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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,207 records · Page 67
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Incremental ECAP of Tubular Components--FE Simulation

Severe plastic deformation is a method of refining grain structure and improving properties of metallic materials. It is usually carried out on simple billets such as bars, plates and sheets, which are then converted into more complex shapes. One of those shapes, finding applications in many products, is tube. This paper presents an alternative approach to manufacturing tubes with ultrafine grained structure, which is based on direct severe plastic deformation of standard, coarse grained tubes. A new process of incremental equal channel angular pressing is proposed to be used for this purpose. Finite element simulation is used to analyse different process configurations and tool geometry, giving a valuable insight into feasibility of this new approach.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2011

Research into Oil-based Colloidal-Graphite Lubricants for Forging of Al-based Alloys

The presented paper describes the topical problem in metal forging production. It deals with the choice of an optimal lubricant for forging of Al-based alloys. Within the scope of the paper, the properties of several oil-based colloidal-graphite lubricants were investigated. The physicochemical and technological properties of these lubricants are presented. It was found that physicochemical properties of lubricant compositions have an influence on friction coefficient value and quality of forgings.The ring compression method was used to estimate the friction coefficient value. Hydraulic press was used for the test. The comparative analysis of the investigated lubricants was carried out. The forging quality was estimated on the basis of production test. The practical recommendations were given to choose an optimal oil-based colloidal-graphite lubricant for isothermal forging of Al-based alloy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Free radicals created by plasmas cause autohesive bonding in polymers

We find that plasma immersion ion implantation of polymer surfaces enhances their autohesive bond strength when pressed together by more than a factor of five. Both polymerising (CH{sub 4}/O{sub 2}) and nonpolymerising (Ar) plasmas are effective. There is currently no satisfactory theory for predicting this remarkable phenomenon. We propose that free radicals created by the plasma treatment process diffuse to the interface and cause covalent bonds to form. This theory predicts the dependence of bond strength on plasma bias voltage, treatment time, and autohesive process conditions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Effect of milling time on magnetic properties and structures of bulk Sm-Co/{alpha}-(Fe, Co) nanocomposite magnets

Bulk Sm-Co/{alpha}-(Fe,Co) nanocomposite magnets were fabricated by hot pressing composite powders prepared by high-energy ball milling of magnetically hard SmCo{sub 5} powder and magnetically soft Fe powder. The bulk magnets had a nanocomposite structure consisting of Sm-Co matrix (1:5 H and 1:7 H phases) and {alpha}-(Fe,Co) phases. The Fe-Co particles were distributed uniformly in the Sm-Co matrix. The milling time strongly affects the structures and the magnetic properties of the bulk magnets. Increasing milling time led to a decrease of the amount of 1:5 H phase, an increase in the phase fraction of the 1:7 H phase, and a decrease in the amount of soft phase, which resulted in an increase in magnetization and a decrease in coercivity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses revealed that inter-diffusion took place between the Sm-Co matrix and Fe particles during the processing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Laser shockwave technique for characterization of nuclear fuel plate interfaces

The US National Nuclear Security Agency is tasked with minimizing the worldwide use of high-enriched uranium. One aspect of that effort is the conversion of research reactors to monolithic fuel plates of low-enriched uranium. The manufacturing process includes hot isostatic press bonding of an aluminum cladding to the fuel foil. The Laser Shockwave Technique (LST) is here evaluated for characterizing the interface strength of fuel plates using depleted Uranium/Mo foils. LST is a non-contact method that uses lasers for the generation and detection of large amplitude acoustic waves and is therefore well adapted to the quality assurance of this process. Preliminary results show a clear signature of well-bonded and debonded interfaces and the method is able to classify/rank the bond strength of fuel plates prepared under different HIP conditions.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Use of a multichannel collimator for structural investigation of low-Z dense liquids in a diamond anvil cell: Validation on fluid H{sub 2} up to 5 GPa

We report the first application of a multichannel collimator (MCC) to perform quantitative structure factor measurements of dense low-Z fluids in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) using synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The MCC design, initially developed for the Paris-Edinburgh large volume press geometry, has been modified for use with diamond anvil cells. A good selectivity of the diffracted signal of the dense fluid sample is obtained due to a large rejection of the Compton diffusion from the diamond anvils. The signal to background ratio is significantly improved. We modify previously developed analytical techniques for quantitative measurement of the structure factor of fluids in DACs [J. H. Eggert, G. Weck, P. Loubeyre, and M. Mezouar, Phys. Rev. B 65, 174105 (2002)] to account for the contribution of the MCC. We present experimental results on liquids argon and hydrogen at 296 K to validate our method and test its limits, respectively.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

Pre-ignition laser ablation of nanocomposite energetic materials

Laser ignition of energetic material composites was studied for initiation with heating rates from 9.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4} to 1.7 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 7} K/s. This is a unique heating rate regime for laser ignition studies because most studies employ either continuous wave CO{sub 2} lasers to provide thermal ignition or pulsed Nd:YAG lasers to provide shock ignition. In this study, aluminum (Al) and molybdenum trioxide (MoO{sub 3}) nanoparticle powders were pressed into consolidated pellets and ignited using a Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm wavelength) with varied pulse energy. Results show reduced ignition delay times corresponding to laser powers at the ablation threshold for the sample. Heating rate and absorption coefficient were determined from an axisymmetric heat transfer model. The model estimates absorption coefficients from 0.1 to 0.15 for consolidated pellets of Al + MoO{sub 3} at 1064 nm wavelength. Ablation resulted from fracturing caused by a rapid increase in thermal stress and slowed ignition of the pellet.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effect of nanostructuring on the band structure and the galvanomagnetic properties in Bi{sub 1−x}Sb{sub x} alloys

Magnetotransport measurements were performed on a series of nanostructured Bi{sub 1−x}Sb{sub x} alloy samples with an Sb content in the range between 0% and 60%. The samples were prepared by cold pressing and annealing of crystalline Bi{sub 1−x}Sb{sub x} nanoparticles, which were synthesized by mechanical alloying. The incorporation of Sb changes the band structure of these nanotextured alloys as well as their transport behavior. With increasing Sb content the band gap increases and reaches a maximum band gap of 42 meV at an Sb concentration of about 14% determined from temperature dependent resistivity measurements. For even higher Sb content, the band gap decreases again. The bands and thus the band gaps are shifted with respect to bulk material due to quantum confinement effects in the nanostructures. The change of the band structure with varying Sb content strongly affects the magnetoresistance behavior as well as the magnetic field dependence of the Hall-coefficient. Using a three band model in order to describe both properties, it was possible to determine the main band parameters of the nanostructured material as a function of the Sb content.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermo-structural development of the ITER ICRF strap housing module

Since March 2010 the preliminary design of the ITER ICRF Antennas have been developed by CYCLE, a consortium consisting of IPP (Garching), CCFE (Culham), CEA (Cadarache), Politecnico di Torino (Torino) and LPPERM/KMS (Brussels). This paper describes the steps taken to develop the present geometry of the triplet pair Strap Housing Module from a thermal and structural perspective, and shows the critical areas of the structure. Key issues are the manufacturability, (achieved by HIPing - Hot Isostatic Pressing), the ability to handle the radiating plasma thermal flux of 0.35 MW/m{sup 2}, the RF losses and the neutronic radiation. HIPing is necessary to achieve the complicated system of cooling channels inside the structure, which divides the coolant equally in order to supply each strap in the triplet with 1 l/s of water. The components have also to withstand the strong mechanical forces generated by plasma disruptions affecting all internal structures and the elevated design cooling water pressure of 5MPa. In order to maximise reliability, joints between different materials in the cooling water system have been kept to a minimum. Therefore, in the interests of fabricability and availability, the whole structure is manufactured out of stainless steel (316L(N)IG). The low conductivity of 316L(N)IG demands small wall thicknesses to avoid hot spots; however this reduces the mechanical strength. Consequently an in depth FEM analysis is presented, which was used to find and to improve the critical aspects of this important component and was the best means of finding the optimum between thermal and mechanical performance.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Laser-based characterization of nuclear fuel plates

Ensuring the integrity of fuel-clad and clad-clad bonding in nuclear fuels is important for safe reactor operation and assessment of fuel performance, yet the measurement of bond strengths in actual fuels has proved challenging. The laser shockwave technique (LST) originally developed to characterize structural adhesion in composites is being employed to characterize interface strength in a new type of plate fuel being developed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). LST is a non-contact method that uses lasers for the generation and detection of large-amplitude acoustic waves and is well suited for application to both fresh and irradiated nuclear-fuel plates. This paper will report on initial characterization results obtained from fresh fuel plates manufactured by different processes, including hot isostatic pressing, friction stir welding, and hot rolling.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The magnetic flywheel flow meter: Theoretical and experimental contributions

The development of contactless flow meters is an important issue for monitoring and controlling of processes in different application fields, like metallurgy, liquid metal casting, or cooling systems for nuclear reactors and transmutation machines. Shercliff described in his book “The Theory of Electromagnetic Flow Measurement, Cambridge University Press, 1962” a simple and robust device for contact-less measurements of liquid metal flow rates which is known as magnetic flywheel. The sensor consists of several permanent magnets attached on a rotatable soft iron plate. This arrangement will be placed closely to the liquid metal flow to be measured, so that the field of the permanent magnets penetrates into the fluid volume. The flywheel will be accelerated by a Lorentz force arising from the interaction between the magnetic field and the moving liquid. Steady rotation rates of the flywheel can be taken as a measure for the mean flow rate inside the fluid channel. The present paper provides a detailed theoretical description of the sensor in order to gain a better insight into the functional principle of the magnetic flywheel. Theoretical predictions are confirmed by corresponding laboratory experiments. For that purpose, a laboratory model of such a flow meter was built and tested on a GaInSn-loop under various test conditions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Development of bulk-type all-solid-state lithium-sulfur battery using LiBH{sub 4} electrolyte

Stable battery operation of a bulk-type all-solid-state lithium-sulfur battery was demonstrated by using a LiBH{sub 4} electrolyte. The electrochemical activity of insulating elemental sulfur as the positive electrode was enhanced by the mutual dispersion of elemental sulfur and carbon in the composite powders. Subsequently, a tight interface between the sulfur-carbon composite and the LiBH{sub 4} powders was manifested only by cold-pressing owing to the highly deformable nature of the LiBH{sub 4} electrolyte. The high reducing ability of LiBH{sub 4} allows using the use of a Li negative electrode that enhances the energy density. The results demonstrate the interface modification of insulating sulfur and the architecture of an all-solid-state Li-S battery configuration with high energy density.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermal conductivity of vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays: Growth conditions and tube inhomogeneity

The thermal conductivity of vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays (VACNTAs) grown on silicon dioxide substrates via chemical vapor deposition is measured using a 3ω technique. For each sample, the VACNTA layer and substrate are pressed to a heating line at varying pressures to extract the sample's thermophysical properties. The nanotubes' structure is observed via transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The presence of hydrogen and water vapor in the fabrication process is tuned to observe the effect on measured thermal properties. The presence of iron catalyst particles within the individual nanotubes prevents the array from achieving the overall thermal conductivity anticipated based on reported measurements of individual nanotubes and the packing density.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermoelectric properties of Sn- and Pb-doped Tl{sub 9}BiTe{sub 6} and Tl{sub 9}SbTe{sub 6}

A variety of substitutions in Tl{sub 9}BiTe{sub 6} and Tl{sub 9}SbTe{sub 6} with Sn and Pb, amounting to 14 different samples, were performed by melting the stoichiometric amounts of elements at 923 K, followed by slow cooling. The pulverized powders were sintered using the hot-pressing technique. All samples were of single phase according to the powder X-ray diffraction patterns. Thermoelectric property measurements were performed to investigate the effects of Sn- and Pb-doping on the electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity. Increasing the concentration of the dopants caused increases in electrical and thermal conductivity, while decreasing the Seebeck coefficient. Tl{sub 9}Bi{sub 0.90}Pb{sub 0.10}Te{sub 6} and Tl{sub 9}Bi{sub 0.85}Pb{sub 0.15}Te{sub 6} exhibited the highest power factor. The changes in lattice thermal conductivity were minor and did not follow a clear trend. Competitive ZT values were obtained for Tl{sub 9}Bi{sub 0.95}Sn{sub 0.05}Te{sub 6}, Tl{sub 9}Bi{sub 0.95}Pb{sub 0.05}Te{sub 6}, Tl{sub 9}Sb{sub 0.97}Sn{sub 0.03}Te{sub 6}, and Tl{sub 9}Sb{sub 0.95}Pb{sub 0.05}Te{sub 6}, namely 0.95, 0.94, 0.83, and 0.71 around 500 K, respectively. Higher dopant concentrations led to lower ZT values.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Positron annihilation spectroscopy of vacancy-type defects hierarchy in submicrocrystalline nickel during annealing

Positron annihilation and X-ray diffraction analysis have been used to study submicrocrystalline nickel samples prepared by equal channel angular pressing. In the as-prepared samples the positrons are trapped at dislocation-type defects and in vacancy clusters that can include up to 5 vacancies. The study has revealed that the main positron trap centers at the annealing temperature of ΔT= 20°C-180°C are low-angle boundaries enriched by impurities. At ΔT = 180°C-360°C, the trap centers are low-angle boundaries providing the grain growth due to recrystallization in-situ.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Thermoelectric and mechanical properties on misch metal filled p-type skutterudites Mm{sub 0.9}Fe{sub 4−x}Co{sub x}Sb{sub 12}

Most of the recent work focused on improving the dimensionless figure-of-merit, ZT, of p-type skutterudites uses one or two fillers to tune the electrical and thermal properties. Considering the fact that the different fillers with varying atomic mass and ionic radii can vibrate with different amplitudes to scatter phonons of different mean free paths, we synthesized misch metal filled p-type skutterudites Mm{sub 0.9}Fe{sub 4−x}Co{sub x}Sb{sub 12} (where Mm is La{sub 0.25}Ce{sub 0.5}Pr{sub 0.05}Nd{sub 0.15}Fe{sub 0.03}, called misch metal). The samples were synthesized by hot pressing nano-powder made by ball milling the annealed ingot of Mm{sub 0.9}Fe{sub 4−x}Co{sub x}Sb{sub 12} with varying concentration of cobalt, x. By tuning the Fe/Co ratio, we achieved a thermal conductivity of ∼2 W m{sup −1} K{sup −1} at room temperature and ∼2.3 W m{sup −1} K{sup −1} at about 530 °C and a power factor of ∼30 μW cm{sup −1} K{sup −2} at about 425 °C in Mm{sub 0.9}Fe{sub 3.1}Co{sub 0.9}Sb{sub 12}, leading to a peak ZT ∼1.1 at about 425 °C. The nano-indentation experiment reveals that hardness and elastic modulus of the material is about 4.2 GPa and 116 GPa, respectively.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Improved microwave absorption and electromagnetic properties of BaFe{sub 12}O{sub 19}-poly(vinylidene fluoride) composites by incorporating reduced graphene oxides

Three-phase composites of poly(vinylidene fluoride)-BaFe{sub 12}O{sub 19}-reduced graphene oxide (PVDF–BFO-RGO) were synthesized by a facile wet chemical method and hot-pressing approach. The phase structure, topography of the hybrid materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectra. Influence of RGO on their electromagnetic properties was investigated. Especially, improved microwave absorption and electromagnetic properties of BaFe{sub 12}O{sub 19}–PVDF composites by incorporating RGO were obtained and studied. The PVDF/BFO/RGO sample with m(RGO):m(BFO) = 5:100 shows the best microwave absorption properties with a minimum RL = −32 dB at 11 GHz and with the bandwidth less than −20 dB from 9.6 to 12.8 GHz. The composites were believed to have potential applications as the microwave absorber.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Implementation of a spark plasma sintering facility in a hermetic glovebox for compaction of toxic, radiotoxic, and air sensitive materials

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is a rapidly developing method for densification of powders into compacts. It belongs to the so-called “field assisted sintering techniques” that enable rapid sintering at much lower temperatures than the classical approaches of pressureless sintering of green pellets or hot isostatic pressing. In this paper, we report the successful integration of a SPS device into a hermetic glovebox for the handling of highly radioactive material containing radioisotopes of U, Th, Pu, Np, and Am. The glovebox implantation has been facilitated by the replacement of the hydraulic system to apply pressure with a compact electromechanical unit. The facility has been successfully tested using UO{sub 2} powder. Pellets with 97% of the theoretical density were obtained at 1000 °C for 5 min, significantly lower than the ∼1600 °C for 5-10 h used in conventional pellet sintering.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗