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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2010

The International Space Station Solar Alpha Rotary Joint Anomaly Investigation

The Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) is a single-axis pointing mechanism used to orient the solar power generating arrays relative to the sun for the International Space Station (ISS). Approximately 83 days after its on-orbit installation, one of the two SARJ mechanisms aboard the ISS began to exhibit high drive motor current draw. Increased structural vibrations near the joint were also observed. Subsequent inspections via Extravehicular Activity (EVA) discovered that the nitrided case-hardened steel bearing race on the outboard side of the joint had extensive damage to one of its three rolling surfaces. A farreaching investigation of the anomaly was undertaken. The investigation included metallurgical inspections, coupon tests, traction kinematics tests, detailed bearing measurements, and thermal and structural analyses. The results of the investigation showed that the anomaly had most probably been caused by high bearing edge stresses that resulted from inadequate lubrication of the rolling contact. The profile of the roller bearings and the metallurgical properties of the race ring were also found to be significant contributing factors. To mitigate the impact of the damage, astronauts cleaned and lubricated the race ring surface with grease. This corrective action led to significantly improved performance of the mechanism both in terms of drive motor current and induced structural vibration.

Harik, Elliot P.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Test Validation of the Repair to the Space Station Solar Alpha Rotary Joint

The Solar Array Alpha Joint Lubrication Interval Test (SARJ LITE) test rig was built as a method to evaluate the performance of the grease repair on the Starboard SARJ of the International Space Station (ISS) . The on-orbit SARJ was temporarily parked after receiving significant damage on one of its race ring surfaces as a result of inadequate lu brication (high dry contact friction) and unaccounted for roller traction kinematics. In a scaled down rig, flight-like roller bearings wer e preloaded and cycled on a nitrided 15-5 race surface. Grease was ad ded to the track and with instrumentation monitoring performance, trending data will be extracted and used to determine lubrication interva ls for both Port and Starboard ISS SARJ?s. The grease lubrication was found to be effective in eliminating the high friction that contributed to the onorbit race damage.

Allmon, Curtis↗
NASA NTRS2009

Logistical and Analytical Approach to a Failure Aboard the International Space Station

The starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) from the International Space Station (ISS) began exhibiting off-nominal electrical demands and vibration. Examination by spacewalking astronauts revealed metallic debris contaminating the system and damage to the outboard race of the SARJ. Samples of the contamination were returned to Earth and analyzed. Excessive friction caused the nitride region of the 15-5 PH stainless steel race to spall, generating the debris and damaging the race surface. Excessive vibration and excess power was required to operate the system as a result.

McDanels, Seve↗
NASA NTRS2015

Superelastic Ball Bearings: Materials and Design to Avoid Mounting and Dismounting Brinell Damage in an Inaccessible Press-Fit Application-: Design Approach - I

Ball bearings require proper fit and installation into machinery structures (onto shafts and into bearing housings) to ensure optimal performance. For some applications, both the inner and outer race must be mounted with an interference fit and care must be taken during assembly and disassembly to avoid placing heavy static loads between the balls and races otherwise Brinell dent type damage can occur. In this paper, a highly dent resistant superelastic alloy, 60NiTi, is considered for rolling element bearing applications that encounter excessive static axial loading during assembly or disassembly. A small (R8) ball bearing is designed for an application in which access to the bearing races to apply disassembly tools is precluded. First Principles analyses show that by careful selection of materials, raceway curvature and land geometry, a bearing can be designed that allows blind assembly and disassembly without incurring raceway damage due to ball denting. Though such blind assembly applications are uncommon, the availability of bearings with unusually high static load capability may enable more such applications with additional benefits, especially for miniature bearings.

tribology↗
NASA NTRS2016

The International Space Station (ISS) Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ): Materials & Processes (M&P) Lessons Learned for a Large, Spacecraft Rotating Mechanism

The ISS utilizes two large rotating mechanisms, the SARJ, as part of the solar arrays alignment system for more efficient power generation. The SARJ is a 10.3m circumference, nitrided 15-5PH steel race ring of triangular cross-section, with 12 sets of trundle bearing assemblies transferring load across the rolling joint. The SARJ mechanism rotates continuously and slowly - once every orbit, or every 90 minutes. In 2008, the starboard SARJ suffered a lubrication failure, resulting in severe damage (spalling) of one of the race ring surfaces. Extensive effort was conducted to prevent the port SARJ from suffering the same failure, and fortunately was ultimately successful in recovering the functionality of the starboard SARJ. The M&P function was key in determining the cause of failure and the means for mechanism recovery. From a M&P lessons-learned perspective, observations are made concerning the original SARJ design parameters (boundary conditions), the perceived need for nitriding the race ring, the test conditions employed during qualification, the environmental controls used for the hardware preflight, and the lubrication robustness necessary for complex kinematic mechanisms expecting high-reliability and long-life.

Golden, Johnny L.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Development and Evaluation of Titanium Space Suit Bearings

The Z-2 Prototype Planetary Extravehicular Space Suit Assembly is a continuation of NASA's Z series of spacesuits, designed with the intent of meeting a wide variety of exploration mission objectives, including human exploration of the Martian surface. Incorporating titanium bearings into the Z series space suit architecture allows us to reduce mass by an estimated 23 pounds per suit system compared to the previously used stainless steel bearing designs without compromising suit functionality. There are two obstacles to overcome when using titanium for a bearing race: 1) titanium is flammable when exposed to the oxygen wetted environment inside the space suit and 2) titanium's poor wear properties are often challenging to overcome in tribology applications. In order to evaluate the ignitability of a titanium space suit bearing, a series of tests were conducted at White Sands Test Facility that introduced the bearings to an extreme test profile, with multiple failures imbedded into the test bearings. The testing showed no signs of ignition in the most extreme test cases; however, substantial wear of the bearing races was observed. In order to design a bearing that can last an entire exploration mission (approximately 2 years), bearing test rigs were developed that allow for the quick evaluation of various bearing ball loads, ball diameters, lubricants, and surface treatments. This test data will allow designers to minimize the titanium bearing mass for a specific material and lubricant combination around a maximum contact stress that will allow the bearing to survive the life of an exploration mission. This paper reviews the current research and testing that has been performed on titanium bearing races to evaluate the use of such materials in an enriched oxygen environment and to optimize the bearing assembly mass and tribological properties to accommodate for the high bearing cycle life for an exploration mission.

Rhodes, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2016

The International Space Station (ISS) Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ): Materials & Processes (M&P) Lessons Learned for a Large, Rotating Spacecraft Mechanism

The International Space Station (ISS) utilizes two large rotating mechanisms, the solar alpha rotary joints (SARJs), as part of the solar arrays' alignment system for more efficient power generation. Each SARJ is a 10.3m circumference, nitrided 15-5PH steel race ring of triangular cross-section, with 12 sets of trundle bearing assemblies transferring load across the rolling joint. The SARJ mechanism rotates continuously and slowly - once every orbit, or every 90 minutes. In 2007, the starboard SARJ suffered a lubrication failure, resulting in severe damage (spalling) to one of the race ring surfaces. Extensive effort was conducted to prevent the port SARJ from suffering the same failure, and fortunately that effort was ultimately successful in also recovering the functionality of the starboard SARJ. The M&P engineering function was key in determining the cause of failure and the means for mechanism recovery. From a M&P lessons-learned perspective, observations are made concerning the original SARJ design parameters (boundary conditions), the perceived need for nitriding the race ring, the test conditions employed during qualification, the environmental controls used for the hardware preflight, and the lubrication robustness necessary for complex kinematic mechanisms expecting high-reliability and long-life.

Golden, Johnny L.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Failure Simulation Testing of the Z-1 Spacesuit Titanium Bearing Assemblies

The Z-2 is a candidate for NASA's next generation spacesuit, designed for a range of possible missions with enhanced mobility for spacewalks both on planetary surfaces and in microgravity. Increased mobility was accomplished through innovations in shoulder and hip joints, using a number of new bearings to allow spacesuit wearers to dip, walk, and bend with ease; all important tasks for a planetary explorer collecting samples or traveling over rough terrain. The Advanced Spacesuit Development Team of NASA Johnson Space Center requested that the NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) perform a series failure simulation tests on three titanium bearing assemblies, an elemental part of the joint construction used in new spacesuit designs. This testing simulated two undetected failures within the bearings and as a result the objective of this test program was to evaluate whether a failed or failing bearing could result in ignition of the titanium race material due to friction. The first failure was an inner seal leak sufficient to pressurize the race with +99 percent oxygen. The second failure was an improperly installed or mismatched ball port that created a protrusion in the ball bearing race, partially obstructing the nominal rolling path of each ball bearing. When the spacesuit bearings are assembled, bearing balls are loaded into the assembly via a ball port. The ball port is specific and unique to each bearing assembly (matched pair). The simulated mismatched ball port is a significant source of friction, which would be caused by an assembly error. To evaluate this risk, the bearings were cycled in a simulated worst-case scenario environment, with operational loads, and potential flaw conditions. During test the amount of actuation torque required and heat generated through continuous operation were measured and the bearings were observed for sparks or burning events. This paper provides detailed descriptions of the test hardware, methodology, and results.

de Baca, Richard C.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Elastohydrodynamic film thickness measurements with advanced ester, fluorocarbon, and polyphenyl ether lubricants to 589 K (600 F)

Elastohydrodynamic (EHD) film thicknesses have been measured, by means of an X-ray technique, under conditions that closely simulate the ball-race contact in advanced turbine engine thrust bearings. The experiments were conducted with a rolling-disk machine using disks which yield a contact zone similar to that in the actual bearing. Both the rolling and spinning motions of the ball relative to the race were simulated by the apparatus. Four lubricants were evaluated at temperatures to 600 F and maximum Hertz stresses to 350,000 psi. The X-ray film thickness data correlated well with observations of surface distress (or lack thereof) in full-scale bearing tests with the same lubricants under similar conditions of temperature and load. The predicted variation of film thickness with speed and viscosity as verified, although the magnitude of measured film thickness was generally one-half to one-third of predicted values. An effect of stress greater than predicted was consistently observed in the higher stress range.

Parker, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Effect of residual stresses induced by prestressing on rolling element fatigue life

A mechanical prestress cycle suitable to induce compressive stress beneath the surface of the inner race of radially loaded 207-size bearings was determined. Compressive residual stress in excess 0.69 x 10 to the 9th power N/sq m (100,000 psi), as measured by X-ray diffraction, were induced at the depth of maximum shearing stress. The prestress cycle consisted of running the bearings for 25 hours at 2750 rpm at a radial load which produced a maximum Hertz stress of 3.3 x 10 to the 9th power N/sq m (480,000 psi) at the contact of the inner race and the heaviest loaded ball. Bearings subjected to this prestress cycle and subsequently fatigue tested gave a 10 percent fatigue life greater than twice that of a group of baseline bearings.

Parker, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Rolling-element fatigue lives of through-hardened bearing materials.

Rolling-element fatigue tests were run with eight through-hardened bearing materials at 150 F. One-half in. dia balls of each material were run in five-ball fatigue testers. Care was taken to maintain constant all variables known to affect rolling-element fatigue life. The longest lives at 150 F were obtained with AISI 52100. Ten-percent lives of the other materials ranged from 7 to 78 percent of that obtained with 52100. A trend is indicated toward decreased rolling-element fatigue life with increased total weight percent of alloying elements. Three groups of 120-mm bore ball bearings made from AISI M-1, AISI M-50, and WB-49 were fatigue tested at an outer-race temperature of 600 F. The 10-percent lives of the M-50 and M-1 bearings exceeded the calculated AFBMA life by factors of 13 and 6, respectively. The bearings with WB-49 races showed lives less than AFBMA life. The results of the bearing tests at 600 F correlate well with the results of the five-ball fatigue data at 150 F.

Parker, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1971

The series hybrid bearing - A new high speed bearing concept.

The series-hybrid bearing couples a fluid-film bearing with a rolling-element bearing such that the rolling-element bearing inner race runs at a fraction of shaft speed. A series-hybrid bearing was analyzed and experiments were run at thrust loads from 100 to 300 lb and speeds from 4000 to 30,000 rpm. Agreement between theoretical and experimental speed sharing was good. The lowest speed ratio (ratio of ball bearing inner-race speed to shaft speed) obtained was 0.67. This corresponds to an approximate reduction in DN value of 1/3. For a ball bearing in a 3 million DN application, fatigue life would theoretically be improved by a factor as great as 8.

Anderson, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Heated bimetal strip prevents damage of bearings by vibration

Strip of bimetal is shaped as split ring; when properly fabricated from thin sheet, width of strip increases when it is heated. When width of strip increases, outer races are forced apart, thus pressing balls tightly against inner races. Strip applies axial load to bearing, amount of load being function of temperature to which strip is heated.

Derr, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Correlation of magnetic perturbation inspection data with rolling element bearing fatigue results

A magnetic perturbation technique was used to nondestructively detect subsurface nonmetallic inclusions in the inner races of 207-size, deep groove ball bearings. The bearings were fatigue tested at 2750 rpm under a radial load of. The inner races were subsequently sectioned at fatigue spall locations and at magnetic perturbation signal locations. Analyses of the data indicated good correlation between magnetic perturbation signals and inclusion size and location. Exclusion of those bearings that had significant magnetic perturbation signals did not alter the statistical life of the bearings.

Parker, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Bearing endurance tests in vacuum for sputtered molybdenum disulfide films

Angular-contact, 440C stainless steel, ball bearings with sputtered MoS2 films 0.0000006 x 10-7m (6000 A) thick were evaluated in a vacuum bearing chamber (1750 rpm, 137.9-N- (31-lbf-) thrust load) for endurance. Two types of sputtered films were evaluated: (1) MOS2 sputtered directly onto bearing components, and (2) a thin 0.0000001 x 10-7m (1000 A) underlayer of Cr3Si2 subsequently sputtered with MoS2. Bearing test evaluations in vacuum showed that endurance lives of more than 1000 hours (105,000,000 cycles) were obtained with bearings (cage, races, and balls) directly sputtered with MoS2. The same endurance lives were also obtained when only the races and cage were sputtered with an underlayer of Cr3Si2 and subsequently with MoS2.

Spalvins, T.↗
NASA NTRS1975

On development of a sealed bearing for space suits

The work to correct several design deficiencies present in the bearings used in the orbital extravehicular spacesuit is reported. These deficiencies included: difficult stitch-on interface between fabric and outer race; a tendency for the clamping threads to seize; and, most importantly, the failure of the sealing surfaces (Teflon seat, Delrin seal) to maintain integrity with cycling. The first problem was corrected by raising the stitch-on holes so as to be more accessible. The seizing was eliminated by changing to a coarser thread, from 32/inch to 24/inch. The solution to the sealing problem required a materials evaluation, candidate material selection, and adhesive evaluation (for bonding the seat material to the outer race) and bench-cycling of candidate seal/seat combinations. The final configuration, successfully bench-cycled and delivered to NASA, is shown.

Rayfield, J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Heat pipe controls bearing temperature

Major design problem in integrated Power/Attitude Control System (IPACS) is effective method for transporting heat from bearing inner race of the rotating assembly to minimize inner-race temperatures and temperature differential across bearing. High-speed rotating assembly in this application is essentially device for storing energy in electrically-driven rotating flywheel.

Cormack, A., III↗