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At least 1,117 records · Page 62

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NASA NTRS1965

Heats of mixing in praseodymium-neodymium solid solutions.

The heats of solution in liquid tin of pure praseodymium, pure neodymium and nine praseodymium-neodymium binary alloys have been measured using liquid metal solution calorimetry. A plot of the measured heat effect for the alloys as a function of composition is linear, with the terminal points being the measured values for the pure components. This linear dependency indicates that the heat of mixing in the binary praseodymium-neodymium system is zero within experimental error, and therefore the binary alloys obey one of the criteria for an ideal solution.

Calorimetry↗

NASA NTRS1972

Fatigue of composites

The failure mechanisms in the fatigue of composite materials are analyzed in terms of the requirements for designing fatigue-critical composite structures. Fiber reinforced polymers, fiber reinforced metals, fatigue of composite structures, and composite design considerations are discussed. It is concluded that composite materials offer the engineer the opportunity for tailoring stiffness in different directions for designing dynamic components.

Salkind, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Development of low-cost welding procedures for thick sections of HY-150 steel

Low cost welding procedures were developed for welding 6-inch thick HY-150 steel to be used in the manufacture of large diameter motor case Y rings and nozzle attachment flanges. An extensive investigation was made of the mechanical and metallurgical properties and fracture toughness of HY-150 base plate and welds made with manual shielded metal arc process and semi-automatic gas metal arc process in the flat position. Transverse tensiles, all-weld metal tensiles, Charpy V-notch specimens and edge notched bend specimens were tested in the course of the program. In addition metallographic studies and hardness tests were performed on the weld, weld HAZ and base metal. The results of the work performed indicate that both the shielded metal arc and gas metal arc processes are capable of producing consistently sound welds as determined by radiographic and ultrasonic inspection. In addition, the weld metal, deposited by each process was found to exhibit a good combination of strength and toughness such that the selection of a rolled and welded procedure for fabricating rocket motor case components would appear to be technically feasible.

Schmidt, P. M.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Impact resistance of fiber composite blades used in aircraft turbine engines

Resistance of advanced fiber reinforced epoxy matrix composite materials to ballistic impact was investigated as a function of impacting projectile characteristics, and composite material properties. Ballistic impact damage due to normal impacts, was classified as transverse (stress wave delamination and splitting), penetrative, or structural (gross failure). Steel projectiles were found to be gelatin ice projectiles in causing penetrative damage leading to reduced tensile strength. Gelatin and ice projectiles caused either transverse or structural damage, depending upon projectile mass and velocity. Improved composite transverse tensile strength, use of dispersed ply lay-ups, and inclusion of PRD-49-1 or S-glass fibers correlated with improved resistance of composite materials to transverse damage. In non-normal impacts against simulated blade shapes, the normal velocity component of the impact was used to correlate damage results with normal impact results. Stiffening the leading edge of simulated blade specimens led to reduced ballistic damage, while addition of a metallic leading edge provided nearly complete protection against 0.64 cm diameter steel, and 1.27 cm diameter ice and gelatin projectiles, and partial protection against 2.54 cm diameter projectiles of ice and gelatin.

Friedrich, L. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Layered Composite Analysis Capability

Laminated composite material construction is gaining popularity within industry as an attractive alternative to metallic designs where high strength at reduced weights is of prime consideration. This has necessitated the development of an effective analysis capability for the static, dynamic and buckling analyses of structural components constructed of layered composites. Theoretical and user aspects of layered composite analysis and its incorporation into CSA/NASTRAN are discussed. The availability of stress and strain based failure criteria is described which aids the user in reviewing the voluminous output normally produced in such analyses. Simple strategies to obtain minimum weight designs of composite structures are discussed. Several example problems are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and user convenient features of the capability.

Narayanaswami, R.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Enstatite chondrites and enstatite achondrites (aubrites) were not derived from the same parent body

Enstatite achondrites (aubrites) were not derived from known enstatite chondrites by melting and fractionation on one and the same parent body, for these and other reasons: (1) There is no satisfactory mechanism for fractionating metal plus troilite in enstatite chondrites to form these phases in different proportions and with different Ti contents in aubrites. (2) Many enstatite chondrites and aubrites are regolith or fragmental breccias, but clasts of one within the other have not been found. (3) Cosmic ray exposure ages of the two groups are difficult to explain if they are from the same parent body, but are easy to explain if they are from different parent bodies. Siderophile element abundances in metal from the Mt. Egerton meteorite, which consists of enstatite and metallic Fe, Ni, preclude it from being a complementary differentiate of the aubrites. Rather, it appears that Mt. Egerton was formed from the same source material as enstatite chondrites, but the components were mixed in different proportions.

Brett, Robin↗

NASA NTRS1989

Gallium arsenide processing for gate array logic

The development of a reliable and reproducible GaAs process was initiated for applications in gate array logic. Gallium Arsenide is an extremely important material for high speed electronic applications in both digital and analog circuits since its electron mobility is 3 to 5 times that of silicon, this allows for faster switching times for devices fabricated with it. Unfortunately GaAs is an extremely difficult material to process with respect to silicon and since it includes the arsenic component GaAs can be quite dangerous (toxic) especially during some heating steps. The first stage of the research was directed at developing a simple process to produce GaAs MESFETs. The MESFET (MEtal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) is the most useful, practical and simple active device which can be fabricated in GaAs. It utilizes an ohmic source and drain contact separated by a Schottky gate. The gate width is typically a few microns. Several process steps were required to produce a good working device including ion implantation, photolithography, thermal annealing, and metal deposition. A process was designed to reduce the total number of steps to a minimum so as to reduce possible errors. The first run produced no good devices. The problem occurred during an aluminum etch step while defining the gate contacts. It was found that the chemical etchant attacked the GaAs causing trenching and subsequent severing of the active gate region from the rest of the device. Thus all devices appeared as open circuits. This problem is being corrected and since it was the last step in the process correction should be successful. The second planned stage involves the circuit assembly of the discrete MESFETs into logic gates for test and analysis. Finally the third stage is to incorporate the designed process with the tested circuit in a layout that would produce the gate array as a GaAs integrated circuit.

Cole, Eric D.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The ring around SN1987A

Stars in the 9-40 solar mass range play a prominent role in the hydrodynamical and chemical evolution of galaxies. Their stellar winds and supernova explosions are believed to create the hot component of the interstellar medium (ISM). In some galactic disks, the kiloparsec sized super bubbles formed around clusters of massive stars may blow out of the disk plane and release hot, metal enriched gas into the galaxy's halo. Additionally, the expanding shock front of a super bubble in the disk may trigger additional star formation. Furthermore, similar processes probably drive the galactic winds associated with star burst nuclei that enrich the intracluster and intergalactic mediums. Nonetheless, the explosion of a blue super giant in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), SN1987A, illuminated the incompleteness of our understanding of massive stars. Evolutionary models of massive stars do not synthesize the observed super giant populations in either the Milky Way or LMC. Our modeling of the formation of SN1987A's ring will improve our knowledge of both the post-main-sequence evolution of massive stars and their coupling to the ISM in galaxies.

Martin, Crystal L.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Low Cost Fabrication of Silicon Carbide Based Ceramics and Fiber Reinforced Composites

A low cost processing technique called reaction forming for the fabrication of near-net and complex shaped components of silicon carbide based ceramics and composites is presented. This process consists of the production of a microporous carbon preform and subsequent infiltration with liquid silicon or silicon-refractory metal alloys. The microporous preforms are made by the pyrolysis of a polymerized resin mixture with very good control of pore volume and pore size thereby yielding materials with tailorable microstructure and composition. Mechanical properties (elastic modulus, flexural strength, and fracture toughness) of reaction-formed silicon carbide ceramics are presented. This processing approach is suitable for various kinds of reinforcements such as whiskers, particulates, fibers (tows, weaves, and filaments), and 3-D architectures. This approach has also been used to fabricate continuous silicon carbide fiber reinforced ceramic composites (CFCC's) with silicon carbide based matrices. Strong and tough composites with tailorable matrix microstructure and composition have been obtained. Microstructure and thermomechanical properties of a silicon carbide (SCS-6) fiber reinforced reaction-formed silicon carbide matrix composites are discussed.

Singh, M.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Liquid Metal Pump Technologies for Nuclear Surface Power

Multiple liquid metal pump options are reviewed for the purpose of determining the technologies that are best suited for inclusion in a nuclear reactor thermal simulator intended to test prototypical space nuclear system components. Conduction, induction, and thermoelectric electromagnetic pumps are evaluated based on their performance characteristics and the technical issues associated incorporation into a reactor system. The thermoelectric electromagnetic pump is recommended for inclusion in the present system based on favorable quantitative and qualitative measures relative to the other options under consideration.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Liquid-Metal Pump Technologies for Nuclear Surface Power

Multiple liquid-metal pump options are reviewed for the purpose of determining the technologies that are best suited for inclusion in a nuclear reactor thermal simulator intended to test prototypical space nuclear system components. Conduction, induction, and thermoelectric electromagnetic pumps are evaluated based on their performance characteristics and the technical issues associated with incorporation into a reactor system. The thermoelectric pump is recommended for inclusion in the planned system at NASA MSFC based on its relative simplicity, low power supply mass penalty, flight heritage, and the promise of increased pump efficiency over earlier flight pump designs through the use of skutterudite thermoelectric elements.

Polzin, K. A.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Evaluation of ARCAM Deposited Ti-6Al-4V

A wide range of Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) technologies are becoming available. One of the challenges in using new technologies for aerospace systems is demonstrating that the process and system has the ability to manufacture components that meet the high quality requirements on a statistically significant basis. The widest-used system for small to medium sized components is the ARCAM system manufactured in Gothenburg, Sweden. This system features a 4kW electron-beam gun, and has a chamber volume of 250mm long x 250mm wide x 250mm to 400mm tall. This paper will describe the basis for the quality and consistency requirements, the experimental and evaluation procedures used for the evaluation, and an analysis of the results for Ti-6Al-4V.

Slattery, Kevin↗

NASA NTRS2010

Metal Vapor Arcing Risk Assessment Tool

The Tin Whisker Metal Vapor Arcing Risk Assessment Tool has been designed to evaluate the risk of metal vapor arcing and to help facilitate a decision toward a researched risk disposition. Users can evaluate a system without having to open up the hardware. This process allows for investigating components at risk rather than spending time and money analyzing every component. The tool points to a risk level and provides direction for appropriate action and documentation.

Hill, Monika C.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Lightweight, Rack-Mountable Composite Cold Plate/Shelves

Rack-mountable composite-material structural components that would serve as both shelves and cold plates for removing heat from electronic or other equipment mounted on the shelves have been proposed as lightweight alternatives to all-metal cold plate/shelves now in use. A proposed cold plate/shelf would include a highly thermally conductive face sheet containing oriented graphite fibers bonded to an aluminum honeycomb core, plus an extruded stainless-steel substructure containing optimized flow passages for a cooling fluid, and an inlet and outlet that could be connected to standard manifold sections. To maximize heat-transfer efficiency, the extruded stainless-steel substructure would be connected directly to the face sheet. On the basis of a tentative design, the proposed composite cold plate/shelf would weigh about 38 percent less than does an all-aluminum cold plate in use or planned for use in some spacecraft and possibly aircraft. Although weight is a primary consideration, the tentative design offers the additional benefit of reduction of thickness to half that of the all-aluminum version.

Hurlbert, Kathryn M.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Resource Prospector Propulsion System Cold Flow Testing

Resource Prospector (RP) is a NASA mission being led by NASA Ames Research Center with current plans to deliver a scientific payload package aboard a rover to the lunar surface. As part of an early risk reduction activity, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Johnson Space Flight Center (JSC) have jointly developed a government-version concept of a lunar lander for the mission. The spacecraft consists of two parts, the lander and the rover which carries the scientific instruments. The lander holds the rover during launch, cruise, and landing on the surface. Following terminal descent and landing the lander portion of the spacecraft become dormant after the rover embarks on the science mission. The lander will be equipped with a propulsion system for lunar descent and landing, as well as trajectory correction and attitude control maneuvers during transit to the moon. Hypergolic propellants monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide will be used to fuel sixteen 70-lbf descent thrusters and twelve 5-lbf attitude control thrusters. A total of four metal-diaphragm tanks, two per propellant, will be used along with a high-pressure composite-overwrapped pressure vessel for the helium pressurant gas. Many of the major propulsion system components are heritage missile hardware obtained by NASA from the Air Force. In parallel with the flight system design activities, a simulated propulsion system based on flight drawings was built for conducting a series of water flow tests to characterize the transient fluid flow of the propulsion system feed lines and to verify the critical operation modes such as system priming, waterhammer, and crucial mission duty cycles. The primary objective of the cold flow testing was to simulate the RP propulsion system fluid flow operation through water flow testing and to obtain data for anchoring analytical models. The models will be used to predict the transient and steady state flow behaviors in the actual flight operations. All design and build efforts, including the analytical modeling, have been performed. The cold flow testing of the propulsion system was set up and conducted at a NASA MSFC test facility. All testing was completed in the summer of 2014, and this paper documents the results of that testing and the associated fluid system modeling efforts.

Williams, Hunter↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Metal Additive Manufacturing to Enable Spaceflight

NASA has been involved in the development and maturation of metal additive manufacturing (AM) for spaceflight since the late 2000’s. This presentation will highlight some of the developments in understanding AM processes through material characterization and testing, standards development, and component fabrication to advance the technology for current and future spaceflight missions.

Additive Manufacturing↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Coupled Reactor Multiphysics and Mass Scalability Assessment for Crewed Megawatt-Class NEP System Architectures

Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) is an in-space propulsion technology capable of enabling opposition and conjunction class crewed Mars missions. NEP subsystems include the reactor for heat generation, a power conversion system (PCS), power management and distribution (PMAD), electric propulsion subsystem (EPS), and a primary heat rejection system. Specific mass, or αe (kg / kWe), is a key performance parameter (KPP) of the propulsion system which is directly scalable with the performance and mass estimates for individual components. To inform technology maturation planning, full system and component level parametric modeling is ongoing to explore the design trade space and illustrate the effect of subsystem design choices on the system KPPs. In this study, scaling of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) reactor designs is assessed through coupled reactor physics and thermal hydraulics analyses. Scaling analyses evaluate the impact of system performance parameters (power level, interface temperatures) on mass for direct gas cooled, pumped liquid metal, and passively cooled heat pipe reactor concepts. Each concept requires specific geometries and working fluids to reach the performance goals of PCS interface conditions (temperature, pressure, flow rate) and system mass. The reactor assembly includes the active core (fuel, moderator, cladding, working fluid), axial and radial neutron reflectors, control drums, structural support / pressure vessel, and external radiation shielding. Each of these components are parametrically sized based on performance parameters for a megawatt-class power cycle. Results of this scaling analysis increase NEP propulsion system modeling fidelity and ultimately aim to support technology down-selection along with related technology development planning. The reactor and shield αe are a function of several PCS design choices, and reactor scaling with these parameters must be considered to enable an informed decision on reactor geometry and working fluid combination.

Nuclear Electric Propulsion↗

NASA NTRS2001

Creep-Fatigue Interaction Testing

Fatigue fives in metals are nominally time independent below 0.5 T(sub Melt). At higher temperatures, fatigue lives are altered due to time-dependent, thermally activated creep. Conversely, creep rates are altered by super. imposed fatigue loading. Creep and fatigue generally interact synergistically to reduce material lifetime. Their interaction, therefore, is of importance to structural durability of high-temperature structures such as nuclear reactors, reusable rocket engines, gas turbine engines, terrestrial steam turbines, pressure vessel and piping components, casting dies, molds for plastics, and pollution control devices. Safety and lifecycle costs force designers to quantify these interactions. Analytical and experimental approaches to creep-fatigue began in the era following World War II. In this article experimental and life prediction approaches are reviewed for assessing creep-fatigue interactions of metallic materials. Mechanistic models are also discussed briefly.

Halford, Gary R.↗