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NASA NTRS1985

Correction and Geological Analysis of Lunar 3.8 Cm Radar Data

Earth based radar observations of the Moon have been taken at many wavelengths during the last ten years -- at 3.8, 70 cm, and most recently, 7.5 cm. Radar returns have been collected in both polarized and depolarized form so that is possible to derive both topographic and local surface roughness from the data. Until recently, work with 3.8 cm radar data had consisted of qualitative correlation of photographic and thermal IR data with individual depolarized radar data frames (local surface roughness) at different wavelengths. These studies provided results which demonstrated that the relationships between surface roughness (measured by either thermal emission or radar reflectivity) at different wavelengths can be used as an index of a crater's state of degradation (age). However, systematic studies of craters, or other local terrain features, as well as regional or global studies of major terrains (involving a number of data frames), cannot be done until individual frames are calibrated, geometric distortion is removed, and corrected frames are mosaicked.

Clark, P. E.↗

DOE OSTI2020

ScAIN etch mask for highly selective etching

A fabrication process employing the use of ScAlN as an etch mask is disclosed. The ScAlN etch mask is chemically nonvolatile in fluorine-based etch chemistries and has a low sputter yield, resulting in greater etch mask selectivity and reduced surface roughness for silicon and other semiconductor materials. The ScAlN etch mask has an etch mask selectivity of greater than 200,000:1 relative to silicon compared to an etch mask selectivity of less than 40,000:1 for a prior art AlN etch mask relative to silicon. Further, due to reduced sputtering of the ScAlN etch mask, and thus reduced micromasking, the ScAlN etch mask yielded a surface roughness of 0.6 μm compared to a surface roughness of 2.8 μm for an AlN etch mask.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS2005

Effect of Surface Treatment on the Surface Characteristics of AISI 316L Stainless Steel

The ability of 316L stainless steel to maintain biocompatibility, which is dependent upon the surface characteristics, is critical to its effectiveness as an implant material. The surfaces of mechanically polished (MP), electropolished (EP) and plasma treated 316L stainless steel coupons were characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) for chemical composition, Atomic Force Microscopy for surface roughness, and contact angle measurements for critical surface tension. All surfaces had a Ni concentration that was significantly lower than the bulk concentration of -43%. The Cr content of the surface was increased significantly by electropolishing. The surface roughness was also improved significantly by electropolishing. Plasma treatment had the reverse effect - the surface Cr content was decreased. It was also found that the Cr and Fe in the surface exist in both the oxide and hydroxide states, with the ratios varying according to surface treatment.

Trigwell, Steve↗

DOE OSTI2023

Selective laser melting of oxide dispersion strengthened MA956 alloy and its surface finishing by magnetic field assisted finishing

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a prominent metal additive manufacturing (AM) capable of processing a myriad of engineering materials with high precision and design freedom. However, similar to other AM processes, poor surface finishing has been an omnipresent problem in SLM technology. In this study, magnetic field assisted finishing (MAF) was used to finish SLM fabricated oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) MA956, an iron-chromium-aluminum alloy. The effect of laser processing parameters on part density and surface roughness was first studied. Using a multi-objective optimization technique, the optimal parameters to obtain the highest density and lowest surface roughness were determined. Finally, MAF was applied to the parts built with the obtained optimal SLM parameters, but without significant improvement on the surfaces of as-printed samples. Hence, the surfaces of as-printed samples were post-processed (ground) to yield better initial surface conditions prior to MAF. The effect of initial roughness, iron particles size, and abrasive size on MAF performance was studied. Initial roughness had the most dominant effect followed by abrasive size. The underlying mechanism behind the dependency on initial roughness on final surface quality was analyzed by studying the change on the surface profiles with different starting initial roughness. The initial roughness required for MAF to be effective was determined. In conclusion, using the optimal processing conditions, MAF was applied to the post-processed samples to attain the final average surface roughness (R a ) as little as 0.36 μm starting from initial average roughness (R a ) of 1.53 μm.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED SURFACE HEAT TRANSFER ENHANCEMENTS FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL CHALLENGE REACTOR

The Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) is a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor design that uses additively manufactured fuel elements. TCR fuel elements have walls made of silicon carbide and are filled with tristructural-isotropic fuel particles. These fuel elements can have radically different shapes and integrated features than existing designs due to the reduced cost for complex structures in binder jet additive manufacturing. As such, binder jet additive manufacturing enables wall surface features to be embedded that can deliver superior heat transfer performance than smooth wall designs. In this work, the authors conducted a computational fluid dynamics study to evaluate selected wall features integrated into TCR fuel elements. Results show that surface features can outperform smooth wall designs; however, there are unique challenges for gas-cooled reactor core designs that have not been fully explored by previous research. For example, the rough surface finish and process variability of ceramics additive manufacturing make it challenging to predict surface roughness effects before fabrication. Additionally, the small hydraulic diameters of coolant channels in reactor cores make it difficult to engineer surface features that do not significantly increase the pressure drop. Engineers must carefully size surface features for heat transfer enhancement in additive fuel elements to operate above the base material's surface roughness effects and below the coolant channel size.

Weinmeister, Justin↗

DOE OSTI2021

Impact of Additive Manufacturing on Internal Cooling Channels With Varying Diameters and Build Directions

Abstract The use of additive manufacturing (AM) processes, such as direct metal laser sintering, provides the design freedom required to incorporate complex cooling schemes in gas turbine components. Additively manufactured turbine components have a range of cooling feature sizes and, because of the inherent three-dimensionality, a wide range of build angles. Previous studies have shown that AM built directions influence internal channel surface roughness that, in turn, augment heat transfer and pressure loss. This study investigates the impact of AM on channel feature size and builds direction relative to tolerance, surface roughness, pressure losses, and convective cooling. Multiple AM coupons were built from Inconel 718 consisting of channels with different diameters and a variety of build directions. An experimental rig was used to measure pressure drop to calculate friction factor and was used to impose a constant surface temperature boundary condition to collect Nusselt number over a range of Reynolds numbers. Significant variations in surface roughness and geometric deviations from the design intent were observed for distinct build directions and channel sizes. These differences led to notable impacts in friction factor and Nusselt number augmentations, which were a strong function of build angle.

Engineering↗

DOE OSTI2023

Machine-to-machine variability of roughness and corrosion in additively manufactured 316L stainless steel

Numerous studies on the corrosion response of metal AM have been conducted. Nonetheless, the specimens being tested are commonly ground or polished to remove the outer as-built surface. If metal AM is truly going to be employed as a transformative technology that can produce complex shapes that do not require traditional machining, then the material needs to be evaluated in the as-built state. The reality is that AM alloys have shown significant inconsistencies regarding as-built surface texture, topology, and residual stress. One metric that has shown significant unpredictability in the literature is the susceptibility to localized corrosion of typically passive alloys, such as stainless steel (SS). There are a large number of studies that have attempted to understand the corrosion response of metal AM materials, but these studies are typically performed on materials that have been printed on a single machine and often mechanically polished to a smooth finish. This study compares the corrosion response of as-built AM, laser-beam powder bed fusion (LB-PBF), 316L SS parts that have been fabricated on five different machines. The majority of this work focused on understanding the susceptibility to localized corrosion of AM metals with respect to machine-dependent variables, namely surface roughness, and build angle. Surface roughness data was collected using scanning white light triangulation, laser scanning confocal microscopy, and coherence scanning interferometry. The results show that there is significant variability (p two-tail < 0.05) in the susceptibility to local corrosion initiation of LB-PBF 316L SS samples built on different machines. Surface oxides were probed with electron dispersive spectroscopy and revealed that variations in local corrosion susceptibility likely arise from differences in the stability of the passive film caused by chemical segregation, unique microstructure, and tortuous roughness features at the as-built surfaces. The variability of roughness and corrosion properties from test samples printed on different machines was corroborated by property measurements performed at five different testing sites, proving reproducibility of the data. Most importantly, this study shows that if the as-built surface layer is removed through grinding or electropolishing the machine-to-machine variation observed in the corrosion susceptibility is reduced.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS2015

OSOAA: A Vector Radiative Transfer Model of Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean System for a Rough Sea Surface Application to the Estimates of the Directional Variations of the Water Leaving Reflectance to Better Process Multi-angular Satellite Sensors Data Over the Ocean

In this study, we present a radiative transfer model, so-called OSOAA, that is able to predict the radiance and degree of polarization within the coupled atmosphere-ocean system in the presence of a rough sea surface. The OSOAA model solves the radiative transfer equation using the successive orders of scattering method. Comparisons with another operational radiative transfer model showed a satisfactory agreement within 0.8%. The OSOAA model has been designed with a graphical user interface to make it user friendly for the community. The radiance and degree of polarization are provided at any level, from the top of atmosphere to the ocean bottom. An application of the OSOAA model is carried out to quantify the directional variations of the water leaving reflectance and degree of polarization for phytoplankton and mineral-like dominated waters. The difference between the water leaving reflectance at a given geometry and that obtained for the nadir direction could reach 40%, thus questioning the Lambertian assumption of the sea surface that is used by inverse satellite algorithms dedicated to multi-angular sensors. It is shown as well that the directional features of the water leaving reflectance are weakly dependent on wind speed. The quantification of the directional variations of the water leaving reflectance obtained in this study should help to correctly exploit the satellite data that will be acquired by the current or forthcoming multi-angular satellite sensors.

Ocean surface↗

NASA NTRS2002

ENVISAT Land Surface Processes

This is a progress report of the 2nd phase of the project ENVISAT- Land Surface Processes, which has a 3-year scope. In this project, preparative research is carried out aiming at the retrieval of land surface characteristics from the ENVISAT sensors MERIS and AATSR, for assimilation into a system for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). Where in the 1st phase a number of first shot experiments were carried out (aiming at gaining experience with the retrievals and data assimilation procedures), the current 2nd phase has put more emphasis on the assessment and improvement of the quality of the retrieved products. The forthcoming phase will be devoted mainly to the data assimilation experiments and the assessment of the added value of the future ENVISAT products for NWP forecast skill. Referring to the retrieval of albedo, leaf area index and atmospheric corrections, preliminary radiative transfer calculations have been carried out that should enable the retrieval of these parameters once AATSR and MERIS data become available. However, much of this work is still to be carried out. An essential part of work in this area is the design and implementation of software that enables an efficient use of MODTRAN(sub 4) radiative transfer code, and during the current project phase familiarization with these new components has been achieved. Significant progress has been made with the retrieval of component temperatures from directional ATSR-images, and the calculation of surface turbulent heat fluxes from these data. The impact of vegetation cover on the retrieved component temperatures appears manageable, and preliminary comparison of foliage temperature to air temperatures were encouraging. The calculation of surface fluxes using the SEBI concept,which includes a detailed model of the surface roughness ratio, appeared to give results that were in reasonable agreement with local measurements with scintillometer devices. The specification of the atmospheric boundary conditions appears a crucial component, and the use of first guess estimates from the RACMO models partially explains the success. Earlier data assimilation experiments with directional surface temperatures have been analysed a bit further and were also compared to results obtained from directly modeling the surface roughness ratio. Results between these calculations and the data assimilation results appeared well comparable, but a full test in which the surface roughness model is allowed to play a free role during the data assimilation process has yet to be carried out. A considerable number of tasks that have yet to be carried out during Phase 3 has been formulated.

vandenHurk, B. J. J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The response of turbulent boundary layers to sudden pertubations

The processes present in a turbulent boundary layer (BL) which experiences a sudden change in the surface roughness are discussed in terms of numerical models in comparison with empirical data. Consideration is limited to flow perturbations which preserve the BL approximation. Generalized continuity, momentum and turbulent energy transport equations are reviewed. The perturbed BL has two regions: one with large velocity gradients and an outer zone with smaller gradients. Expressions are defined for the velocity and temperature profiles and the roughness length after a step change in surface roughness, which causes the disturbance. A pertrurbation could also arise from a heat flux input of a pressure gradient. The effects of the shape of the perturbing step and the presence of several disturbing edges are explored. Finally, it is shown that closure forms and constants for self-preserving flows are worthy of further development because of their demonstrable abilities to describe simple perturbed flows.

Smits, A. J.↗

NASA NTRS2007

RadSTAR L-Band Imaging Scatterometer: Performance Assessment

RadSTAR is an instrument development program aimed at combining a radiometer and a scatterometer system into a highly compact configuration that uses a single, electronically scanned antenna to provide co-located and simultaneous measurements of emission and backscatter for airborne and spaceborne applications [I]. The program was designed to map soil moisture and ocean salinity, both important components of the water cycle, and to map sea ice density and thickness, an important factor in ocean-atmosphere heat exchange in Polar Regions. The accuracy in estimation of these and a number of other Earth science parameters can be greatly enhanced by providing the co-aligned radar/radiometer microwave measurements. For instance, radiometer estimates of soil moisture from soil emission are affected by emission from vegetation, and from the roughness of the surface. Complementary measurements using the scatterometer can be used to evaluate the vegetation and surface roughness effects. Hence, the combined observations can provide an improved estimate. As with soil moisture, the ocean salinity is a function of the microwave emission from the sea surface temperature (SST) and sea roughness. There, the addition of radar backscatter measurements of sea roughness enables the correction of the emissivity and provide more accurate estimates of ocean salinity. Similar arguments can be made for other important Earth science parameters. This paper discusses the RadSTAR program, the radar system design, calibration, and digital beamforming techniques, and presents preliminary analysis of the data collected during the test flights. The data sets obtained during the flights and during the radar calibration in the anechoic chamber are also employed to asses the performance of the radar. The paper also discusses the Digital Beamforming Synthetic Aperture Radar (DBSAR) processor, a real-time processor recently developed for the LIS instrument which enables beam synthesis, fine resolutions, and large swaths.

Rincon, Rafael↗

NASA NTRS1991

Separation of vegetation and rock signatures in Thematic Mapper and polarimetric SAR images

A technique for separating classes of surface roughness and vegetation in semiarid regions using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and Thematic Mapper data is developed. Polarimetric SAR data may be used to separate areas with less than 10 percent vegetation cover where one suite of model inversions may be applicable for derivation of surface roughness. In more vegetated regions, visible/near-infrared data provide a mechanism for determining the relative contribution of vegetation to multiple scattering in the SAR data. Thus, the synergistic use of the two data sets provides a more complete characterization of surface units and cover. This result is critical when trying to monitor dielectric constant variations related to changes in moisture content of soil and vegetation cover in arid to semiarid regions. A strategy for automating a procedure for measurement of surface roughness is proposed.

Evans, Diane L.↗

NASA NTRS1984

The role of the reflection coefficient in precision measurement of ultrasonic attenuation

Ultrasonic attenuation measurements using contact, pulse-echo techniques are sensitive to surface roughness and couplant thickness variations. This can reduce considerable inaccuracies in the measurement of the attenuation coefficient for broadband pulses. Inaccuracies arise from variations in the reflection coefficient at the buffer-couplant-sample interface. The reflection coefficient is examined as a function of the surface roughness and corresponding couplant thickness variations. Interrelations with ultrasonic frequency are illustrated. Reliable attenuation measurements are obtained only when the frequency dependence of the reflection coefficient is incorporated in signal analysis. Data are given for nickel 200 samples and a silicon nitride ceramic bar having surface roughness variations in the 0.3 to 3.0 microns range for signal bandwidths in the 50 to 100 MHz range.

Generazio, E. R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The role of the reflection coefficient in precision measurement of ultrasonic attenuation

Generazio, E. R.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Texturing Carbon-carbon Composite Radiator Surfaces Utilizing Atomic Oxygen

Future space nuclear power systems will require radiator technology to dissipate excess heat created by a nuclear reactor. Large radiator fins with circulating coolant are in development for this purpose and an investigation of how to make them most efficient is underway. Maximizing the surface area while minimizing the mass of such radiator fins is critical for obtaining the highest efficiency in dissipating heat. Processes to develop surface roughness are under investigation to maximize the effective surface area of a radiator fin. Surface roughness is created through several methods including oxidation and texturing. The effects of atomic oxygen impingement on carbon-carbon surfaces are currently being investigated for texturing a radiator surface. Early studies of atomic oxygen impingement in low Earth orbit indicate significant texturing due to ram atomic oxygen. The surface morphology of the affected surfaces shows many microscopic cones and valleys which have been experimentally shown to increase radiation emittance. Further study of this morphology proceeded in the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). Atomic oxygen experiments on the LDEF successfully duplicated the results obtained from materials in spaceflight by subjecting samples to 4.5 eV atomic oxygen from a fixed ram angle. These experiments replicated the conical valley morphology that was seen on samples subjected to low Earth orbit.

Raack, Taylor↗

NASA NTRS1993

Analysis of Ku-band cross section at low incidence angles

This study is using airborne Ku-band data to address questions which have implications for both model function development and for advancing our physical understanding of the sea surface. Concurrent measurements of ocean directional spectra, significant wave height, and mean surface roughness are made using the capabilities of the radar ocean wave spectrometer (ROWS). The NASA/GSFC's ROWS is a 15 GHz pulse compressed radar which is a radar sensor designed to measure the direction of the long wave components using spectral analysis of the tilt induced reflectively modulation. The ROWS are modified to cycle at 50 Hz for the scanning spectrometer antenna and a wide beamwidth nadir altimeter mode. This change allows the sensor to simultaneously measure directional wave spectra, wave height, mean square slope parameter, and small scale surface roughness. The surface stress caused by the wind is widely believed to be the predominant quantity related to the Ku-band radar cross section for a wide range of incidence angles. The complete coverage in the quasi specular region provided by one sensor is essential to understand the uncertainties between the scattering model and what is happening on the surface. For this presentation, special attention is devoted to sort out some measurement of the anisotropy associated with the band of high frequencies. Using the other geophysical parameters, comparisons are then made with the classic spectral form currentlyused to describe the wind impact on the sea surface.

Chapron, B.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Deterministic multi-zone ice accretion modeling

The focus here is on a deterministic model of the surface roughness transition behavior of glaze ice. The initial smooth/rough transition location, bead formation, and the propagation of the transition location are analyzed. Based on the hypothesis that the smooth/rough transition location coincides with the laminar/turbulent boundary layer transition location, a multizone model is implemented in the LEWICE code. In order to verify the effectiveness of the model, ice accretion predictions for simple cylinders calculated by the multizone LEWICE are compared to experimental ice shapes. The glaze ice shapes are found to be sensitive to the laminar surface roughness and bead thickness parameters controlling the transition location, while the ice shapes are found to be insensitive to the turbulent surface roughness.

Yamaguchi, K.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Deterministic multi-zone ice accretion modeling

The study focuses on a deterministic model of the surface roughness transition behavior of glaze ice and analyzes the initial smooth/rough transition location, bead formation, and the propagation of the transition location. Based on a hypothesis that the smooth/rough transition location coincides with the laminar/turbulent boundary-layer transition location, a multizone model is implemented in the LEWICE code. In order to verify the effectiveness of the model, ice accretion predictions for simple cylinders calculated by the multizone LEWICE are compared to experimental ice shapes. The glaze ice shapes are found to be sensitive to the laminar surface roughness and bead thickness parameters controlling the transition location, while the ice shapes are found to be insensitive to the turbulent surface roughness.

Yamaguchi, K.↗