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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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Vacuum breakdown studies - surface kinetics of adsorbed layers by field emission, sputtering of metallic surfaces, and electron interactions with adsorbed layers on metallic surfaces
The goals and objectives of the project summarized in this viewgraph presentation are the following: (1) Develop and demonstrate verified airframe and cryotank structural design and analysis technologies, including damage tolerance, safety, reliability, and residual strength technologies, robust nonlinear shell and cryotank analysis technologies, high-fidelity analysis and design technologies for local structural detail features and joints, and high-fidelity analysis technologies for sandwich structures; (2) Demonstrate low cost, robust materials and processing, including polymeric matrix composite (PMC) and metallic materials and processing, and refractory composite and metallic hot structures materials and processing; (3) Develop and demonstrate robust airframe structures and validated integrated airframe structural concepts, including low cost fabrication and joining, operations efficient designs and inspection techniques (non-destructive evaluation), scale-up and integrated thermal structure tests, and airframe structures IVHM; (4) Demonstrate low cost, robust repair techniques; and (5) Develop verified integrated airframe structural concepts, including integrated structural concepts.
Fatigue testing of refractory alloys to determine effect of notch geometry on fatigue strength
Refractory alloy corrosion, discussing columbium and tantalum base tubing alloy resistance to refluxing potassium between 1800 and 2400 degrees F
Temperature dependence of hemispherical emittance of metal and alloy strips in 100- to 1200-deg c range using blackbody vacuum chamber
Extraterrestrial materials, processes, and products were identified which are associated with the production of propellants in space, including the most complete possible conversion of the feedstocks for propellant production into useful products with the minimum feasible expenditure of energy. Laboratory research was identified and begun on several processes that promise very large increases in the mass of useful products at the cost of only modest increases in energy consumption. Processes for manufacturing propellants then become processes for making propellants plus metals and refractories. It is the overall yield of useful materials per unit expended energy that matters, not simply the yield of propellants. Three tasks have been undertaken to date: (1) Literature search and compilation of a dBase 3 data base on space materials processing; (2) Gaseous carbonyl extraction and purification of ferrous metals; and (3) Characterization of lunar ilmenite and its simulants.
The use of solid particles as a heat transfer medium is being explored for concentrated solar power plants (CSP) to increase their efficiency by achieving operating temperature >700 °C. During operation, these hot particles are expected to move along the various components within the collector system, resulting in material degradation from a combination of high-temperature oxidation and erosion. In the present study, the performance of candidate materials was evaluated through a series of abrasion erosion experiments at room temperature as well as at 800 °C. Wear in metallic and refractory type materials was investigated using CarboBead® HSP 40/70 particles inside a resistance heated kiln. Furthermore, cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis on the specimens tested at 800 °C determined that the specific wear rate in Inconel 740H and stainless steel 316 metallic specimens was influenced by the thermally grown oxide morphology. High chromium Inconel 740H specimens exhibited greater resistance to wear with a steady state specific wear rate of 1.92E-4 mm 3 N -1 m –1 compared to 5.7E-3 mm 3 N -1 m –1 for Stainless Steel 316.
Abstract Refractory metal-based multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) are compelling materials for high-temperature (1000–2000 K) structural applications. However, only a minuscule fraction of their vast and heterogeneous compositional design space has been explored, leaving many potentially interesting alloys undiscovered. In this two-part work, a large region of the 11-element Al-Cr-Fe-Hf-Mo-Nb-Ta-Ti-V-W-Zr design space is computationally explored to identify refractory MPEAs with simultaneously high yield strength or specific yield strength and body-centered cubic (BCC) solid solution stability. In Part I , two case studies illuminate key factors and considerations in the yield strength versus phase stability tradeoff, provide guidelines for narrowing the expansive design space, and identify many candidates predicted to be stronger than refractory MPEAs reported to date, with BCC phase stability. Our findings indicate that medium entropy ternary alloys can outperform alloys with more elements and highlight the importance of exploring regions away from the equiatomic center of composition space.
This work focuses on the parameter development and microstructural characterization of Nb-based alloy C103 for thin wall structures produced via laser powder – directed energy deposition (LP – DED). Laser power and scanning speeds were varied as part of a design of experiments to identify adequate print parameters. Combinations were evaluated for relative density, porosity, and geometrical accuracy. A combination of a laser power of 1420 W and scanning speed of 14 mm/s resulted in a relative density >99%, exhibited a consistent weld bead profile and was used for further microstructural evaluation. A mix of optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed small, slightly elongated grains along the edges and large epitaxial grains in the central region along the Build – Transverse view. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed Hf rich columnar cells in the center that transition into an evenly spaced cellular structure towards the edges of the built sample. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) scans show a sharp [001] texture when looking at the cross section of the sample along the build direction. The Build – Scan view revealed a zig – zag pattern that follows the back – and – forth deposition strategy that was used. Finally, microhardness measurements were taken in the as – built (AB) and stress relieved (SR) conditions to baseline preliminary mechanical properties. The AB condition exhibited a large amount of scatter in the data and averages up to 11% larger than the SR condition. The reduction in scatter upon applying the SR cycle are indicative of a large concertation of dislocations present in the AB condition.
Tungsten (W) exhibits desirable properties for extreme applications, such as the divertor in magnetic fusion reactors, but its practicality remains limited due to poor formability and insufficient irradiation resistance. In this work, we study the intrinsic ductility of body-centered cubic WTaCrV based high entropy alloys (HEAs), which are known to exhibit excellent irradiation resistance. The ductility evaluations are carried out using a criterion based on the competition between the critical stress intensity factors for emission (K Ie ) and cleavage (K Ic ) in the {110} slip planes and {110} crack planes, which are evaluated within the linear elastic fracture mechanics framework and computed using density functional theory. The results suggest that increasing the alloying concentrations of V and reducing the concentrations of W can significantly improve the ductility in these HEAs. The elastic anisotropy for these HEAs is analyzed using the Zener anisotropy ratio and its correlation with the concentration of W in the alloys is studied. Results indicate that these alloys tend to be fairly isotropic independently from the concentration of W in them. The computed data for the elastic constants of these HEAs is also compared against available experimental data. The results are in good agreement, validating the robustness and accuracy of the computational methods. Multiple phenomenological ductility metrics were also computed and analyzed against the analytical model. Some metrics, mainly the surrogate D parameter, show a good correlation with the Rice model. The potential of these empirical metrics to serve as surrogate screening models for optimizing the compositional space is also discussed.
Many precipitation-strengthened alloys are highly susceptible to cracking during additive manufacturing (AM), which often requires compositional adjustments to mitigate. Recently, it has been demonstrated that refractory BCC alloys can be precipitation strengthened with ordered Ru-containing B2 precipitates to temperatures exceeding 1200 °C. This motivates a study of the potential fabricability of quaternary and quinary refractory BCC-B2 alloys by AM using single track laser experiments. Alloys with greater than 9 at.% Ru exhibit crack formation upon cooling. Solidification cracking was observed in all Zr-containing alloys, which can be mitigated by substituting Hf. Furthermore, this cracking is attributed to the strong partitioning of Zr during solidification, as revealed by characterization of alloy solidus, liquidus, and partition coefficients. Hf 5 Ru 4 -Nb 63 V 28 is identified as a promising BCC-B2 composition with a high B2 solvus (>1300 °C) and solidus (1695 °C) along with a high resistance to cracking.
Heat flux sensors compatible with hot environments are critical to advance aerospace, materials, and energy generation technologies that cope with extreme thermal conditions. In this work, we report on the development and characterization of a high-temperature heat flux sensor using the transverse Seebeck effect in rhenium single crystals. The sensor leverages refractory alloys and ceramics compatible with temperatures exceeding 1000 °C. The heat flux sensor was characterized from room temperature to 500 °C using a temperature-controlled calibration facility. At constant temperature, the sensor’s voltage output is linear with respect to the absorbed heat flux. The responsivity of the sensor varies with temperature, from 1.3 μV/(W/cm 2 ) at room temperature to −3.2 μV/(W/cm 2 ) at 500 °C, increasing monotonically in magnitude after changing sign from positive to negative at approximately 300 °C. The experimental results are in good agreement with analytical predictions of the sensor’s temperature-dependent responsivity, which suggest a further increase in magnitude up to −7.4 μV/(W/cm 2 ) at 1000 °C. These results highlight the unique characteristics of rhenium as a TSE transducer. The design offers compatibility with a wide range of operating temperatures and yields a measurement sensitivity that increases as the environmental conditions become more challenging.
The quaternary alloy AlCrTiV has been proposed as both a lightweight high-entropy alloy and also a functional spin filter material based on the Heusler structure. Experimental investigations to-date, based on X-ray diffraction, offer conflicting interpretations of the structure. Here we simulate diffraction patterns of the various proposed structures to show that neutron diffraction, in particular, can reveal the nature of long-range chemical order and discriminate among distributions of the refractory transition metals. Magnetic contributions to the neutron diffraction are also discussed.
Powder X-ray diffraction data collected at the Advanced Photon Source 16-BM–D, confirms that the alloy with composition Mo 0.20 Nb 0.21 Ta 0.19 V 0.20 W 0.20 crystallizes in a simple body-centered cubic (bcc) structure with all five elements distributed over a single crystallographic site (Wyckoff position 2a of space group Im $\bar{3}$ m ).
In this work, a novel method for producing ultrafine tantalum and hafnium carbide fibers using the Forcespinning TM technique via a nonhalide‐based sol‐gel process was investigated. An optimal solution viscosity range was systematically determined via rheological studies of neat PAN/DMF as a function of fiber formation. Subsequently, Forcespinning TM parameters were also systemically studied to determine the optimal rotational velocity and spinneret‐to‐collecting rod distance required for ideal fiber formation. TaC and HfC fibers were synthesized via Forcespinning TM utilizing a mixture of PAN and refractory transition metal alkoxides (i.e., tantalum (V) ethoxide and hafnium (IV) tert‐butoxide) in DMF solution based on optimal conditions determined from the neat PAN/DMF. In all instances after calcination, powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) indicated that TaC and HfC fibers were produced. TGA/DSC confirmed the chemical stability of the resulting fibers.
Nuclear data uncertainties and similarity metrics were investigated for the Thales design. Nuclear data uncertainties decrease dramatically from BLO to ENDF/B-VIII.1 covariances. Similarity metrics were utilize to down-select among proposed experiment design files.
High-Entropy Alloys (HEAs) are proposed as materials for a variety of extreme environments, including both fission and fusion radiation applications. To withstand these harsh environments, materials processing must be tailored to their given application, now achieved through additive manufacturing processes. However, radiation application opportunities remain limited due to an incomplete understanding of the effects of irradiation on HEA performance. In this letter, we investigate the response of additively manufactured refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) to helium (He) ion bombardment. Through analytical microscopy studies, we show the interplay between the alloy composition and the He bubble size and density to demonstrate how increasing the compositional complexity can limit the He bubble effects, but care must be taken in selecting the appropriate constituent elements.
Oxide refractoriness in dispersion strengthened copper and nickel alloys