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NASA NTRS2008

Regenerative Blower for EVA Suit Ventilation Fan

Portable life support systems in future space suits will include a ventilation subsystem driven by a dedicated fan. This ventilation fan must meet challenging requirements for pressure rise, flow rate, efficiency, size, safety, and reliability. This paper describes research and development that showed the feasibility of a regenerative blower that is uniquely suited to meet these requirements. We proved feasibility through component tests, blower tests, and design analysis. Based on the requirements for the Constellation Space Suit ventilation fan, we designed the critical elements of the blower. We measured the effects of key design parameters on blower performance using separate effects tests, and used the results of these tests to design a regenerative blower that will meet the ventilation fan requirements. We assembled a proof-of-concept blower and measured its performance at low pressures that simulate a PLSS environment. We obtained head/flow performance curves over a range of operating speeds, identified the maximum efficiency point for the blower, and used these results to specify the design and operating conditions for the ventilation fan. We designed a compact motor that can drive the blower under all anticipated operating requirements and operate with high efficiency during normal operation. We identified materials for the blower that will enhance safety for operation in a lunar environment. We produced a solid model that illustrates the final design. The proof-of-concept blower produced the flow rate and pressure rise needed for the CSSS ventilation subsystem while running at 5400 rpm and consuming only 9 W of electric power and using a non-optimized, commercial motor and controller and inefficient bearings. Scaling the test results to a complete design shows that a lightweight, compact, reliable, and low power blower can meet the performance requirements for future PLSSs.

Paul, Heather↗

NASA NTRS1989

Fabrication and evaluation of enhanced diffusion bonded titanium honeycomb core sandwich panels with titanium aluminide face sheets

A joining process was developed for fabricating lightweight, high temperature sandwich panels for aerospace applications using Ti-14Al-21Nb face sheets and Ti-3Al-2.5V honeycomb core. The process, termed Enhanced Diffusion Bonding (EDB), relies on the formation of a eutectic liquid through solid-state diffusion at elevated temperatures and isothermal solidification to produce joints in thin-gage titanium and titanium aluminide structural components. A technique employing a maskant on the honeycomb core was developed which permitted electroplating a controlled amount of EDB material only on the edges of the honeycomb core in order to minimize the structural weight and metallurgical interaction effects. Metallurgical analyses were conducted to determine the interaction effects between the EDB materials and the constituents of the sandwich structure following EDB processing. The initial mechanical evaluation was conducted with butt joint specimens tested at temperatures from 1400 - 1700 F. Further mechanical evaluation was conducted with EDB sandwich specimens using flatwise tension tests at temperatures from 70 - 1100 F and edgewise compression tests at ambient temperature.

Hoffmann, E. K.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Fiber-Optic Magnetic-Field-Strength Measurement System for Lightning Detection

A fiber-optic sensor system is designed to measure magnetic fields associated with a lightning stroke. Field vector magnitudes are detected and processed for multiple locations. Since physical limitations prevent the sensor elements from being located in close proximity to highly conductive materials such as aluminum, the copper wire sensor elements (3) are located inside a 4-cubic-in. (.66-cubic-cm) plastic housing sensor head and connected to a fiber-optic conversion module by shielded cabling, which is limited to the shortest length feasible. The signal path between the conversion module and the avionics unit which processes the signals are fiber optic, providing enhanced immunity from electromagnetic radiation incident in the vicinity of the measurements. The sensors are passive, lightweight, and much smaller than commercial B-dot sensors in the configuration which measures a three-dimensional magnetic field. The system is expandable, and provides a standard-format output signal for downstream processing. Inside of the sensor head, three small search coils, each having a few turns on a circular form, are mounted orthogonally inside the non-metallic housing. The fiber-optic conversion module comprises three interferometers, one for each search coil. Each interferometer has a high bandwidth optical phase modulator that impresses the signal received from its search coil onto its output. The output of each interferometer travels by fiber optic cable to the avionics unit, and the search coil signal is recovered by an optical phase demodulator. The output of each demodulator is fed to an analog-to-digital converter, whose sampling rate is determined by the maximum expected rate of rise and peak signal magnitude. The output of the digital processor is a faithful reproduction of the coil response to the incident magnetic field. This information is provided in a standard output format on a 50-ohm port that can be connected to any number of data collection and processing instruments and/or systems. The measurement of magnetic fields using fiber-optic signal processing is novel because it eliminates limitations of a traditional B-dot system. These limitations include the distance from the sensor to the measurement device, the potential for the signal to degrade or be corrupted by EMI from lightning, and the size and weight of the sensor and associated plate.

Gurecki, Jay↗

NASA NTRS1982

Finite element analysis of wrinkling membranes

The finite element analysis of wrinkling membranes was investigated. The determination of stresses and deformations within large partly wrinkled membrane surfaces is a problem of significant technical interest in such areas as conceptual design and analysis of ultra lightweight spacecraft structures. A closed-form solution to an axisymmetric problem involving partial wrinkling of an inflated shallow membrane was obtained. In particular, a membrane in the shape of a sperical annulus was considered. The outer edge of the annulus was assumed to be fixed so that no displacements occur along the outer perimeter. The inner edge is assumed to be clamped to a rigid movable plug. Solutions for the complete stress, strain, and displacement fields under the assumption of inextensional material behavior are presented for the case of pure torsional loads applied to the plug, and for the case of pure axial loads applied to the plug.

Miller, R. K.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Rapid fabrication of lightweight ceramic mirrors via chemical vapor deposition

Lightweight Si/SiC mirrors of nominal diameter 7.5 cm have been fabricated via a scalable and rapid CVD process to demonstrate the CVD mirror fabrication technology. These mirrors consist of a faceplate of either Si or Si-coated SiC and a lightweight backstructure made of either Si or SiC. The mirrors were polished to a figure better than 1/5th of a wave at 0.6328 A and a finish of better than 10 A rms. A procedure for fabricating these mirrors is described. The CVD fabrication process is fast and has the potential to yield several mirrors in a few weeks time from a single reactor. The CVD mirror fabrication technology is quite general and can be extended to include mirrors of other ceramic materials such as TiB2 and B4C.

Goela, Jitendra S.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Docking System Would Accommodate Misalignments

Conceptual docking system absorbs kinetic energy along each of three orthogonal directions. Accommodates large misalignments between docking objects. Lightweight system consists of probe on one of two docking objects and drogue on other object. Probe contains latching mechanism; pitch, roll, and yaw dampers; and centering and rigidizing mechanisms. Three eddy-current dampers absorb energy of motion along orthogonal directions, bringing docking objects to smooth stop. Conceived for docking Space Shuttle in Space Station, system useful in other applications in which large moving object must be aligned with and joined to another - such as, cranes, robots, and fuel or material-loading lines.

Ajemian, Rasmik↗

NASA NTRS2004

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2004

Topics include: Embedded Heaters for Joining or Separating Plastic Parts; Curing Composite Materials Using Lower-Energy Electron Beams; Aluminum-Alloy-Matrix/Alumina-Reinforcement Composites; Fibrous-Ceramic/Aerogel Composite Insulating Tiles; Urethane/Silicone Adhesives for Bonding Flexing Metal Parts; Scalable Architecture for Multihop Wireless ad Hoc Networks; Improved Thermoplastic/Iron-Particle Transformer Cores; Cooperative Lander-Surface/Aerial Microflyer Missions for Mars Exploration Dual-Frequency Airborne Scanning Rain Radar Antenna System Eight-Channel Continuous Timer Reduction of Phase Ambiguity in an Offset-QPSK Receiver Ambient-Light-Canceling Camera Using Subtraction of Frames Lightweight, Flexible, Thin, Integrated Solar-Power Packs Windows(Registered Trademark)-Based Software Models Cyclic Oxidation Behavior Software for Analyzing Sequences of Flow-Related Images Improved Ball-and-Socket Docking Mechanism Two-Stage Solenoid Ordered Nanostructures Made Using Chaperonin Polypeptides Low-Temperature Plasma Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes Improved Cryostat for Cooling a Wide Panel Current Pulses Momentarily Enhance Thermoelectric Cooling Hand-Held Color Meters Based on Interference Filters Calculating Mass Diffusion in High-Pressure Binary Fluids Fresnel Lenses for Wide-Aperture Optical Receivers Increasing Accuracy in Computed Inviscid Boundary Conditions Higher-Order Finite Elements for Computing Thermal Radiation Radar for Monitoring Hurricanes from Geostationary Orbit Time-Transfer System for Two Orbiting Spacecraft

Source record↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Integrated Design Tool for Tow-Steered Laminates of Composites in Abaqus and MSC.Patran/Nastran

Tow-steered composites can be tailored for optimal mechanical performance of lightweight structures. However, there are no commercial-grade design tools for tow-steered composite structures, which hinders the design innovation of tow-steered composites in realistic structures. The novelty of this paper is to develop an integrated design framework along with the development of graphical user interface (GUI) plug-ins in commercial finite element (FE) software Abaqus and MSC.Patran/Nastran. The GUI plug-ins take all the design setups and communicate with external codes for the material modeling and optimization, and hence provide a unified design environment within the FE codes. The mechanics of structure genome (MSG) plate model computes shell element properties based on user-defined fiber paths and layup, which are defined via the GUI plug-ins. The optimization is performed by an open-source code, Dakota, from Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), which also coordinates the structural analysis, material modeling, and optimization in design iterations. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the user-friendliness and versatility of the developed GUI plug-ins. The developed tools will ease the design process and facilitate the application of tow-steered composites in realistic aerospace structures.

Xin Liu↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Integrated Design Tool for Tow-Steered Laminates of Composites in Abaqus and MSC.Patran/Nastran

Xin Liu↗

NASA NTRS2014

OCCAMS: Optically Controlled and Corrected Active Meta-Material Space Structures

Telescopes require sub-wavelength figure (shape) error in order to achieve acceptable Strehl ratios. Traditional methods of achieving this require rigid and therefore heavy mirrors and reaction structures as well as proportionally heavy and expensive spacecraft busses and launch vehicles. This effectively limits the diameter and therefore resolution and collecting area of space optics. Large diameter telescopes must either be heavy or actively controlled. Space telescopes of the size proposed for missions such as TPF (Terrestrial Planet Finder), TPI (Terrestrial Planet Imager), etc. will likely require large active primaries and structures and corrective optics to implement downstream wavefront control. We propose a novel viable enabling technology. High resolution space imaging requires the production of lightweight large aperture optics subject to design tradespace constraints based on nanometer physical tolerances, low system aerial density, high control authority, suitable thermal and mechanical properties, deployment capability, launch vehicle volume constraints, as well as production cost and schedule risk mitigation. Segmented systems impose additional requirements on segment alignment, wavefront phasing, and telescope mass with increased edge diffraction. Photons weigh nothing. Why must even small space telescopes "weigh" tons? Our team is working to demonstrate that they do not, by leveraging 15 years of effort and a novel advanced concept.The ultimate research goal is to refine technology to produce a mission capable ultra-lightweight membrane optic whose shape can be remotely controlled using a laser beam. Using our novel optically-controlled molecular actuators allows substitution of optically-induced control for rigidity and mirror mass. In analogy with noise-canceling headphones, this technique also potentially provides a way to excite vibratory modes to couple with and damp out normal modes of oscillation induced by slewing, other motion and thermal changes, thus allowing a robust response to repointing of a large aperture.

Astronomy↗

NASA NTRS1981

Tank testing of a 2500-cm2 solar panel

A 50 cm by 50 cm solar array panel test patch was investigated for spacecraft charging and arcing effects. Bombardment with monochromatic electron was carried out. Some objectives of the test were: (1) to estimate at what voltage of electron bombardment arcing would be probable; (2) to find whether the arc's energy would be tolerable or damagingly large; (3) to try and separate thermal and photoeffects; and, (4) to see whether materials used were such as to minimize arcing. Some conclusions were: In sunlight the tracking data relay satellite's solar panel which has ceria glass on the front and conductive paint on the backside is probably a good design for reducing charge-up. In a geomagnetic substorm simulated in testing there will be arcing at the interconnects during eclipse and transitions into and out of eclipse in testing especially in view of the very cold temperatures that will be reached by this lightweight array. Ceria-doped glass is preferred to fused silica glass for reducing charge build up. The Kapton bare patch should still be conductively painted. The differential voltages on the panel determine when arcing first begins, and the electron beam voltages vary depending upon whether the metallic structure is directly grounded or semifloating.

Bever, R. S.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Liquid-Crystal Thermosets, a New Generation of High-Performance Liquid-Crystal Polymers

One of the major challenges for NASA's next-generation reusable-launch-vehicle (RLV) program is the design of a cryogenic lightweight composite fuel tank. Potential matrix resin systems need to exhibit a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), good mechanical strength, and excellent barrier properties at cryogenic temperatures under load. In addition, the resin system needs to be processable by a variety of non-autoclavable techniques, such as vacuum-bag curing, resin-transfer molding (RTM), vacuum-assisted resin-transfer molding (VaRTM), resin-film infusion (RFI), pultrusion, and advanced tow placement (ATP). To meet these requirements, the Advanced Materials and Processing Branch (AMPB) at NASA Langley Research Center developed a new family of wholly aromatic liquid-crystal oligomers that can be processed and thermally cross-linked while maintaining their liquid-crystal order. All the monomers were polymerized in the presence of a cross-linkable unit by use of an environmentally benign melt-condensation technique. This method does not require hazardous solvents, and the only side product is acetic acid. The final product can be obtained as a powder or granulate and has an infinite shelf life. The obtained oligomers melt into a nematic phase and do not exhibit isotropization temperatures greater than the temperatures of decomposition (Ti > T(sub dec)). Three aromatic formulations were designed and tested and included esters, ester-amides, and ester-imides. One of the major advantages of this invention, named LaRC-LCR or Langley Research Center-Liquid Crystal Resin, is the ability to control a variety of resin characteristics, such as melting temperature, viscosity, and the cross-link density of the final part. Depending on the formulation, oligomers can be prepared with melt viscosities in the range of 10-10,000 poise (100 rad/s), which can easily be melt-processed using a variety of composite-processing techniques. This capability provides NASA with custom-made matrix resins that meet the required processing conditions for the fabrication of textile composites. Once the resin is in place, the temperature is raised to 375 C and the oligomers are cross-linked into a high-glass-transition-temperature (Tg) nematic network without releasing volatiles. The mechanical properties of the fully crosslinked, composite articles are comparable to typical composites based on commercially available epoxy resins.

Dingemans, Theo↗

NASA NTRS2010

Phase Change Material Trade Study: A Comparison Between Wax and Water for Manned Spacecraft

Phase change material heat sinks have been recognized as an important tool in optimizing thermal control systems for space exploration vehicles and habitats that must deal with widely varying thermal loads and environments. In order to better focus technology investment in this arena, NASA has supported a trade study with the objective of identifying where the best potential pay-off can be found among identified aqueous and paraffin wax phase change materials and phase change material heat sink design approaches. The study used a representative exploration mission with well understood parameters to support the trade. Additional sensitivity studies were performed to ensure the applicability of study results across varying systems and destinations. Results from the study indicate that a water ice PCM heat sink has the potential to decrease the equivalent system mass of the mission s vehicle through a combination of a smaller heat sink and a slight 5% increase in radiator size or the addition of a lightweight heat pump. An evaluation of existing and emerging PCM heat sink technologies indicates that further significant mass savings should be achievable through continued development of those technologies. The largest mass savings may be realized by managing the location of the liquid and the solid in the heat sink to eliminate the melting and freezing pressure of wax and water, respectively, while also accommodating the high structural loads expected on future manned launch vehicles.

Quinn, Gregory↗

NASA NTRS2014

Lithium-Air Cell Development

Lithium-air (Li-air) primary batteries have a theoretical specific capacity of 11,400 Wh/kg, the highest of any common metal-air system. NASA is developing Li-air technology for a Mobile Oxygen Concentrator for Spacecraft Emergencies, an application which requires an extremely lightweight primary battery that can discharge over 24 hours continuously. Several vendors were funded through the NASA SBIR program to develop Li-air technology to fulfill the requirements of this application. New catalysts and carbon cathode structures were developed to enhance the oxygen reduction reaction and increase surface area to improve cell performance. Techniques to stabilize the lithium metal anode surface were explored. Experimental results for prototype laboratory cells are given. Projections are made for the performance of hypothetical cells constructed from the materials that were developed.

Lithium-air↗

NASA NTRS2017

NIAC Phase II Orbiting Rainbows: Future Space Imaging with Granular Systems

Inspired by the light scattering and focusing properties of distributed optical assemblies in Nature, such as rainbows and aerosols, and by recent laboratory successes in optical trapping and manipulation, we propose a unique combination of space optics and autonomous robotic system technology, to enable a new vision of space system architecture with applications to ultra-lightweight space optics and, ultimately, in-situ space system fabrication. Typically, the cost of an optical system is driven by the size and mass of the primary aperture. The ideal system is a cloud of spatially disordered dust-like objects that can be optically manipulated: it is highly reconfigurable, fault-tolerant, and allows very large aperture sizes at low cost. This new concept is based on recent understandings in the physics of optical manipulation of small particles in the laboratory and the engineering of distributed ensembles of spacecraft swarms to shape an orbiting cloud of micron-sized objects. In the same way that optical tweezers have revolutionized micro- and nano-manipulation of objects, our breakthrough concept will enable new large scale NASA mission applications and develop new technology in the areas of Astrophysical Imaging Systems and Remote Sensing because the cloud can operate as an adaptive optical imaging sensor. While achieving the feasibility of constructing one single aperture out of the cloud is the main topic of this work, it is clear that multiple orbiting aerosol lenses could also combine their power to synthesize a much larger aperture in space to enable challenging goals such as exo-planet detection. Furthermore, this effort could establish feasibility of key issues related to material properties, remote manipulation, and autonomy characteristics of cloud in orbit. There are several types of endeavors (science missions) that could be enabled by this type of approach, i.e. it can enable new astrophysical imaging systems, exo-planet search, large apertures allow for unprecedented high resolution to discern continents and important features of other planets, hyperspectral imaging, adaptive systems, spectroscopy imaging through limb, and stable optical systems from Lagrange-points. Furthermore, future micro-miniaturization might hold promise of a further extension of our dust aperture concept to other more exciting smart dust concepts with other associated capabilities. Our objective in Phase II was to experimentally and numerically investigate how to optically manipulate and maintain the shape of an orbiting cloud of dust-like matter so that it can function as an adaptable ultra-lightweight surface. Our solution is based on the aperture being an engineered granular medium, instead of a conventional monolithic aperture. This allows building of apertures at a reduced cost, enables extremely fault-tolerant apertures that cannot otherwise be made, and directly enables classes of missions for exoplanet detection based on Fourier spectroscopy with tight angular resolution and innovative radar systems for remote sensing. In this task, we have examined the advanced feasibility of a crosscutting concept that contributes new technological approaches for space imaging systems, autonomous systems, and space applications of optical manipulation. The proposed investigation has matured the concept that we started in Phase I to TRL 3, identifying technology gaps and candidate system architectures for the space-borne cloud as an aperture.

Quadrelli, Marco B.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Cryogenic Magnetic Bearing Test Facility (CMBTF)

The Cryogenic Magnetic Bearing Test Facility (CMBTF) was designed and built to evaluate compact, lightweight magnetic bearings for use in the SSME's (space shuttle main engine) liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen turbopumps. State of the art and tradeoff studies were conducted which indicated that a hybrid permanent magnet bias homopolar magnetic bearing design would be smaller, lighter, and much more efficient than conventional industrial bearings. A test bearing of this type was designed for the test rig for use at both room temperature and cryogenic temperature (-320 F). The bearing was fabricated from state-of-the-art materials and incorporated into the CMBTF. Testing at room temperature was accomplished at Avcon's facility. These preliminary tests indicated that this magnetic bearing is a feasible alternative to older bearing technologies. Analyses showed that the hybrid magnetic bearing is one-third the weight, considerably smaller, and uses less power than previous generations of magnetic bearings.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1995

(abstract) Vibration Damping of the Cassini Spacecraft Structure

Cassini will be protected during launch ascent through the atmosphere by a lightweight aluminum payload fairing (PLF). As a result of the extreme noise levels generated by the powerful Titan IV at liftoff, and the acoustic transparency of the PLF, Cassini is predicted to experience severe acoustic levels. Furthermore, the high acoustic levels, coupled with the size and configuration of the spacecraft, will induce intense random vibration on the structure and critical spacecraft components. Efforts to mitigate the vibroacoustic environment by modifying the spacecraft structure were pursued. Preliminary studies indicated that a structural damping treatment using viscoelastic materials (VEMs) represented a viable technique of reducing vibration with minimum impact on weight, cost, and redesign. Tuned Vibration Absorbers (TVAs) - compact, single degree-of-freedom mechanical oscillators in which a VEM serves as the spring and damping element - will be used also. The operating principles, design, and installation of the TVAs are described, the test program is outlined, and test results are presented which show that significant vibration attenuation was achieved.

vibroacoustic environment↗

NASA NTRS1997

Materials Testing on the DC-X and DC-XA

Flight testing of thermal protection materials has been carried out over a two year period on the base heat shield of the Delta Clipper (DC-X and DC-XA), as well on a body flap. The purpose was to use the vehicle as a test bed for materials and more efficient repair or maintenance processes which would be potentially useful for application on new entry vehicles (i.e., X-33, RLV, planetary probes), as well as on the existing space shuttle orbiters. Panels containing Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) and/or structural materials were constructed either at NASA Ames Research Center or at McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA) and attached between two of the four thrusters in the base heat shield of the DC-X or DC-XA. Three different panels were flown on DC-X flights 6, 7, and 8. A total of 7 panels were flown on DC-XA flights 1, 2, and 3. The panels constructed at Ames contained a variety of ceramic TPS including flexible blankets, tiles with high emissivity coatings, lightweight ceramic ablators and other ceramic composites. The MDS test panels consisted primarily of a variety of metallic composites. This report focuses on the ceramic TPS test results.

Smith, Dane↗