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At least 1,081 records · Page 60
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Investigations of submicron sized metal particles in glass coatings of lunar breccia 15286

Almost all the submicron metal particles in the glass coating of breccia 15286 are rounded and contain two phases, metal and sulfide (FeS). The Ni content of the metal phase as determined by scanning transmission electron microscope X-ray analysis ranged from 9.4 to 15.5 wt %. The sulfide was nearly stoichiometric troilite containing up to 1.3 wt % Ni. The close chemical and microstructural similarities between the coarse (greater than 1-micron) and the submicron sized metal indicate a common origin probably as meteoritic debris. Metal-silicate melt experiments under controlled oxygen partial pressured indicate that the metal particles may have formed from a fine dispersion of immiscible metal-sulfide droplets into an impact-generated silicate melt.

Mehta, S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Correlation of ideal and actual shear strengths of metals with their friction properties

The relation between the ideal and actual shear strengths and friction properties of clean metals in contact with clean diamond, boron nitride, silicon carbide, manganese-zinc ferrite, and the metals themselves in vacuum is discussed. An estimate of the ideal shear strength for metals is obtained from the shear modulus, the repeat distance of atoms in the direction of shear of the metal, and the interplanar spacing of the shearing planes. The coefficient of friction for metals is shown to be correlated with both the ideal and actual shear strength of metals. The higher the strength of the metal, the lower the coefficient of friction occurs.

Miyoshi, K.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Adhesion and friction of single-crystal diamond in contact with transition metals

An investigation was conducted to examine the adhesion and friction of single-crystal diamond in contact with various transition metals and the nature of metal transfer to diamond. Sliding friction experiments were conducted with diamond in sliding contact with the metals yttrium, titanium, zirconium, vanadium, iron, cobalt, nickel, tungsten, platinum, rhenium and rhodium. All experiments were conducted with loads of 0.05 to 0.3 N, at a sliding velocity of 0.003 m per minute, in a vacuum of 10 to the -8th Pa, at room temperature, and on the (111) plane of diamond with sliding in the 110 line type direction. The results of the investigation indicate that the coefficient of friction for diamond in contact with various metals is related to the relative chemical activity of the metals in high vacuum. The more active the metal, the higher the coefficient of friction. All the metals examined transferred to the surface of diamond in sliding.

Miyoshi, K.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Metallic particles in the glassy constituents of three lunar highland samples 65315, 67435 and 78235

Electron probe microanalysis and analytical electron microscopy techniques were employed to obtain structural and chemical analyses of metal particles in the size range of less than 1000 A and greater than 5 microns from the glassy constituents of 3 lunar highland samples 65315, 67435 and 78235. Most of the micron size metal particles in the glass coatings of the three samples are of meteoritic Co-Ni content. The Ni content of submicron metal often differs significantly from the micron size metal in the same glass. This difference can be explained by one of 3 reasons: (a) the presence of metal of different sizes and Ni contents in the rock prior to the shock event, (b) the presence of metal particles in the lunar soil of meteoritic or variable Ni content which were incorporated when the glass formed and (c) the production of submicroscopic Fe metal from the reduction of Fe(+2) in the shock produced melt.

Mehta, S.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Characteristics of EMI generated by negative metal-positive dielectric voltage stresses due to spacecraft charging

Charging of spacecraft surfaces by the environmental plasma can result in differential potentials between metallic structure and adjacent dielectric surfaces in which the relative polarity of the voltage stress is either negative dielectric/positive metal or negative metal/positive dielectric. Negative metal/positive dielectric is a stress condition that may arise if relatively large areas of spacecraft surface metals are shadowed from solar UV and/or if the UV intensity is reduced as in the situation in which the spacecraft is entering into or leaving eclipse. The results of experimental studies of negative metal/positive dielectric systems are given. Information is given on: enhanced electron emission I-V curves; e(3) corona noise vs e(3) steady-state current; the localized nature of e(3) and negative metal arc discharge currents; negative metal arc discharges at stress thresholds below 1 kilovolt; negative metal arc discharge characteristics; dependence of blowoff arc discharge current on spacecraft capacitance to space (linear dimension); and damage to second surface mirrors due to negative metal arcs.

Chaky, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The metal-carbonyl bond in Ni(CO)4 and Fe(CO)5 - A clear-cut analysis

A detailed analysis of the metal-carbonyl bonding in Ni(CO)4 and Fe(CO)5, based on the newly developed contained space orbital variation (CSOV) method, is carried out to investigate various contributing factors to the interaction. Three aspects about the metal-CO interaction are presented: (1) the frozen orbital repulsion between the metal 4s and the CO is large; (2) the metal to CO pi donation is energetically much more important than the CO to the metal sigma donation; and (3) the metal 4s and 4p orbitals make a very small contribution (smaller than 0.4 eV) to the interaction energy; the largest portion of this contribution arises from the CO to metal sigma donation.

Bauschlicher, C. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Upper stages using liquid propulsion and metallized propellants

Metallized propellants are liquid propellants with a metal additive suspended in a gelled fuel. Typically, aluminum particles are the metal additive. These propellants increase the density and/or the specific impulse of the propulsion system. Using metallized propellants for volume- and mass-constrained upper stages can deliver modest increases in performance for low Earth orbit to geosynchronous Earth orbit (LEO-GEO) and other Earth-orbital transfer missions. However, using metallized propellants for planetary missions can deliver great reductions in flight time with a single-stage, upper-stage system. Tradeoff studies comparing metallized propellant stage performance with nonmetallized upper stages and the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) are presented. These upper stages, launched from the STS and STS-C, are both one- and two-stage vehicles that provide the added energy to send payloads to high altitude orbits and onto interplanetary trajectories that are unattainable with only the Space Transportation System (STS) and the Space Transportation System-Cargo (STS-C). The stage designs are controlled by the volume and the mass constraints of the STS and STS-C launch vehicles. The influences of the density and specific impulse increases enabled by metallized propellants are examined for a variety of different stage and propellant combinations.

Palaszewski, Bryan A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Metals combustion in normal gravity and microgravity

The study of the combustion characteristics of metallic materials has been an ongoing area of research at the NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF). This research has been in support of both government and industrial operations and deals not only with the combustion of specific metallic materials but also with the relative flammabilities of these materials under similar conditions. Since many of the metallic materials that are characterized at WSTF for aerospace applications are to be used in microgravity environments, it was apparent that the testing of these materials needed to proceed in a microgravity environment. It was believed that burning metallic materials in a microgravity environment would allow the evaluation of the validity of applying normal gravity combustion tests to characterize metallic materials to be used in microgravity environments. It was also anticipated that microgravity testing would provide insight into the general combustion process of metallic materials. The availability of the NASA Lewis Research Center's (LeRC) 2.2-second drop tower provided the necessary facility to accomplish the microgravity portion of the testing while the normal gravity testing was conducted at NASA WSTF. The tests, both at LeRC and WSTF, were conducted in the same instrumented system and utilized the standard metal flammability test of upward propagation burning of cylindrical rod samples.

Steinberg, Theodore A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Composition of metal in aubrites - Constraints on core formation

Aubrites are differentiated stone meteorites with small amounts of metal. Study of eight aubrites reveals that Fe,Ni grains occur in a variety of textures, from irregular micron-sized particles to rounded nodules of up to 1.5 cm in diameter. The pattern of siderophile element abundances in the silicates is characteristic of igneous metal segregation (the more siderophilic elements are more depleted). Despite large uncertainties in metal/silicate distribution coefficients, the calculated minimum metal content of the aubrite precursor is not unlike that of enstatite chondrites and suggests that metal segregation was an extensive process in the early magmatic evolution of the aubrite parent body. However, the lack of appreciable fractionation in the trace element signature of the metal suggests that the metal now observed in aubrites did not undergo fractional crystallization in a core. We argue instead that the analyzed metal nodules represent a fraction of the iron-nickel that, during partial melting, was not completely segregated from the silicates.

Casanova, Ignacio↗
NASA NTRS1993

Radial distribution of metallicity in the LMC cluster systems

New determinations of the deprojected distances to the galaxy center for 94 star clusters and their metal abundances are used to investigate the variation of metallicity across the two LMC star cluster systems (Kontizas et al. 1990). A systematic radial trend of metallicity is observed in the extended outer cluster system, the outermost clusters being significantly metal poorer than the more central ones, with the exception of six clusters (which might lie out of the plane of the cluster system) out of 77. A radial metallicity gradient has been found, qualitatively comparable to that of the Milky Way for its system of the old disk clusters. If the six clusters are taken into consideration then the outer cluster system is well mixed up to 8 kpc. The spatial distribution of metallicities for the inner LMC cluster system, consisting of very young globulars does not show a systematic radial trend; they are all metal rich.

Kontizas, M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Observations of impact-induced molten metal-silicate partitioning

Observations of molten mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-molybdenum (Mo) interactions produced by shock experiments provide insight into impact and differentiation processes involving metal-silicate partitioning. Analysis of fragments recovered from experiments (achieving MORB liquid shock pressures from 0.8 to 6 GPa) revealed significant changes in the composition of the MORB and Mo due to reaction of the silicate and metal liquids on a short time scale (less than 13 s). The FeO concentration of the shocked liquid decreases systematically with increasing pressure. In fact, the most highly shocked liquid (6 GPa) contains only 0.1 wt% FeO compared to an initial concentration of 9 wt% in the MORB. We infer from the presence of micrometer-sized Fe-, Si- and Mo-rich metallic spheres in the shocked glass that the Fe and Si oxides in the MORB were reduced in an estimated oxygen fugacity of 10(exp -17) bar and subsequently alloyed with the Mo. The in-situ reduction of FeO in the shocked molten basalt implies that shock-induced reduction of impact melt should be considered a viable mechanism for the formation of metallic phases. Similar metallic phases may form during impact accretion of planets and in impacted material found on the lunar surface and near terrestrial impact craters. In particular, the minute, isolated Fe particles found in lunar soils may have formed by such a process. Furthermore, the metallic spheres within the shocked glass have a globular texture similar to the textures of metallic spheroids from lunar samples and the estimated, slow cooling rate of less than or equal to 140 C/s for our spheres is consistent with the interpretation that the lunar spheroids formed by slow cooling within a melted target.

Rowan, Linda R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Far-ultraviolet absorption spectra of quasars: How to find missing hot gas and metals

We show that some high-redshift QSO absorption systems that reveal only the H I Lyman series lines at wavelengths visible from the ground maybe a new class of ultra-high-ionization metal line systems, with metal lines in the far-UV region which is now being explored with satellites. At high temperatures or in intense radiation fields metal systems will not show the usual C IV absorption, and O VI will become the most prominent metal absorber. At still higher ionization, O IV also becomes weak and the strongest metal lines are from Ne VIII, Mg X and Si XII, which have doublets in the rangs 500-800 A. Hence very high ionization metal systems will not show metal lines in existing spectra. Recent X-ray observations show that galaxy halos contain hot gas, so we predict that far-UV spectra of QSOs will also show this gas.

Verner, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The initial buckling behavior of flat and curved fiber metal laminate panels

Local buckling is expected to become an important design issue when metallic materials in conventional stiffened panels are replaced by fiber metal laminates. An experimental study to validate the use of existing design methods for the initial buckling and postbuckling of flat and curved unstiffened fiber metal laminate panels is reported on. All existing design methods can be used for fiber metal laminate panels with the same efficiency and accuracy as for metals. The influence of the collapse behavior and imperfections on the material's mechanical behavior are equal for metallic materials and fiber metal laminate materials. The collapse is found to be important for plates with a curvature parameter of greater than approximately seven, while imperfections are found to play an role for plates with curvature parameters exceeding 20.

Verolme, Koos↗
NASA NTRS1998

Flexible Ceramic-Metal Insulation Composite and Method of Making

A method for joining a woven flexible ceramic fabric and a thin metal sheet creating an integral metal surfaced flexible thermal protection article, which methods compress: placing multiple dots of high temperature metallic or fabric and the thin metal sheet in a random or organized pattern, with the proviso that the brazing material covers about 10% or less of the surface of one flat side of the metal sheet; heating the flexible ceramic fabric, brazing material and thin metal sheet for a predetermined period of time to integrally connect the same; and cooling the formed flexible article to ambient temperature. Preferably the flexible ceramic is selected from fibers comprising atoms of silicon, carbon, nitrogen, boron, oxygen or combinations thereof. The flexible thermal protection article produced is also part of the present invention. The thin metal sheet is comprised of titanium, aluminum, chromium, niobium or alloys or combinations thereof. The brazing material is selected from copper/silver or copper/gold or is a ceramic brazing or adhesive material.

Rasky, Daniel J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Combustion of Metals in Reduced-Gravity and Extraterrestrial Environment

As a result of the ongoing exploration of Mars and the several unmanned and manned missions planned for the future, increased attention has been given to the use of the natural resources of the planet for rocket propellant production and energy generation. Since the atmosphere of Mars consists of approximately 95% carbon dioxide (CO2), this gas is the resource of choice to be employed for these purposes. Unfortunately, CO2 is also a final product in most combustion reactions, requiring further processing to extract useful reactants such as carbon monoxide (CO), oxygen (O2), and hydrocarbons. An exception is the use Of CO2 as an oxidizer reacting directly with metal fuel. Since many metals burn vigorously with CO2, these may be used as an energy source and as propellants for an ascent/descent vehicle in sample-collection missions on Mars. In response to NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) Enterprise to search for appropriate in-situ resource utilization techniques, this investigation will study the burning characteristics of promising metal/CO2 combinations. The use of reduced gravity is essential to eliminate the intrusive buoyant flows that plague the high-temperature metal reactions, to remove the destructive effect of gravity on the shape of molten metal samples, and to study the influence of radiative heat transfer from solid oxides undisturbed by natural convection. In studies with large metal specimens, the burning process is invariably influenced by strong convective currents that accelerate the reaction and shorten the burning times. Although these currents are nearly absent from small burning particles, the high emissivity of the flames, rapid reaction, small length scales, and intermittent explosions make the gathering of any useful information on burning rates and flame structure very difficult. This investigation has the ultimate goal of providing a careful probing of flame structure and dynamics by taking advantage of large, free-floating spherical metal samples and their corresponding long burning times available in reduced gravity. The first set of experiments has been conducted with magnesium (Mg) samples burning in the low-gravity environment generated by an aircraft flying parabolic trajectories. Owing to its high adiabatic flame temperature, oxidizer/fuel ratio, and heat per unit mass of fuel, as well as its low toxicity and low ignition temperature, Mg has been identified as a promising metal fuel with CO2 as oxidizer. The experimental effort is complemented by the development of a numerical model combining gas-phase chemical kinetics and transport mechanisms.

Abbud-Madrid, A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Combustion of Metals in Carbon Dioxide and Reduced-Gravity Environments

Ongoing exploration and future mission2001110444 s to Mars have given impetus to research on the use of natural resources of the planet. Since carbon dioxide (CO2) constitutes approximately 95% of the Mars atmosphere and since it reacts directly and vigorously with several metals, this investigation focuses on metal-CO2 reactions as a possible combination for rocket-propellant production and energy generation. Magnesium (Mg) has been initially selected as the metal fuel owing to its low ignition temperature and high specific impulse and burning rate in CO2. Our studies in this field started with low gravity (g) combustion tests of Mg in O2, CO2, and CO. Reduced gravity provided a clear picture of the burning phenomena by eliminating the intrusive buoyant flows in high-temperature metal reactions and by removing the destructive effect of gravity on the shape of molten metal samples. Suspended cylindrical metal samples of 2, 3, and 4-mm in diameter and length were radiatively ignited in low-g to generate free-floating samples exhibiting a spherically symmetric flame with increasing metal-oxide accumulation in an outer shell. For the Mg-CO2 combination, burning times twice as long as in normal-g and five times longer than in Mg-O2 flames were observed, revealing a diffusion-controlled reaction. The burning time is proportional to the square of the sample diameter. In tests conducted with pure CO, combustion was not possible without constant heating of the sample due to the formation of a thick carbon-containing coating around the Mg sample generated by surface reactions. The following work presents two new studies that attempt to explain some of the low-g experimental observations. First, a simplified one-dimensional, quasi-steady numerical model is developed to obtain temperature, species concentrations, and burning rates of the spherically symmetric diffusion flame around the Mg sample burning in O2 and CO2. Second, a Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) technique is implemented to provide spatially resolved measurements of magnesium oxide (MgO) in the reaction zone of Mg samples burning in O2 and CO2. These experiments reveal fundamental differences between the two combustion systems.

Branch, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Investigation of Fundamental Modeling and Thermal Performance Issues for a Metallic Thermal Protection System Design

A study was performed to develop an understanding of the key factors that govern the performance of metallic thermal protection systems for reusable launch vehicles. A current advanced metallic thermal protection system (TPS) concept was systematically analyzed to discover the most important factors governing the thermal performance of metallic TPS. A large number of relevant factors that influence the thermal analysis and thermal performance of metallic TPS were identified and quantified. Detailed finite element models were developed for predicting the thermal performance of design variations of the advanced metallic TPS concept mounted on a simple, unstiffened structure. The computational models were also used, in an automated iterative procedure, for sizing the metallic TPS to maintain the structure below a specified temperature limit. A statistical sensitivity analysis method, based on orthogonal matrix techniques used in robust design, was used to quantify and rank the relative importance of the various modeling and design factors considered in this study. Results of the study indicate that radiation, even in small gaps between panels, can reduce significantly the thermal performance of metallic TPS, so that gaps should be eliminated by design if possible. Thermal performance was also shown to be sensitive to several analytical assumptions that should be chosen carefully. One of the factors that was found to have the greatest effect on thermal performance is the heat capacity of the underlying structure. Therefore the structure and TPS should be designed concurrently.

Blosser, Max L.↗
NASA NTRS2003

From Oxygen Generation to Metals Production: In Situ Resource Utilization by Molten Oxide Electrolysis

For the exploration of other bodies in the solar system, electrochemical processing is arguably the most versatile technology for conversion of local resources into usable commodities: by electrolysis one can, in principle, produce (1) breathable oxygen, (2) silicon for the fabrication of solar cells, (3) various reactive metals for use as electrodes in advanced storage batteries, and (4) structural metals such as steel and aluminum. Even so, to date there has been no sustained effort to develop such processes, in part due to the inadequacy of the database. The objective here is to identify chemistries capable of sustaining molten oxide electrolysis in the cited applications and to examine the behavior of laboratory-scale cells designed to generate oxygen and to produce metal. The basic research includes the study of the underlying high-temperature physical chemistry of oxide melts representative of lunar regolith and of Martian soil. To move beyond empirical approaches to process development, the thermodynamic and transport properties of oxide melts are being studied to help set the limits of composition and temperature for the processing trials conducted in laboratory-scale electrolysis cells. The goal of this investigation is to deliver a working prototype cell that can use lunar regolith and Martian soil to produce breathable oxygen along with metal by-product. Additionally, the process can be generalized to permit adaptation to accommodate different feedstock chemistries, such as those that will be encountered on other bodies in the solar system. The expected results of this research include: (1) the identification of appropriate electrolyte chemistries; (2) the selection of candidate anode and cathode materials compatible with electrolytes named above; and (3) performance data from a laboratory-scale cell producing oxygen and metal. On the strength of these results it should be possible to assess the technical viability of molten oxide electrolysis for in situ resource utilization on the Moon and Mars. In parallel, there may be commercial applications here on earth, such as new green technologies for metals extraction and for treatment of hazardous waste, e.g., fixing heavy metals.

Khetpal, Deepak↗