/2)/P = 12 to the 1/2 (a/h + 0.6728 + 0.0377 h-squared/a-squared), in which P is the magnitude of the concentrated forces per unit thickness, a is the distance from the crack tip to the points of load application, and h is the height of each cantilever beam. The result is similar to that obtained by Gross and Srawley by fitting a line to discrete results from their boundary collocation analysis.

Fichter, W. B.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Efficiency measurement techniques for calibration of a prototype 34-meter-diameter beam-waveguide antenna at 8.45 and 32 GHz

Efficiency measurements at 8.45 and 32 GHz (X and Ka bands, respectively) were carried out on the new 34 m diameter beam waveguide antenna now in use at the NASA Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex. The use of portable test packages enabled measurements at both the Cassegrain and beam waveguide focal points. Radio sources (quasars and Venus) were used as calibrators, and updated determinations of flux and source size correction were made during the period of the measurements. Gain and efficiency determinations as a function of elevation angle are presented, and the effects of the beam waveguide system and antenna structure are clearly seen. At the beam waveguide focus, an 8.45 GHz peak efficiency of 72.38 pct was measured; at 32 GHz, 44.89 pct was measured.

Slobin, Stephen D.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Deflection of polarised radiation - Relative phase delay technique

The article discusses the geodesic motion of photons, considering particularly whether oppositely polarized photons fall at the same rate. It is assumed that orthogonally polarized photons would be equally deflected by the gravitational field of a nonrotating mass. Upon the introduction of rotation, the angular momentum of the deflecting source couples to the photon spin through gravitational field action. Thus there arise separate trajectories for orthogonal polarizations. Searching for changes in polarization in a deflected beam is accomplished by a relative phase delay technique. If the beam is split into orthogonal linear polarization, final polarization is elliptical. Experiments have been performed on searching for ellipticity developments in the linearly polarized carrier waves from Helios 1 and 2, and the results are presented.

Dennison, B.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Nonintrusive spectroscopic techniques for supersonic/hypersonic aerodynamics and combustion diagnostics

This paper presents an overview of the primary nonintrusive diagnostic techniques being developed by the NASA Langley Research Center to address the validation needs of Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) codes. The techniques include absorption in the UV and IR, Laser Induced Fluorescence, electron beam fluorescence, and a number of scattering techniques including Rayleigh, spontaneous Raman, and several coherent Raman spectroscopies. Most of the techniques are highly specialized, require complex data interpretation, and can satisfy only a few of the CFD needs. For these reasons, the evolving trend in flowfield diagnostics appears to favor a mode in which the diagnostic researcher, the experimental aerodynamicist, and the CFD community jointly define experiments based on the aeronautical requirements and on available diagnostic techniques.

Exton, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Multi-Beam Surface Lidar for Lunar and Planetary Mapping

Surface lidar techniques are now being demonstrated in low Earth orbit with a single beam of pulsed laser radiation at 1064 nm that profiles the vertical structure of Earth surface landforms along the nadir track of a spacecraft. In addition, a profiling laser altimeter, called MOLA, is operating in elliptical Martian orbit and returning surface topography data. These instruments form the basis for suggesting an improved lidar instrument that employs multiple beams for extension of sensor capabilities toward the goal of true, 3-dimensional mapping of the Moon or other similar planetary surfaces. In general the lidar waveform acquired with digitization of a laser echo can be used for laser distance measurement (i.e. range-to-the-surface) by time-of-flight measurement and for surface slope and shape measurements by examining the detailed lidar waveform. This is particularly effective when the intended target is the lunar surface or another planetary body free of any atmosphere. The width of the distorted return pulse is a first order measure of the surface incidence angle, a combination of surface slope and laser beam pointing. Assuming an independent and absolute (with respect to inertial space) measurement of laser beam pointing on the spacecraft, it is possible to derive a surface slope with-respect-to the mean planetary surface or its equipotential gravity surface. Higher-order laser pulse distortions can be interpreted in terms of the vertical relief of the surface or reflectivity variations within the area of the laser beam footprint on the surface.

Bufton, Jack L.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Hydrogen as an atomic beam standard

After a preliminary discussion of feasibility, new experimental work with a hydrogen beam is described. A space focused magnetic resonance technique with separated oscillatory fields is used with a monochromatic beam of cold hydrogen atoms which are selected from a higher temperature source. The first resonance curves and other experimental results are presented. These results are interpreted from the point of view of accuracy potential and frequency stability, and are compared with hydrogen maser and cesium beam capabilities.

Peters, H. E.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Experimental evaluation of tailored chordwise deformable box beam and correlation with theory

This paper describes an experimental methodology based upon the use of a flexible sling support and load application system that has been created and utilized to evaluate a box beam which incorporates an elastic tailoring technology. The design technique used here for elastically tailoring the composite box beam structure is to produce exaggerated chordwise camber deformation of substantial magnitude to be of practical use in the new composite aircraft wings. The traditional methods such as a four-point bend test to apply constant bending moment with rigid fixtures inhibits the designed chordwise deformation from occurring and, hence, the need for the new test method. The experimental results for global camber and spanwise bending compliances correlate well with theoretical predictions based on a beam-like model.

Rehfield, Lawrence W.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Focal-Plane Imaging of Crossed Beams in Nonlinear Optics Experiments

An application of focal-plane imaging that can be used as a real time diagnostic of beam crossing in various optical techniques is reported. We discuss two specific versions and demonstrate the capability of maximizing system performance with an example in a combined dual-pump coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering interferometric Rayleigh scattering experiment (CARS-IRS). We find that this imaging diagnostic significantly reduces beam alignment time and loss of CARS-IRS signals due to inadvertent misalignments.

Bivolaru, Daniel↗

NASA NTRS2002

Characterization of 2219 Aluminum Produced by Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication

Researchers at NASA Langley Research Center are developing a new electron beam freeform fabrication (EB F(sup 3)) technique to fabricate metal parts. This process introduces metal wire into a molten pool created by a focused electron beam. Potential aerospace applications for this technology include ground-based fabrication of airframe structures and on-orbit construction and repair of space components and structures. Processing windows for reliably producing high quality 2219 aluminum parts using the EB F(sup 3) technique are being defined. The effects of translation speed, wire feed rate, and beam power on the resulting microstructures and mechanical properties are explored. Tensile properties (ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation) show little effect over the range of processing conditions tested. Basic processing-microstructure-property correlations are drawn for the EB F(sup 3) process.

Taminger, Karen M. B.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Three-dimensional gas turbulence measurement with a laser-Doppler velocimeter system

Laser-Doppler system records gas-velocity data over wide dynamic range in three-dimensional space without physical probe. System detects shift in laser beam scattered by flowing particles and uses this frequency to calculate particle velocities. Technique is based on principle that laser beam scattered by flowing particles is shifted in frequency by amount proportional to laser frequency.

Fuller, C. E.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Gas Shielding Technology for Welding and Brazing

Welding is a common method that allows two metallic materials to be joined together with high structural integrity. When joints need to be leak-tight, light-weight, or free of contaminant-trapping seams or surface asperities, welding tends to be specified. There are many welding techniques, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of these techniques include Forge Welding, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, Friction Stir Welding, and Laser Beam Welding to name a few. Whichever technique is used, the objective is a structural joint that meets the requirements of a particular component or assembly. A key practice in producing quality welds is the use of shielding gas. This article discusses various weld techniques, quality of the welds, and importance of shielding gas in each of those techniques. Metallic bonds, or joints, are produced when metals are put into intimate contact. In the solid-state "blacksmith welding" process, now called Forge Welding (FOW), the site to be joined is pounded into intimate contact. The surfaces to be joined usually need to be heated to make it easier to deform the metal. The surfaces are sprinkled with a flux to melt surface oxides and given a concave shape so that surface contamination can be squeezed out of the joint as the surfaces are pounded together; otherwise the surface contamination would be trapped in the joint and would weaken the weld. In solid-state welding processes surface oxides or other contamination are typically squeezed out of the joint in "flash."

Nunes, Arthur J.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Patterned Growth of Carbon Nanotubes or Nanofibers

A method and apparatus for the growth of carbon nanotubes or nanofibers in a desired pattern has been invented. The essence of the method is to grow the nanotubes or nanofibers by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) onto a patterned catalyst supported by a substrate. The figure schematically depicts salient aspects of the method and apparatus in a typical application. A substrate is placed in a chamber that contains both ion-beam sputtering and CVD equipment. The substrate can be made of any of a variety of materials that include several forms of silicon or carbon, and selected polymers, metals, ceramics, and even some natural minerals and similar materials. Optionally, the substrate is first coated with a noncatalytic metal layer (which could be a single layer or could comprise multiple different sublayers) by ion-beam sputtering. The choice of metal(s) and thickness(es) of the first layer (if any) and its sublayers (if any) depends on the chemical and electrical properties required for subsequent deposition of the catalyst and the subsequent CVD of the carbon nanotubes. A typical first-sublayer metal is Pt, Pd, Cr, Mo, Ti, W, or an alloy of two or more of these elements. A typical metal for the second sublayer or for an undivided first layer is Al at a thickness .1 nm or Ir at a thickness .5 nm. Proper choice of the metal for a second sublayer of a first layer makes it possible to use a catalyst that is chemically incompatible with the substrate. In the next step, a mask having holes in the desired pattern is placed over the coated substrate. The catalyst is then deposited on the coated substrate by ion-beam sputtering through the mask. Optionally, the catalyst could be deposited by a technique other than sputtering and/or patterned by use of photolithography, electron- beam lithography, or another suitable technique. The catalytic metal can be Fe, Co, Ni, or an alloy of two or more of these elements, deposited to a typical thickness in the range from 0.1 to 20 nm.

Delzeit, Lance D.↗