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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 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Photo-Curing: UV Radiation curing of polymers

The Polymers Branch of the Materials Division is dedicated to the development of high-performance for a variety of applications. Areas of significant interest include high- temperature polymers, low density, and high strength insulating materials, conductive polymers, and high density polymer electrolytes. This summer our group is working diligently on a photo-curing project. There is interest in the medical community feel the need for a new and improved balloon that will be used for angioplasty (a form of heart surgery). This product should maintain flexibility but add many other properties. Like possibly further processability and resistance to infection. Our group intends on coming up with this product by using photo-enolization (or simply, photo-curing) by Diels-Alder trapping. The main objective was to synthesize a series of new polymers by Diels-Alder cycloaddition of photoenols with more elastomeric properties. Our group was responsible for performing the proper photo-curing techniques of the polymers with diacrylates and bismaleimides, synthesizing novel monomers, and evaluating experimental results. We attempted to use a diacrylate to synthesize the polymer because of previous research done within the Polymers Branch here at NASA. Most acrylates are commercially available, have more elastometric properties than a typical rigid aromatic structure has and they contain ethylene oxides in the middle of their structure that create extensive flexibility. The problem we encountered with the acrylates is that they photo chemically and thermally self polymerize and create diradicals at low temperatures; these constraints caused a lot of unnecessary side reactions. We want to promote solely, diketone polymerization because this type of polymerization has the ability to cause very elastic polymers. We chose to direct our attention towards the usage of maleimides because they are known for eliminating these unnecessary side reactions.

Inman, Christina A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Advances in Thin Film Thermocouple Durability Under High Temperature and Pressure Testing Conditions

Thin film thermocouples for measuring material surface temperature have been previously demonstrated on several material systems and in various hostile test environments. A well-developed thin film fabrication procedure utilizing shadow masking for patterning the sensors elements had produced thin films with sufficient durability for applications in high temperature and pressure environments that exist in air-breathing and hydrogen-fueled burner rig and engine test facilities. However, while shadow masking had been a reliable method for specimens with flat and gently curved surfaces, it had not been consistently reliable for use on test components with sharp contours. This work reports on the feasibility of utilizing photolithography processing for patterning thin film thermocouples. Because this patterning process required changes in the thin film deposition process from that developed for shadow masking, the effect of these changes on thin film adherence during burner rig testing was evaluated. In addition to the results of changing the patterning method, the effects on thin film adherence of other processes used in the thin film fabrication procedure is also presented.

Martin, Lisa C.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Temperature effect of elastic anisotropy and internal strain development in advanced nanostructured alloys: An in-situ synchrotron X-ray investigation

Nanostructured ferritic alloys (NFAs) are a promising structural material for advanced nuclear systems due to their exceptional radiation tolerance and high-temperature mechanical properties. Their remarkable properties result from the ultrafine ultrahigh density Y-Ti-O nanoclusters dispersed within the ferritic matrix. In this work, we performed in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction tests to study the tensile deformation process of the three types of NFAs: 9YWTV, 14YWT-sm13, and 14YWT-sm170 at both room temperature and elevated temperatures. A technique was developed, combining Kroner’s model and X-ray measurement, to determine the intrinsic monocrystal elastic-stiffness constants, and polycrystal Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio of the NFAs. Temperature dependence of elastic anisotropy was observed in the NFAs. An analysis of intergranular strain and strengthening factors determined that 14YWT-sm13 had a higher resistance to temperature softening compared to 9YWTV, attributed to the more effective nanoparticle strengthening during high-temperature mechanical loading.

Gan, Yingye↗
NASA NTRS2004

Microstructural Optimization of High Temperature SiC/SiC Composites

Advanced materials and process approaches are described that have allowed NASA to develop five state-of-the-art silicon carbide (SiC) fiber-reinforced hybrid-SiC matrix composite systems that can operate under mechanical loading and oxidizing conditions for hundreds of hours at upper use temperatures from 1200 to 1450 C. Key data are presented that demonstrate the ability of these materials to meet the first-level property requirements for hot-section components in advanced gas turbine engines.

DiCarlo, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Vacuum Plasma Spray (VPS) Forming of Solar Thermal Propulsion Components Using Refractory Metals

The Thermal Spray Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has developed and demonstrated a fabrication technique using Vacuum Plasma Spray (VPS) to form structural components from a tungsten/rhenium alloy. The components were assembled into an absorption cavity for a fully-functioning, ground test unit of a solar thermal propulsion engine. The VPS process deposits refractory metal onto a graphite mandrel of the desired shape. The mandrel acts as a male mold, forming the required contour and dimensions of the inside surface of the deposit. Tungsten and tungsten/25% rhenium were used in the development and production of several absorber cavity components. These materials were selected for their high temperature (less than 2500 C) strength. Each absorber cavity comprises 3 coaxial shells with two, double-helical flow passages through which the propellant gas flows. This paper describes the processing techniques, design considerations, and process development associated with forming these engine components.

Zimmerman, Frank↗
NASA NTRS2005

High-Temperature Piezoelectric Ceramic Developed

Active combustion control of spatial and temporal variations in the local fuel-to-air ratio is of considerable interest for suppressing combustion instabilities in lean gas turbine combustors and, thereby, achieving lower NOx levels. The actuator for fuel modulation in gas turbine combustors must meet several requirements: (1) bandwidth capability of 1000 Hz, (2) operating temperature compatible with the fuel temperature, which is in the vicinity of 400 F, (3) stroke of approximately 4 mils (100 m), and (4) force of 300 lb-force. Piezoelectric actuators offer the fastest response time (microsecond time constants) and can generate forces in excess of 2000 lb-force. The state-of-the-art piezoceramic material in industry today is Pb(Zr,Ti)O3, called PZT. This class of piezoelectric ceramic is currently used in diesel fuel injectors and in the development of high-response fuel modulation valves. PZT materials are generally limited to operating temperatures of 250 F, which is 150 F lower than the desired operating temperature for gas turbine combustor fuel-modulation injection valves. Thus, there is a clear need to increase the operating temperature range of piezoceramic devices for active combustion control in gas turbine engines.

Sayir, Ali↗
NASA NTRS2012

Overview of NASA's Microgravity Materials Research Program

The NASA microgravity materials program is dedicated to conducting microgravity experiments and related modeling efforts that will help us understand the processes associated with the formation of materials. This knowledge will help improve ground based industrial production of such materials. The currently funded investigations include research on the distribution of dopants and formation of defects in semiconductors, transitions between columnar and dendritic grain morphology, coarsening of phase boundaries, competition between thermally and kinetically favored phases, and the formation of glassy vs. crystalline material. NASA microgravity materials science investigators are selected for funding either through a proposal in response to a NASA Research Announcement or by participation in a team proposing to a foreign agency research announcement. In the latter case, a US investigator participating in a successful proposal to a foreign agency can then apply to NASA for funding of an unsolicited proposal. The program relies on cooperation with other aerospace partners from around the world. The ISS facilities used for these investigations are provided primarily by partnering with foreign agencies and in most cases the US investigators are working as a part of a larger team studying a specific area of materials science. The following facilities are to be utilized for the initial investigations. The ESA provided Low Gradient Facility and the Solidification and Quench Inserts to the Materials Research Rack/Materials Science Laboratory are to be used primarily for creating bulk samples that are directionally solidified or quenched from a high temperature melt. The CNES provided DECLIC facility is used to observe morphological development in transparent materials. The ESA provided Electro-Magnetic Levitator (EML) is designed to levitate, melt and then cool samples in order to study nucleation behavior. The facility provides conditions in which nucleation of the solid is not triggered from the wall and in which fluid flows in the sample can be controlled and manipulated. These conditions allow scientists ideal conditions for understanding the relative amounts and distribution of different phases that form in the solid. Finally, the Coarsening of Solid Liquid Melts hardware allows quenching of low temperature samples in the Microgravity Science Glovebox.

Downey, James Patton↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Size Effects on Laser Powder Bed Fusion and Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition GRCop-42 Alloy

Additive manufacturing (AM) plays a significant role in the fabrication of regeneratively cooled rocket engine combustion chambers, where internal channels are used to transport high pressure propellants to keep the engine from overheating. Cooling channels are designed with thin walls between the cooling and combustion sides, experiencing high thermal and mechanical stresses from large temperature gradients and internal pressures. Hence, selecting materials suited for this environment and maintaining a high-quality processing for this critical application is of utmost importance. GRCop-alloys (Cu-Cr-Nb) were developed as an ideal material for combustion chambers due to its high conductivity and high strength at temperature, being employed as a structural member for the hotwall with excellent heat transfer capabilities. GRCop-42 (Cu, 4 at% Cr, 2 at% Nb) has significantly matured using the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) process through microstructure, mechanical and thermophysical properties and evaluations using hot-fire testing. Additionally, Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition (LP-DED) has demonstrated successful deposition and geometry samples using GRCop-42. While the maturation in properties has focused on bulk material properties from standard test specimens, these cannot be extrapolated to be used in thin walls, as different features (i.e., microstructure, porosity, and surface texture) have a greater effect on thin walls, especially on AM structures built using L-PBF and LP-DED. This presentation provides an overview of the effects introduced by reducing the thickness on the fabrication, microstructure, surface metrology and subsequent mechanical properties of GRCop-42 using L-PBF and LP-DED as well as future work planned for this research.

Gabriel Demeneghi↗
DOE OSTI2017

Report on the Installation and Preparedness of a Protochips Fusion in-situ Heating Holder for TEM

This brief report documents the procurement and installation of a Protochips Fusion (formerly Aduro) high-temperature, high stability transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimen holder that allows for the high spatial resolution characterization of material specimens at high temperature in situ of an electron microscope. This specimen holder was specifically procured for use with The FEI Talos F200X Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) in Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) Low Activation Materials Development and Analysis (LAMDA) Laboratory. The Protochips Fusion holder will enable high-resolution structural and chemical analysis of irradiated materials at high temperature, becoming a unique capability worldwide, and would encourage high-quality in situ experiments to be conducted on irradiated materials.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE DEVELOPMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DAMAGE DURING HIGH TEMPERATURE CREEP-FATIGUE OF A NICKEL ALLOY

Alloy 617 is the leading candidate material for an Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX) of the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR). To evaluate the behavior of this material in the expected service conditions, strain-controlled cyclic tests that include hold times up to 9000 s at maximum tensile strain were conducted at 950 degrees C. The fatigue resistance decreased when a hold time was added at peak tensile strain, owing to the mechanisms resulting in a change in fracture mode from transgranular in pure fatigue to intergranular in creep–fatigue. Increases in the tensile hold duration beyond an initial value were not detrimental to the creep–fatigue resistance. An analysis of the evolving failure modes was facilitated by interrupting tests during cycling for ex situ microstructural investigation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1988

Considerations in development and implementation of elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model for high temperature applications

The prediction of inelastic behavior of metallic materials at elevated temperatures has increased in importance in recent years. The operating conditions within the hot section of a rocket motor or a modern gas turbine engine present an extremely harsh thermomechanical environment. Large thermal transients are induced each time the engine is started or shut down. Additional thermal transients from an elevated ambient occur whenever the engine power level is adjusted to meet flight requirements. The structural elements employed in such hot sections, as well as any engine components located therein, must be capable of withstanding such extreme conditions. Failure of a component would, due to the critical nature of the hot section, lead to an immediate and catastrophic loss in power. Consequently, assuring satisfactory long term performance for such components is a major concern. Nonisothermal loading of structures often causes excursion of stress well into the inelastic range. Moreover, the influence of geometry changes on the response is also significant in most cases. Therefore, both material and geometric nonlinear effects are considered.

Riff, Richard↗
DOE OSTI2019

ODS Thin-wall Cladding Joining Technique Development

ABSTRACT The oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) materials are typically fabricated by powder mechanical alloying to form uniform distribution of high concentration nanometer size oxide particles for exceptional high temperature mechanical strength and enhanced radiation tolerance. This report summarizes the recent development on the weld techniques of joining the ODS cladding to the endplug as a part of accident tolerant fuels (ATF) program for both advanced light water reactor (LWR) and advanced fuel cycle (AFC) with fast reactor fuel cladding. It is crucial for the weld of ODS material to maintain the uniform distribution and fine size of oxide particles in the matrix. Pressure Resistance Weld (PRW) is a solid state joining technique without melting therefore a preferred joining technique for ODS materials. Samples joined with PRW were pressure burst tested. Detailed microstructural characterization in this work includes non-destructive 3D x-ray ?m-resolution computer-tomography (?-CT), optical microscopy, SEM/EBSD for grain-orientation-mapping, TEM, STEM/ASTAR for high resolution grain orientation and phase mapping, and APT for high-resolution 3D composition analysis.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1987

Adhesive evaluation of new polyimides

During the past 10 to 15 years, the Materials Division at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has developed several novel high temperature polyimide adhesives for anticipated needs of the aerospace industry. These developments have resulted from fundamental studies of structure-property relationships in polyimides. Recent research at LaRC has involved the synthesis and evaluation of copolyimides which incorporate both flexibilizing bridging groups and meta-linked benzene rings. The purpose was to develop systems based on low cost, readily available monomers. Two of these copolyimides evaluated as adhesives for bonding titanium alloy, Ti(6Al-4V), are identified as LARC-STPI and STPI-LARC-2. Lap shear strength (LSS) measurements were used to determine the strength and durability of the adhesive materials. LSS results are presented for LARC-TPI and LARC-STPI lap shear specimens thermally exposed in air at 232 C for up to 5000 hrs. LARC-TPI was shown to perform better than the copolymer LARC-STPI which exhibited poor thermooxidative performance possibly due to the amines used which would tend to oxidize easier than the benzophenone system in LARC-TPI.

Stclair, Terry L.↗
DOE OSTI2011

Fast neutron environments.

The goal of this LDRD project is to develop a rapid first-order experimental procedure for the testing of advanced cladding materials that may be considered for generation IV nuclear reactors. In order to investigate this, a technique was developed to expose the coupons of potential materials to high displacement damage at elevated temperatures to simulate the neutron environment expected in Generation IV reactors. This was completed through a high temperature high-energy heavy-ion implantation. The mechanical properties of the ion irradiated region were tested by either micropillar compression or nanoindentation to determine the local properties, as a function of the implantation dose and exposure temperature. In order to directly compare the microstructural evolution and property degradation from the accelerated testing and classical neutron testing, 316L, 409, and 420 stainless steels were tested. In addition, two sets of diffusion couples from 316L and HT9 stainless steels with various refractory metals. This study has shown that if the ion irradiation size scale is taken into consideration when developing and analyzing the mechanical property data, significant insight into the structural properties of the potential cladding materials can be gained in about a week.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1989

Time dependent reliability model incorporating continuum damage mechanics for high-temperature ceramics

Presently there are many opportunities for the application of ceramic materials at elevated temperatures. In the near future ceramic materials are expected to supplant high temperature metal alloys in a number of applications. It thus becomes essential to develop a capability to predict the time-dependent response of these materials. The creep rupture phenomenon is discussed, and a time-dependent reliability model is outlined that integrates continuum damage mechanics principles and Weibull analysis. Several features of the model are presented in a qualitative fashion, including predictions of both reliability and hazard rate. In addition, a comparison of the continuum and the microstructural kinetic equations highlights a strong resemblance in the two approaches.

Duffy, Stephen F.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Oxidation in Ca/K-1144 iron-based superconductors polycrystalline compounds

Iron-based superconductors (IBSCs) are a class of material under investigation for the development of superconducting wires in the low-temperature-high magnetic fields power application. Among the various families of IBSCs, the 1144 CaKFe$_4$As$_4$ compound is a promising material able to achieve outstanding superconducting properties with a cheap and simple chemical composition. Oxidation, in these compounds, is considered an obstacle for high intergranular critical current density, J c,GB . A study devoted to the evaluation of oxidation phenomena and their effects on the superconducting properties is thus needed in order to fully understand the involved mechanisms. From the evaluation of polycrystalline samples obtained by a mechanochemically assisted synthesis route, a degradation of the critical temperature and critical currents has been observed concurrently with oxygen accumulation at grain boundaries in open porosities. However, the crystalline structure at an atomic level seems not affected, as well as intragranular superconducting properties assessed by means of calorimetric methods. These results suggest that loss of superconducting properties in Ca/K-1144 compounds following oxidation is significantly associated with the worsening of grain connectivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measuring thermal profiles in high explosives using neural networks

We present a new method for calculating the temperature profile of high explosive (HE) material using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). To train/test the CNN, we have developed a hybrid experiment/simulation method for collecting acoustic and temperature data. We experimentally heat cylindrical containers of HE material until detonation/deflagration, where we continuously measure the acoustic bursts through the HE using multiple acoustic transducers lined around the exterior container circumference. However, measuring the temperature profile in the HE in an experiment would require inserting a large number of thermal probes, which would disrupt the heating process. Thus, we use two thermal probes, one at the HE center and one at the wall. We then use numerical simulation of the heating process to calculate the temperature distribution and correct the simulated temperatures based on the experimental center and wall temperatures. We calculate temperature errors on the order of 15 °C, which is ∼12% of the range of temperatures in the experiment. We also investigate how the algorithm’s accuracy is affected by the number of acoustic receivers used to collect each measurement and the resolution of the temperature prediction. This work provides a means of assessing the safety status of HE material, which cannot be achieved using existing temperature measurement methods. In addition, it has implications for a range of other applications where internal temperature profile measurements would provide critical information. These applications include detecting chemical reactions, observing thermodynamic processes such as combustion, monitoring metal or plastic casting, determining the energy density in thermal storage capsules, and identifying abnormal battery operations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measuring thermal profiles in high explosives using neural networks

We present a new method for calculating the temperature profile of high explosive (HE) material using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). To train/test the CNN, we have developed a hybrid experiment/simulation method for collecting acoustic and temperature data. We experimentally heat cylindrical containers of HE material until detonation/deflagration, where we continuously measure the acoustic bursts through the HE using multiple acoustic transducers lined around the exterior container circumference. However, measuring the temperature profile in the HE in an experiment would require inserting a large number of thermal probes, which would disrupt the heating process. Thus, we use two thermal probes, one at the HE center and one at the wall. We then use numerical simulation of the heating process to calculate the temperature distribution and correct the simulated temperatures based on the experimental center and wall temperatures. We calculate temperature errors on the order of 15 °C, which is ~12% of the range of temperatures in the experiment. We also investigate how the algorithm’s accuracy is affected by the number of acoustic receivers used to collect each measurement and the resolution of the temperature prediction. This work provides a means of assessing the safety status of HE material, which cannot be achieved using existing temperature measurement methods. In addition, it has implications for a range of other applications where internal temperature profile measurements would provide critical information. These applications include detecting chemical reactions, observing thermodynamic processes such as combustion, monitoring metal or plastic casting, determining the energy density in thermal storage capsules, and identifying abnormal battery operations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗