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At least 757 records · Page 42

Reliability-Based Life Assessment of Stirling Convertor Heater Head

Onboard radioisotope power systems being developed and planned for NASA's deep-space missions require reliable design lifetimes of up to 14 yr. The structurally critical heater head of the high-efficiency Stirling power convertor has undergone extensive computational analysis of operating temperatures, stresses, and creep resistance of the thin-walled Inconel 718 bill of material. A preliminary assessment of the effect of uncertainties in the material behavior was also performed. Creep failure resistance of the thin-walled heater head could show variation due to small deviations in the manufactured thickness and in uncertainties in operating temperature and pressure. Durability prediction and reliability of the heater head are affected by these deviations from nominal design conditions. Therefore, it is important to include the effects of these uncertainties in predicting the probability of survival of the heater head under mission loads. Furthermore, it may be possible for the heater head to experience rare incidences of small temperature excursions of short duration. These rare incidences would affect the creep strain rate and, therefore, the life. This paper addresses the effects of such rare incidences on the reliability. In addition, the sensitivities of variables affecting the reliability are quantified, and guidelines developed to improve the reliability are outlined. Heater head reliability is being quantified with data from NASA Glenn Research Center's accelerated benchmark testing program.

Shah, Ashwin R.↗

Effect of Random Thermal Spikes on Stirling Convertor Heater Head Reliability

Onboard radioisotope power systems being developed to support future NASA exploration missions require reliable design lifetimes of up to 14 yr and beyond. The structurally critical heater head of the high-efficiency developmental Stirling power converter has undergone extensive computational analysis of operating temperatures (up to 650 C), stresses, and creep resistance of the thin-walled Inconel 718 bill of material. Additionally assessment of the effect of uncertainties in the creep behavior of the thin-walled heater head, the variation in the manufactured thickness, variation in control temperature, and variation in pressure on the durability and reliability were performed. However, it is possible for the heater head to experience rare incidences of random temperature spikes (excursions) of short duration. These incidences could occur randomly with random magnitude and duration during the desired mission life. These rare incidences could affect the creep strain rate and therefore the life. The paper accounts for these uncertainties and includes the effect of such rare incidences, random in nature, on the reliability. The sensitivities of variables affecting the reliability are quantified and guidelines developed to improve the reliability are outlined. Furthermore, the quantified reliability is being verified with test data from the accelerated benchmark tests being conducted at the NASA Glenn Research Center.

Shah, Ashwin R.↗

High-Temperature Extensometry and PdCr Temperature-Compensated Wire Resistance Strain Gages Compared

A detailed experimental evaluation is underway at the NASA Lewis Research Center to compare and contrast the performance of the PdCr/Pt dual-element temperature-compensated wire resistance strain gage with that of conventional high-temperature extensometry. The advanced PdCr gage, developed by researchers at Lewis, exhibits desirable properties and a relatively small and repeatable apparent strain to 800 C. This gage represents a significant advance in technology because existing commercial resistance strain gages are not reliable for quasi-static strain measurements above approximately 400 C. Various thermal and mechanical loading spectra are being applied by a high-temperature thermomechanical uniaxial testing system to evaluate the two strain-measurement systems. This is being done not only to compare and contrast the two strain sensors, but also to investigate the applicability of the PdCr strain gage to the coupon-level specimen testing environment typically employed when the high-temperature mechanical behavior of structural materials is characterized. Strain measurement capabilities to 800 C are being investigated with a nickel-base superalloy, Inconel 100 (IN 100), substrate material and application to TMC's is being examined with the model system, SCS-6/Ti-15-3. Furthermore, two gage application techniques are being investigated in the comparison study: namely, flame-sprayed and spot welding.

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High-Temperature Extensometry and PdCr Temperature-Compensated Wire Resistance Strain Gages Compared

A detailed experimental evaluation is underway at the NASA Lewis Research Center to compare and contrast the performance of the PdCr/Pt dual-element temperature-compensated wire resistance strain gage with that of conventional high-temperature extensometry. The advanced PdCr gage, developed by researchers at Lewis, exhibits desirable properties and a relatively small and repeatable apparent strain to 800 C. This gage represents a significant advance in technology because existing commercial resistance strain gages are not reliable for quasi-static strain measurements above approx. 400 C. Various thermal and mechanical loading spectra are being applied by a high-temperature thermomechanical uniaxial testing system to evaluate the two strain-measurement systems. This is being done not only to compare and contrast the two strain sensors, but also to investigate the applicability of the PdCr strain gage to the coupon-level specimen testing environment typically employed when the high-temperature mechanical behavior of structural materials is characterized. Strain measurement capabilities to 800 C are being investigated with a nickel-base superalloy, Inconel 100 (IN 100), substrate material and application to TMC's is being examined with the model system, SCS-6/Ti-15-3. Furthermore, two gage application techniques are being investigated in the comparison study: namely, flame-sprayed and spot welding. The apparent strain responses of both the weldable and flame-sprayed PdCr wire strain gages were found to be cyclically repeatable on both IN 100 and SCS-6/Ti-15-3 [0]_8. In general, each gage exhibited some uniqueness with respect to apparent strain behavior. Gages mounted on the IN 100 specimens tended to show a repeatable apparent strain within the first few cycles, because the thermal response of IN 100 was stable. This was not the case, however, for the TMC specimens, which typically required several thermal cycles to stabilize the thermal strain response. Thus, progressive changes in the apparent strain behavior were corroborated by the extensometer, which unlike the mounted gage can distinguish quantitative changes in the material's thermal strain response. One specimen was instrumented with both a fixed and floating gage. From the difference in output of these two gages, the thermal expansion strains were calculated. These data, which are given in the figure, show excellent agreement with the values measured by the high-temperature extensometry.

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TiAl Scramjet Inlet Flap Subelement Designed and Fabricated

Next-generation launch vehicles are being designed with turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) propulsion systems having very aggressive thrust/weight targets and long lives. Achievement of these goals requires advanced materials in a wide spectrum of components. TiAl has been identified as a potential backstructure material for maintainable composite panel heat exchangers (HEX) in the inlet, combustor, and nozzle section of a TBCC propulsion system. Weight reduction is the primary objective of this technology. Design tradeoff studies have assessed that a TiAl structure, utilizing a high-strength, hightemperature TiAl alloy called Gamma MET PX,1 reduce weight by 41 to 48 percent in comparison to the baseline Inconel 718 configuration for the TBCC propulsion system inlet, combustor, and nozzle. A collaborative effort between the NASA Glenn Research Center, Pratt & Whitney, Engineering Evaluation & Design, PLANSEE AG (Austria), and the Austrian Space Agency was undertaken to design, manufacture, and validate a Gamma-MET PX TiAl structure for scramjet applications. The TiAl inlet flap was designed with segmented flaps to improve manufacturability, to better control thermal distortion and thermal stresses, and to allow for maintainable HEX segments. The design philosophy was to avoid excessively complicated shapes, to minimize the number of stress concentrations, to keep the part sizes reasonable to match processing capabilities, and to avoid risky processes such as welding. The conceptual design used a standard HEX approach with a double-pass coolant concept for centrally located manifolds. The flowpath side was actively cooled, and an insulation package was placed on the external side to save weight. The inlet flap was analyzed structurally, and local high-stress regions were addressed with local reinforcements.

Draper, Susan L.↗

Surface Texturing Investigated for a High Solar Absorptance Low Infrared Emittance Solar Collector

The objective of this work was to design, build, and vacuum test a high solar absorptance, low infrared emittance solar collector for heat engine and thermal switching applications. Mini-satellites proposed by the Applied Physics Laboratory for operation in environments that are subject to radiation threat may utilize a heat engine for power and a thermal bus for thermal control. To achieve this goal, a surface having high solar absorptance and low infrared emittance is needed. At the NASA Glenn Research Center, one concept being pursued to achieve this goal is texturing high thermal conductivity graphite epoxy composites using a directed atomic oxygen beam and then coating the textured surface with a reflective metallic coating. Coupons were successfully textured, coated, and evaluated. A variety of texturing conditions were explored, and textures were documented by scanning electron microscopy. Copper, gold, silver, iridium, and aluminum coatings were applied, and the highest solar absorptance to infrared emittance ratio was found to be 1.3. A full-sized solar collector was manufactured with this ratio, and the amount of heat collected was observed using an Inconel calorimeter installed in a bench-top vacuum chamber equipped with a solar simulator. Results to date indicate good heat flow through the system, with 9 W of heat flow measured by the calorimeter.

Jaworske, Donald A.↗

Friction and Wear Characteristics of a Modified Composite Solid Lubricant Plasma Spray Coating

LCR304 is a solid lubricant coating composed of Ni-10Cr, Cr2O3, BaF2-CaF2 and Ag and developed for dimensional stability in high temperature air. This coating is a modification of PS304, which differs in that the Ni-Cr constituent contains 20wt% Cr. The tribological characteristics of LCR304 were evaluated by pin-on-disk and foil air bearing rig testing from 25 to 650 C and compared to previous test results with PS304. For both tests, the friction coefficient decreased as temperature increased from 25 to 650 C. Wear generally decreased with increasing temperature for all pin-on-disk tests. LCR304 coated components produced the least wear of Inconel X-750 counterface materials at 427 and 650 C. These results indicate that the LCR304 coating has potential as a replacement for PS304 in, for example, low cycle (minimum wear) applications where dimensional stability is imperative.

Stanford, M. K.↗

Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb Evaluated Under Fretting Conditions

Material parameters govern many of the design decisions in any engineering task. When two materials are in contact and microscopically small, relative motions (either vibratory or creeping) occur, and fretting fatigue can result. Fretting fatigue is a material response influenced by the materials in contact as well as by such variables as loading and vibratory conditions. Fretting produces fresh, clean interacting surfaces and induces adhesion, galling, and wear in the contact zone. Time, money, and materials are unnecessarily wasted when galling and wear result in excessive fretting fatigue that leads to poorly performing, unreliable mechanical systems. Fretting fatigue is a complex problem of significant interest to aircraft engine manufacturers. It can occur in a variety of engine components. Numerous approaches, depending on the component and the operating conditions, have been taken to address the fretting problems. The components of interest in this investigation were the low-pressure turbine blades and disks. The blades in this case were titanium aluminide, Ti-48Al-2Cr- 2Nb, and the disk was a nickel-base superalloy, Inconel 718 (IN 718). A concern for these airfoils is the fretting in fitted interfaces at the dovetail where the blade and disk are connected. Careful design can reduce fretting in most cases, but not completely eliminate it, because the airfoils frequently have a skewed (angled) blade-disk dovetail attachment, which leads to a complex stress state. Furthermore, the local stress state becomes more complex when the influence of the metal-metal contact and the edge of contact are considered.

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗

Initial Mechanical Testing of Superalloy Lattice Block Structures Conducted

The first mechanical tests of superalloy lattice block structures produced promising results for this exciting new lightweight material system. The testing was performed in-house at NASA Glenn Research Center's Structural Benchmark Test Facility, where small subelement-sized compression and beam specimens were loaded to observe elastic and plastic behavior, component strength levels, and fatigue resistance for hundreds of thousands of load cycles. Current lattice block construction produces a flat panel composed of thin ligaments arranged in a three-dimensional triangulated trusslike structure. Investment casting of lattice block panels has been developed and greatly expands opportunities for using this unique architecture in today's high-performance structures. In addition, advances made in NASA's Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology Program have extended the lattice block concept to superalloy materials. After a series of casting iterations, the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 (IN 718, Inco Alloys International, Inc., Huntington, WV) was successfully cast into lattice block panels; this combination offers light weight combined with high strength, high stiffness, and elevated-temperature durability. For tests to evaluate casting quality and configuration merit, small structural compression and bend test specimens were machined from the 5- by 12- by 0.5-in. panels. Linear elastic finite element analyses were completed for several specimen layouts to predict material stresses and deflections under proposed test conditions. The structural specimens were then subjected to room-temperature static and cyclic loads in Glenn's Life Prediction Branch's material test machine. Surprisingly, the test results exceeded analytical predictions: plastic strains greater than 5 percent were obtained, and fatigue lives did not depreciate relative to the base material. These assets were due to the formation of plastic hinges and the redundancies inherent in lattice block construction, which were not considered in the simplified computer models. The fatigue testing proved the value of redundancies since specimen strength was maintained even after the fracture of one or two ligaments. This ongoing test program is planned to continue through high-temperature testing. Also scheduled for testing are IN 718 lattice block panels with integral face sheets, as well as specimens cast from a higher temperature alloy. The initial testing suggests the value of this technology for large panels under low and moderate pressure loadings and for high-risk, damage-tolerant structures. Potential aeropropulsion uses for lattice blocks include turbine-engine actuated panels, exhaust nozzle flaps, and side panel structures.

Krause, David L.↗

Structural Benchmark Testing of Superalloy Lattice Block Subelements Completed

Superalloy lattice block panels, which are produced directly by investment casting, are composed of thin ligaments arranged in three-dimensional triangulated trusslike structures (see the preceding figure). Optionally, solid panel face sheets can be formed integrally during casting. In either form, lattice block panels can easily be produced with weights less than 25 percent of the mass of a solid panel. Inconel 718 (IN 718) and MarM-247 superalloy lattice block panels have been developed under NASA's Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology Project and Higher Operating Temperature Propulsion Components Project to take advantage of the superalloys' high strength and elevated temperature capability with the inherent light weight and high stiffness of the lattice architecture (ref. 1). These characteristics are important in the future development of turbine engine components. Casting quality and structural efficiency were evaluated experimentally using small beam specimens machined from the cast and heat treated 140- by 300- by 11-mm panels. The matrix of specimens included samples of each superalloy in both open-celled and single-face-sheet configurations, machined from longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal panel orientations. Thirty-five beam subelements were tested in Glenn's Life Prediction Branch's material test machine at room temperature and 650 C under both static (see the following photograph) and cyclic load conditions. Surprisingly, test results exceeded initial linear elastic analytical predictions. This was likely a result of the formation of plastic hinges and redundancies inherent in lattice block geometry, which was not considered in the finite element models. The value of a single face sheet was demonstrated by increased bending moment capacity, where the face sheet simultaneously increased the gross section modulus and braced the compression ligaments against early buckling as seen in open-cell specimens. Preexisting flaws in specimens were not a discriminator in flexural, shear, or stiffness measurements, again because of redundant load paths available in the lattice block structure. Early test results are available in references 2 and 3; more complete analyses are scheduled for publication in 2004.

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NASA Glenn's Seals Group Inaugurated a New State-of-the-Art High-Temperature Test Rig

The NASA Glenn Research Center is developing advanced control surface seals and propulsion system seals for future space and launch vehicles. To evaluate new seal designs, the Glenn Seals Team recently inaugurated a new state-of-the-art high temperature seal test facility. The Hot Compression/Hot Scrub Rig can perform either high-temperature seal-compression tests or scrub tests at temperatures of up to 3000 F by using different combinations of test fixtures made of monolithic silicon carbide (Hexoloy alpha-SiC), as shown in the following figures. For lower temperature tests (up to 1500 F), Inconel X-750 test fixturing can be used.

DeMange, Jeffrey J.↗

Promoted Metals Combustion at Ambient and Elevated Temperatures

Promoted combustion testing of materials, Test 17 of NASA STD-6001, has been used to assess metal propensity to burn in oxygen rich environments. An igniter is used at the bottom end of a rod to promote ignition, and if combustion is sustained, the burning progresses from the bottom to the top of the rod. The physical mechanisms are very similar to the upward flammability test, Test 1 of NASA STD-6001. The differences are in the normal environmental range of pressures, oxygen content, and sample geometry. Upward flammability testing of organic materials can exhibit a significant transitional region between no burning to complete quasi-state burning. In this transitional region, the burn process exhibits a probabilistic nature. This transitional region has been identified for metals using the promoted combustion testing method at ambient initial temperatures. The work given here is focused on examining the transitional region and the quasi-steady burning region both at conventional ambient testing conditions and at elevated temperatures. A new heated promoted combustion facility and equipment at Marshall Space Flight Center have just been completed to provide the basic data regarding the metals operating temperature limits in contact with oxygen rich atmospheres at high pressures. Initial data have been obtained for Stainless Steel 304L, Stainless Steel 321, Haynes 214, and Inconel 718 at elevated temperatures in 100-percent oxygen atmospheres. These data along with an extended data set at ambient initial temperature test conditions are examined. The pressure boundaries of acceptable, non-burning usage is found to be lowered at elevated temperature.

Engel, Carl D.↗

Accelerated Life Structural Benchmark Testing for a Stirling Convertor Heater Head

For proposed long-duration NASA Space Science missions, the Department of Energy, Lockheed Martin, Infinia Corporation, and NASA Glenn Research Center are developing a high-efficiency, 110 W Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG110). A structurally significant limit state for the SRG110 heater head component is creep deformation induced at high material temperature and low stress level. Conventional investigations of creep behavior adequately rely on experimental results from uniaxial creep specimens, and a wealth of creep data is available for the Inconel 718 material of construction. However, the specified atypical thin heater head material is fine-grained with a heat treatment that limits precipitate growth, and little creep property data for this microstructure is available in the literature. In addition, the geometry and loading conditions apply a multiaxial stress state on the component, far from the conditions of uniaxial testing. For these reasons, an extensive experimental investigation is ongoing to aid in accurately assessing the durability of the SRG110 heater head. This investigation supplements uniaxial creep testing with pneumatic testing of heater head-like pressure vessels at design temperature with stress levels ranging from approximately the design stress to several times that. This paper presents experimental results, post-test microstructural analyses, and conclusions for four higher-stress, accelerated life tests. Analysts are using these results to calibrate deterministic and probabilistic analytical creep models of the SRG110 heater head.

Krause, David L.↗

Fracture Mechanics Analysis of LH2 Feed Line Flow Liners

Inspections of the Space Shuttle Main Engine revealed fatigue cracks growing from slots in the flow liner of the liquid hydrogen (LH2) feed lines. During flight, the flow liners experience complex loading induced by flow of LH2 and the resonance characteristics of the structure. The flow liners are made of Inconel 718 and had previously not been considered a fracture critical component. However, fatigue failure of a flow liner could have catastrophic effect on the Shuttle engines. A fracture mechanics study was performed to determine if a damage tolerance approach to life management was possible and to determine the sensitivity to the load spectra, material properties, and crack size. The load spectra were derived separately from ground tests and material properties were obtained from coupon tests. The stress-intensity factors for the fatigue cracks were determined from a shell-dynamics approach that simulated the dominant resonant frequencies. Life predictions were obtained using the NASGRO life prediction code. The results indicated that adequate life could not be demonstrated for initial crack lengths of the size that could be detected by traditional NDE techniques.

James, Mark A.↗

Chemical Characterization and Reactivity Testing of Fuel-Oxidizer Reaction Product (Test Report)

The product of incomplete reaction of monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) propellants, or fuel-oxidizer reaction product (FORP), has been hypothesized as a contributory cause of an anomaly which occurred in the chamber pressure (PC) transducer tube on the Reaction Control Subsystem (RCS) aft thruster 467 on flight STS-51. A small hole was found in the titanium-alloy PC tube at the first bend below the pressure transducer. It was surmised that the hole may have been caused by heat and pressure resulting from ignition of FORP. The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) was requested to define the chemical characteristics of FORP, characterize its reactivity, and simulate the events in a controlled environment which may have lead to the Pc-tube failure. Samples of FORP were obtained from the gas-phase reaction of MMH with NTO under laboratory conditions, the pulsed firings of RCS thrusters with modified PC tubes using varied oxidizer or fuel lead times, and the nominal RCS thruster firings at WSTF and Kaiser-Marquardt. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC), ion chromatography (IC), inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled to FTIR (TGA/FTIR), and mechanical impact testing were used to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize the chemical, thermal, and ignition properties of FORP. These studies showed that the composition of FORP is variable but falls within a limited range of compositions that depends on the fuel loxidizer ratio at the time of formation, composition of the post-formation atmosphere (reducing or oxidizing), and reaction or postreaction temperature. A typical composition contains methylhydrazinium nitrate (MMHN), ammonium nitrate (AN), methylammonium nitrate (MAN), and trace amounts of hydrazinium nitrate and 1,1-dimethylhydrazinium nitrate. The thermal decomposition reactions of FORP compositions used in this study were unremarkable, Neither the various compositions of FORP, the pure major components of FORP, nor mixtures of FORP with propellant-system corrosion products showed any unusual thermal activity when decomposed under laboratory conditions. Off-limit thruster operations were simulated by rapid mixing of liquid MMH and liquid NTO in a confined space. The test hardware was constructed with pressure- and temperature-measurement devices to determine if the expected fuel oxidizer reaction would result in increased energy release when FORP, FORP constituents, or propellant-system corrosion products were present. These tests demonstrated that FORP, MMHN, AN, or Inconel corrosion products can induce a mixture of MMH and NTO to produce component-damaging energies. The simulation-test program was not extensive enough to provide statistical probabilities for these events but did show that such events can occur. Damaging events required FORP or metal salts to be present at the initial mixing of MMH and NTO. Based on the results of these studies, it is suggested that removal or mitigation of a buildup of these materials may decrease the incidence of these high-energy, potentially damaging events.

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Assessment of Silver Based Disinfection Technology for CEV and Future US Spacecraft

Silver biocide offers a potential advantage over iodine, the current state-of-the-art in US spacecraft disinfection technology, in that silver can be safely consumed by the crew. As such, silver may reduce the overall complexity and mass of future spacecraft potable water systems, particularly those used to support long duration missions. A primary technology gap identified for the use of silver biocide is one of material compatibility. Wetted materials of construction are required to be selected such that silver ion concentrations can be maintained at biocidally effective levels. Preliminary data on silver biocide depletion rates in heritage spacecraft potable water system wetted-materials of construction has been gathered as part of a multi-phase test project aimed at the characterization of silver based biocide technology through: development of preferred materials lists, investigation of silver biocide forms and delivery methods, down-selection of silver biocide technologies, and integrated testing. A 10% - 20% loss in silver ion concentration per day was observed for acid passivated Nitronic 40 tubing with surface area to volume (S/V) ratios of approximately 4.59 cm-1. The Nitronic 40 tubes were tested both with and without biocide pretreatment. Silver biocide depletion was also observed at approximately 0.1% per day for the first 35 days of exposure to acid passivated Inconel 718 coupon, S/V of approximately 0.14 cm-1. Surface analysis by scanning election microscopy (SEM) suggested deposition of silver metal on both test materials. SEM analysis also provided evidence of potential variability in the passivation process for tube configuration of the Nitronic 40 test apparatus. These preliminary results are presented and discussed herein, along with the current project status.

Callahan, Michael R.↗

Structural Benchmark Testing for Stirling Convertor Heater Heads

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has identified high efficiency Stirling technology for potential use on long duration Space Science missions such as Mars rovers, deep space missions, and lunar applications. For the long life times required, a structurally significant design limit for the Stirling convertor heater head is creep deformation induced even under relatively low stress levels at high material temperatures. Conventional investigations of creep behavior adequately rely on experimental results from uniaxial creep specimens, and much creep data is available for the proposed Inconel-718 (IN-718) and MarM-247 nickel-based superalloy materials of construction. However, very little experimental creep information is available that directly applies to the atypical thin walls, the specific microstructures, and the low stress levels. In addition, the geometry and loading conditions apply multiaxial stress states on the heater head components, far from the conditions of uniaxial testing. For these reasons, experimental benchmark testing is underway to aid in accurately assessing the durability of Stirling heater heads. The investigation supplements uniaxial creep testing with pneumatic testing of heater head test articles at elevated temperatures and with stress levels ranging from one to seven times design stresses. This paper presents experimental methods, results, post-test microstructural analyses, and conclusions for both accelerated and non-accelerated tests. The Stirling projects use the results to calibrate deterministic and probabilistic analytical creep models of the heater heads to predict their life times.

Krause, David L.↗

Fabrication in Space - What Materials are Needed?

In order to sustain life on the moon, and especially on Mars, the inhabitants must be self-sufficient. As on Earth, electronic and mechanical systems will break down and must be repaired. It is not realistic to "send" parts to the moon or Mars in an effort to replace failed ones or have spares for all components. It will be important to have spares on hand and even better would be to have the capability to fabricate parts in situ. The In Situ Fabrication and Repair (ISFR) team is working to develop the Arcam Electron Beam Melting (EBM) machine as the manufacturing process that will have the capability to produce repair parts, as well as new designs, and tooling on the lunar surface and eventually on Mars. What materials will be available for the inhabitants to use? What materials would be most useful? The EBM process is versatile and can handle a multitude of materials. These include titanium, stainless steels, aluminums, inconels, and copper alloys. Research has shown what parts have failed during past space missions and this data has been compiled and assessed. The EBM machine is fully capable of processing these materials of choice. Additionally, the long-term goal is to use the lunar regolith as a viable feedstock. Preliminary work has been performed to assess the feasibility of using raw lunar regolith as a material source or use a binder combined with the regolith to achieve a good melt.

Good, J↗