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NASA NTRS2005

Revised Thorium Abundances for Lunar Red Spots

Lunar red spots are features on the nearside of the Moon that are characterized by high albedo and by a strong absorption in the ultraviolet. These red spots include the Gruithuisen domes, the Mairan domes, Hansteen Alpha, the southern portion of Montes Riphaeus, Darney Chi and Tau, Helmet, and an area near the Lassell crater. It has been suggested that many of the red spots are extrusive, nonmare, volcanic features that could be composed of an evolved lithlogy enriched in thorium. In fact, Hawke et al. used morphological characteristics to show that Hansteen Alpha is a nonmare volcanic construct. However, because the apparent Th abundances (6 - 7 ppm) were lower than that expected for evolved rock types, Hawke et al. concluded that Hansteen Alpha was composed of an unknown rock type. Subsequent studies by Lawrence et al. used improved knowledge of the Th spatial distribution for small area features on the lunar surface to revisit the interpretation of Th abundances at the Hansteen Alpha red spot. As part of their study, Lawrence et al. used a forward modeling technique to show that the Th abundance at Hansteen Alpha is not 6 ppm, but is more likely closer to 25 ppm, a value consistent with evolved lithologies. This positive correlation between the morphology and composition of Hansteen Alpha provides support for the presence of evolved lithologies on the lunar surface. It is possible, however, that Hansteen Alpha represents an isolated occurrence of non-mare volcanism. That is why we have chosen to use the forward modeling technique of Lawrence et al. to investigate the Th abundances at other lunar red spots, starting with the Gruithuisen domes. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Hagerty, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Microalloying Improves the Low-Cycle Fatigue Behavior of Powder-Extruded NiAl

There is considerable interest in developing new structural materials in which high use temperatures and strength, coupled with low density, are the minimum requirements. The goal for these new materials is to provide operation well beyond the working range of conventional superalloys. Of the many intermetallics under consideration, NiAl is one of the few systems that has emerged as a promising candidate for further development. This is because of a number of property advantages--including low density, high melting temperature, high thermal conductivity, and excellent environmental resistance. However, binary NiAl lacks strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures. Also, its poor high-temperature strength results in worse-than-predicted low-cycle fatigue (LCF) lives at low strain ranges at 727 C (1341 F) because of accelerated creep damage mechanisms that result in significant intergranular cracking. One approach for improving these properties involves microalloying NiAl with either Zr or N. As an integral part of this alloy-development program at the NASA Lewis Research Center, the low-cycle fatigue behavior of Zr- and N-doped nickel aluminides produced by extrusion of prealloyed powders was investigated and compared with similarly processed binary NiAl.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2004

Origin of Domes on Europa: The Role of Thermally Induced Compositional Buoyancy,

The surface of Jupiter's moon Europa is peppered by topographic domes, interpreted as sites of intrusion and extrusion. Diapirism is consistent with dome morphology, but thermal buoyancy alone cannot produce sufficient driving pressures to create the observed dome elevations. Instead, diapirs may initiate by thermal convection that induces compositional segregation. Exclusion of impurities from warm upwellings allows sufficient buoyancy for icy plumes to create the observed surface topography, provided the ice shell has a small effective elastic thickness (0.2 to 0.5 km) and contains low-eutectic point impurities at the few percent level. This model suggests that the ice shell may be depleted in impurities over time.

Pappalardo, R. T.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Extensional Rheology Experiment Developed to Investigate the Rheology of Dilute Polymer Solutions in Microgravity

A fundamental characteristic of fluid is viscosity; that is, the fluid resists forces that cause it to flow. This characteristic, or parameter, is used by manufacturers and end-users to describe the physical properties of a specific material so that they know what to expect when a material, such as a polymer, is processed through an extruder, a film blower, or a fiber-spinning apparatus. Normally, researchers will report a shear viscosity that depends on the rate of an imposed shearing flow. Although this type of characterization is sufficient for some processes, simple shearing experiments do not provide a complete picture of what a processor may expect for all materials. Extensional stretching flows are common in many polymer-processing operations such as extrusion, blow molding, and fiber spinning. Therefore, knowledge of the complete rheological (ability to flow and be deformed) properties of the polymeric fluid being processed is required to accurately predict and account for the flow behavior. In addition, if numerical simulations are ever able to serve as a priori design tools for optimizing polymer processing operations such as those described above, an accurate knowledge of the extensional viscosity of a polymer system and its variation with temperature, concentration, molecular weight, and strain rate is critical.

Logsdon, Kirk A.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Artificial Neural Network Test Support Development for the Space Shuttle PRCS Thrusters

A significant anomaly, Fuel Valve Pilot Seal Extrusion, is affecting the Shuttle Primary Reaction Control System (PRCS) Thrusters, and has caused 79 to fail. To help address this problem, a Shuttle PRCS Thruster Process Evaluation Team (TPET) was formed. The White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) and Boeing members of the TPET have identified many discrete valve current trace characteristics that are predictive of the problem. However, these are difficult and time consuming to identify and trend by manual analysis. Based on this exhaustive analysis over months, 22 thrusters previously delivered by the Depot were identified as high risk for flight failures. Although these had only recently been installed, they had to be removed from Shuttles OV103 and OV104 for reprocessing, by directive of the Shuttle Project Office. The resulting impact of the thruster removal, replacement, and valve replacement was significant (months of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars). Much of this could have been saved had the proposed Neural Network (NN) tool described in this paper been in place. In addition to the significant benefits to the Shuttle indicated above, the development and implementation of this type of testing will be the genesis for potential Quality improvements across many areas of WSTF test data analysis and will be shared with other NASA centers. Future tests can be designed to incorporate engineering experience via Artificial Neural Nets (ANN) into depot level acceptance of hardware. Additionally, results were shared with a NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Super Problem Response Team (SPRT). There was extensive interest voiced among many different personnel from several centers. There are potential spin-offs of this effort that can be directly applied to other data acquisition systems as well as vehicle health management for current and future flight vehicles.

Lehr, Mark E.↗

NASA NTRS2003

High-Temperature Oxidation-Resistant and Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion NiAl-Base Bond Coat Developed for a Turbine Blade Application

Many critical gas turbine engine components are currently made from Ni-base superalloys that are coated with a thermal barrier coating (TBC). The TBC consists of a ZrO2-based top coat and a bond coat that is used to enhance the bonding between the superalloy substrate and the top coat. MCrAlY alloys (CoCrAlY and NiCrAlY) are currently used as bond coats and are chosen for their very good oxidation resistance. TBC life is frequently limited by the oxidation resistance of the bond coat, along with a thermal expansion mismatch between the metallic bond coat and the ceramic top coat. The aim of this investigation at the NASA Glenn Research Center was to develop a new longer life, higher temperature bond coat by improving both the oxidation resistance and the thermal expansion characteristics of the bond coat. Nickel aluminide (NiAl) has excellent high-temperature oxidation resistance and can sustain a protective Al2O3 scale to longer times and higher temperatures in comparison to MCrAlY alloys. Cryomilling of NiAl results in aluminum nitride (AlN) formation that reduces the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the alloy and enhances creep strength. Thus, additions of cryomilled NiAl-AlN to CoCrAlY were examined as a potential bond coat. In this work, the composite alloy was investigated as a stand-alone substrate to demonstrate its feasibility prior to actual use as a coating. About 85 percent of prealloyed NiAl and 15 percent of standard commercial CoCrAlY alloys were mixed and cryomilled in an attritor with stainless steel balls used as grinding media. The milling was carried out in the presence of liquid nitrogen. The milled powder was consolidated by hot extrusion or by hot isostatic pressing. From the consolidated material, oxidation coupons, four-point bend, CTE, and tensile specimens were machined. The CTE measurements were made between room temperature and 1000 C in an argon atmosphere. It is shown that the CTE of the NiAl-AlN-CoCrAlY composite bond coat is lower than that of the commercially used coating alloy 16-6. To examine the potential of NiAl-AlN-CoCrAlY as a bond coat, we subjected two samples to cyclic furnace testing. The furnace cycle consisted of 45 min at 1163 C (2125 F ) followed by 15 min of cooling out of the furnace. The current NASA baseline TBC is a NiCrAlY bond coat below the 7YSZ top coat. The average TBC life for this baseline coating on Ren N5 is 188 plus or minus 19 cycles. NiAl-AlN-CoCrAlY specimens coated with the same 7YSZ top coat were still intact even after 1000 cycles. Therefore, the NiAl-AlN-CoCrAlY as a bulk substrate material, exhibits more than 5 times the life of the current state-of-the-art material. The next step is to evaluate this material as a coating on the same superalloy substrate.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2005

Liquid Crystalline Thermosets from Ester, Ester-Imide, and Ester-Amide Oligomers

Main chain thermotropic liquid crystal esters, ester-imides, and ester-amides were prepared from AA, BB, and AB type monomeric materials and were end-capped with phenylacetylene, phenylmaleimide, or nadimide reactive end-groups. The resulting reactive end-capped liquid crystal oligomers exhibit a variety of improved and preferred physical properties. The end-capped liquid crystal oligomers are thermotropic and have, preferably, molecular weights in the range of approximately 1000-15,OOO grams per mole. The end-capped liquid crystal oligomers have broad liquid crystalline melting ranges and exhibit high melt stability and very low melt viscosities at accessible temperatures. The end-capped liquid crystal oligomers are stable for up to an hour in the melt phase. These properties make the end-capped liquid crystal oligomers highly processable by a variety of melt process shape forming and blending techniques including film extrusion, fiber spinning, reactive injection molding (RIM), resin transfer molding (RTM), resin film injection (RFI), powder molding, pultrusion, injection molding, blow molding, plasma spraying and thermo-forming. Once processed and shaped, the end- capped liquid crystal oligomers were heated to further polymerize and form liquid crystalline thermosets (LCT). The fully cured products are rubbers above their glass transition temperatures. The resulting thermosets display many properties that are superior to their non-end-capped high molecular weight analogs.

Theodornus J Dingemans↗

NASA NTRS2005

Polyimide Foams

A fully imidized, solvent-free polyimide foam having excellent mechanical, acoustic, thermal, and flame resistant properties is produced. A first solution is provided, which includes one or more aromatic dianhydrides or derivatives of aromatic dianhydrides, and may include one or more aromatic diamines, dissolved in one or more polar solvents, along with an effective amount of one or more blowing agents. This first solution may also advantageously include effective amounts respectively of one or mores catalysts, one or more surfactants, and one or more fire retardants. A second solution is also provided which includes one or more isocyanates. The first and second solutions are rapidly and thoroughly mixed to produce an admixture, which is allowed to foam-in an open container, or in a closed mold-under ambient conditions to completion produce a foamed product. This foamed product is then cured by high frequency electromagnetic radiation, thermal energy, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the process is adapted for spraying or extrusion.

Juan M Vazquez↗

NASA NTRS2004

Progress Status of Skutterudite-Based Segmented Thermoelectric Technology Development

Young's modulus, bulk density, fracture strength, and fracture toughness of alpha silicon carbide manufactured by extrusion and by isopressing were measured at room and elevated temperature in order to determine material feasibility as augers for the Tile Overlay Repair attachment. The measured properties of extruded and isopressed materials differ significantly, with the extruded material exhibiting marked strength anisotropy and lower density. The measurements were made between July and September 2006 at Glenn Research Center (GRC), in order to obtain design data for use in structural and thermal mathematical models.

Seqmented Thermoelectric Technoloqy (STE)↗

NASA NTRS2005

Liquid crystalline thermosets from ester, ester-imide, and ester-amide oligomers

Main chain thermotropic liquid crystal esters, ester-imides, and ester-amides were prepared from AA, BB, and AB type monomeric materials and were end-capped with phenylacetylene, phenylmaleimide, or nadimide reactive end-groups. The resulting reactive end-capped liquid crystal oligomers exhibit a variety of improved and preferred physical properties. The end-capped liquid crystal oligomers are thermotropic and have, preferably, molecular weights in the range of approximately 1000-15,000 grams per mole. The end-capped liquid crystal oligomers have broad liquid crystalline melting ranges and exhibit high melt stability and very low melt viscosities at accessible temperatures. The end-capped liquid crystal oligomers are stable for up to an hour in the melt phase. These properties make the end-capped liquid crystal oligomers highly processable by a variety of melt process shape forming and blending techniques including film extrusion, fiber spinning, reactive injection molding (RIM), resin transfer molding (RTM), resin film injection (RFI), powder molding, pultrusion, injection molding, blow molding, plasma spraying and thermo-forming. Once processed and shaped, the end-capped liquid crystal oligomers were heated to further polymerize and form liquid crystalline thermosets (LCT). The fully cured products are rubbers above their glass transition temperatures. The resulting thermosets display many properties that are superior to their non-end-capped high molecular weight analogs.

Dingemans, Theodorous J.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Polyimide foams

A fully imidized, solvent-free polyimide foam having excellent mechanical, acoustic, thermal, and flame resistant properties is produced. A first solution is provided, which includes one or more aromatic dianhydrides or derivatives of aromatic dianhydrides, and may include one or more aromatic diamines, dissolved in one or more polar solvents, along with an effective amount of one or more blowing agents. This first solution may also advantageously include effective amounts respectively of one or mores catalysts, one or more surfactants, and one or more fire retardants. A second solution is also provided which includes one or more isocyanates. The first and second solutions are rapidly and thoroughly mixed to produce an admixture, which is allowed to foam?in an open container, or in a closed mold?under ambient conditions to completion produce a foamed product. This foamed product is then cured by high frequency electromagnetic radiation, thermal energy, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the process is adapted for spraying or extrusion.

Vazquez, Juan M.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Shell forming system

An apparatus is provided for forming gas-filled spheres of metal, glass or other material, which produces spheres (12) of uniform size and wall thickness in a relatively simple system. The system includes concentric nozzles, including an inner nozzle (18) through which gas flows and and an outer nozzle (20), which jointly define an annular passageway (50) through which a liquid flows. The flow rates are adjusted so that the gas flows at greater velocity than does the liquid, out of their respective nozzles, e.g. three times as great, in order to produce an extrusion (30) which undergoes axisymmetric oscillations resulting in the pinch off into hollow spheres with very uniform spacing. The system is useful not only where gas-filled spheres are required, but also is useful to accurately control the dispensing of solid, liquid, or gaseous materials.

Kendall, Jr., James M.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr Isotopic Studies of Meteorite Kalahari 009: An Old VLT Mare Basalt

Lunar meteorite Kalahari 009 is a fragmental basaltic breccia contain ing various very-low-Ti (VLT) mare basalt clasts embedded in a fine-g rained matrix of similar composition. This meteorite and lunar meteorite Kalahari 008, an anorthositic breccia, were suggested to be paired mainly due to the presence of similar fayalitic olivines in fragment s found in both meteorites. Thus, Kalahari 009 probably represents a VLT basalt that came from a locality near a mare-highland boundary r egion of the Moon, as compared to the typical VLT mare basalt samples collected at Mare Crisium during the Luna-24 mission. The concordant Sm-Nd and Ar-Ar ages of such a VLT basalt (24170) suggest that the extrusion of VLT basalts at Mare Crisium occurred 3.30 +/- 0.05 Ga ag o. Previous age results for Kalahari 009 range from approximately 4.2 Ga by its Lu-Hf isochron age to 1.70?0.04 Ga of its Ar-Ar plateau ag e. However, recent in-situ U-Pb dating of phosphates in Kalahari 009 defined an old crystallization age of 4.35+/- 0.15 Ga. The authors su ggested that Kalahari 009 represents a cryptomaria basalt. In this r eport, we present Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopic results for Kalahari 009, discuss the relationship of its age and isotopic characteristics to t hose of other L-24 VLT mare basalts and other probable cryptomaria ba salts represented by Apollo 14 aluminous mare basalts, and discuss it s petrogenesis.

Shih, C.-Y.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Deconvoluting the Friction Stir Weld Process for Optimizing Welds

In the friction stir welding process, the rotating surfaces of the pin and shoulder contact the weld metal and force a rotational flow within the weld metal. Heat, generated by the metal deformation as well as frictional slippage with the contact surface, softens the metal and makes it easier to deform. As in any thermo-mechanical processing of metal, the flow conditions are critical to the quality of the weld. For example, extrusion of metal from under the shoulder of an excessively hot weld may relax local pressure and result in wormhole defects. The trace of the weld joint in the wake of the weld may vary geometrically depending upon the flow streamlines around the tool with some geometry more vulnerable to loss of strength from joint contamination than others. The material flow path around the tool cannot be seen in real time during the weld. By using analytical "tools" based upon the principles of mathematics and physics, a weld model can be created to compute features that can be observed. By comparing the computed observations with actual data, the weld model can be validated or adjusted to get better agreement. Inputs to the model to predict weld structures and properties include: hot working properties ofthe metal, pin tool geometry, travel rate, rotation and plunge force. Since metals record their prior hot working history, the hot working conditions imparted during FSW can be quantified by interpreting the final microstructure. Variations in texture and grain size result from variations in the strain accommodated at a given strain rate and temperature. Microstructural data from a variety of FSWs has been correlated with prior marker studies to contribute to our understanding of the FSW process. Once this stage is reached, the weld modeling process can save significant development costs by reducing costly trial-and-error approaches to obtaining quality welds.

Schneider, Judy↗

NASA NTRS2007

A Photographic Atlas of Rock Breakdown Features in Geomorphic Environments

A primary goal of geomorphological enquiry is to make genetic associations between process and form. In rock breakdown studies, the links between process, inheritance and lithology are not well constrained. In particular, there is a need to establish an understanding of feature persistence. That is, to determine the extent to which in situ rock breakdown (e.g., aeolian abrasion or salt weathering) masks signatures of earlier geomorphic transport processes (e.g., fluvial transport or crater ejecta). Equally important is the extent to which breakdown during geomorphic transport masks the imprint of past weathering. The use of rock features in this way raises the important question: Can features on the surface of a rock reliably indicate its geomorphic history? This has not been determined for rock surfaces on Earth or other planets. A first step towards constraining the links between process, inheritance, and morphology is to identify pristine features produced by different process regimes. The purpose of this atlas is to provide a comprehensive image collection of breakdown features commonly observed on boulders in different geomorphic environments. The atlas is intended as a tool for planetary geoscientists and their students to assist in identifying features found on rocks on planetary surfaces. In compiling this atlas, we have attempted to include features that have formed 'recently' and where the potential for modification by another geomorphic process is low. However, we acknowledge that this is, in fact, difficult to achieve when selecting rocks in their natural environment. We group breakdown features according to their formative environment and process. In selecting images for inclusion in the atlas we were mindful to cover a wide range of climatic zones. For example, in the weathering chapter, clast features are shown from locations such as the hyper-arid polar desert of Antarctica and the semi-arid canyons of central Australia. This is important as some features (e.g., alveoli) occur across climate regimes. We have drawn on the published geomorphological literature and our own field experience. We use, where possible, images of extrusive igneous rocks as the data returned from Mars, Venus and the Moon indicates that this is the predominant rock type. One of the purposes of this atlas is to expand the range of surface features that are known to indicate a particular geomorphic environment or process history. The surface features on boulders in some environments such as aeolian and weathering are well understood. In contrast, those in fluvial or ejecta environments are not. Therefore we have presented a comprehensive assemblage of features that are likely to be produced in each of the geomorphic environments. We hope that this atlas will trigger more research on diagnostic features, particularly their morphometry and detailed morphology, their persistence and rates of formation. In this first edition of the atlas we detail the features found on clasts in three geomorphic environments: aeolian, fluvial and weathering. Future editions of the atlas will include chapters on ejecta, micro-impacts, coastal, colluvial, glacial and structural features.

Bourke, Mary C.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Reversible Chemochromic Hydrogen Detectors

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), affiliated with the University of Central Florida, has invented a reversible pigment that changes from light beige to blue when exposed to hydrogen and back to light beige when exposed to atmospheric oxygen. In laboratory and environmental studies, the FSEC pigment in its tape form failed to change color adequately when exposed to hydrogen after one day of exposure at Kennedy Space Center's Beach Corrosion Test Facility. The reversible hydrogen-detecting tape also lost its ability to change color after being placed in an environmental chamber at 45 C for one day. The first attempts at extruding the reversible pigment into various polymers were unsuccessful because of the pigment's poor thermal stability. The goal of this project was to formulate a pigment with improved thermal and environmental stability for extrusion into a variety of appropriate polymer matrices. The formulation of the reversible hydrogen-detecting pigment was modified by removing one reagent and chemically modifying the hydrogen sensitive ingredient. This was intended to improve the hydrophobicity of the pigment and alter the thermal degradation mechanism.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2009

Polyimide foams

A fully imidized, solvent-free polyimide foam having excellent mechanical, acoustic, thermal, and flame resistant properties is produced. A first solution is provided, which includes one or more aromatic dianhydrides or derivatives of aromatic dianhydrides, and may include one or more aromatic diamines, dissolved in one or more polar solvents, along with an effective amount of one or more blowing agents. This first solution may also advantageously include effective amounts respectively of one or mores catalysts, one or more surfactants, and one or more fire retardants. A second solution is also provided which includes one or more isocyanates. The first and second solutions are rapidly and thoroughly mixed to produce an admixture, which is allowed to foam--in an open container, or in a closed mold--under ambient conditions to completion produce a foamed product. This foamed product is then cured by high frequency electromagnetic radiation, thermal energy, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the process is adapted for spraying or extrusion.

Vazquez, Juan M.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Lightweight Heat Pipes Made from Magnesium

Magnesium has shown promise as a lighter-weight alternative to the aluminum alloys now used to make the main structural components of axially grooved heat pipes that contain ammonia as the working fluid. Magnesium heat-pipe structures can be fabricated by conventional processes that include extrusion, machining, welding, and bending. The thermal performances of magnesium heat pipes are the same as those of equal-sized aluminum heat pipes. However, by virtue of the lower mass density of magnesium, the magnesium heat pipes weigh 35 percent less. Conceived for use aboard spacecraft, magnesium heat pipes could also be attractive as heat-transfer devices in terrestrial applications in which minimization of weight is sought: examples include radio-communication equipment and laptop computers.

Rosenfeld, John N.↗