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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 NTRS2008

Probabilistic Analysis of Space Shuttle Body Flap Actuator Ball Bearings

A probabilistic analysis, using the 2-parameter Weibull-Johnson method, was performed on experimental life test data from space shuttle actuator bearings. Experiments were performed on a test rig under simulated conditions to determine the life and failure mechanism of the grease lubricated bearings that support the input shaft of the space shuttle body flap actuators. The failure mechanism was wear that can cause loss of bearing preload. These tests established life and reliability data for both shuttle flight and ground operation. Test data were used to estimate the failure rate and reliability as a function of the number of shuttle missions flown. The Weibull analysis of the test data for the four actuators on one shuttle, each with a 2-bearing shaft assembly, established a reliability level of 96.9 percent for a life of 12 missions. A probabilistic system analysis for four shuttles, each of which has four actuators, predicts a single bearing failure in one actuator of one shuttle after 22 missions (a total of 88 missions for a 4-shuttle fleet). This prediction is comparable with actual shuttle flight history in which a single actuator bearing was found to have failed by wear at 20 missions.

Oswald, Fred B.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Investigation of main bearing operating conditions in a three-Point mount wind turbine drivetrain

Wear-related failures of spherical roller bearings in the main bearing position of three-point mount wind turbines have been higher than expected and can contribute to higher than anticipated operation-and-maintenance costs. In this paper, the operational conditions of such a main bearing—including measured axial displacement and velocity subject to the estimated axial loads—are described for an instrumented, commercial wind turbine. The field measurements suggest a maximum axial speed between the bearing rings that is less than 2 millimeters per second. It is estimated that the axial speed between the ring and rollers is approximately 25% of this value. When compared to a speed of rolling from approximately 200–352 millimeters per second, the measured axial sliding is therefore significantly less than 1% of the speed of rolling. Previous numerical studies of lubricant film formation in rolling contacts have shown that the effect of axial sliding starts to be noticeable only when this ratio exceeds 10%; therefore, the axial velocity represents only a small disturbance to the nominal pure rolling case, and the influence on oil film building can be neglected. A simple analytic model of the main bearing motion was also developed and demonstrated similar displacement and velocity characteristics.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2014

Novel Super-Elastic Materials for Advanced Bearing Applications

Tribological surfaces of mechanical components encounter harsh conditions in terrestrial, marine and aerospace environments. Brinell denting, abrasive wear and fatigue often lead to life-limiting bearing and gear failures. Novel superelastic materials based upon Ni-Ti alloys are an emerging solution. Ni-Ti alloys are intermetallic materials that possess characteristics of both metals and ceramics. Ni-Ti alloys have intrinsically good aqueous corrosion resistance (they cannot rust), high hardness, relatively low elastic modulus, are chemically inert and readily lubricated. Ni-Ti alloys also belong to the family of superelastics and, despite high hardness, are able to withstand large strains without suffering permanent plastic deformation. In this paper, the use of hard, resilient Ni-Ti alloys for corrosion-proof, shockproof bearing and gear applications are presented. Through a series of bearing and gear development projects, it is demonstrated that Ni-Tis unique blend of materials properties lead to significantly improved load capacity, reduced weight and intrinsic corrosion resistance not found in any other bearing materials. Ni-Ti thus represents a new materials solution to demanding tribological applications.

materials↗
NASA NTRS1978

The practical impact of elastohydrodynamic lubrication

The use of elastohydrodynamics in the analysis of rolling element bearings is discussed. Relationships for minimum film thickness and tractive force were incorporated into computer codes and used for bearing performance prediction. The lambda parameter (ratio of film thickness to composite surface roughness) was shown to be important in predicting bearing life and failure mode. Results indicate that at values of lambda below 3 failure modes other than the classic subsurface initiated fatigue can occur.

Anderson, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Investigation of acoustic emission coupling techniques

A three-phase research program was initiated by NASA in 1983 to investigate the use of acoustic monitoring techniques to detect incipient failure in turbopump bearings. Two prototype acoustic coupler probes were designed and evaluated, and four units of the final probe design were fabricated. Success in this program could lead to development of an on-board monitor which could detect bearing damage in flight and reduce or eliminate the need for disassembly after each flight. This final report reviews the accomplishments of the first two phases and presents the results of fabrication and testing completed in the final phase of the research program.

Jolly, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Liquid lubrication for space applications

Reviewed here is the state of the art of liquid lubrication for space applications. The areas discussed are types of liquid lubrication mechanisms, space environmental effects on lubrication, classification of lubricants, liquid lubricant additives, grease lubrication, mechanism materials, bearing anomalies and failures, lubricant supply techniques, and application types and lubricant needs for those applications.

Fusaro, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Liquid lubrication for space applications

Reviewed here is the state of the art of liquid lubrication for space applications. The areas discussed are types of liquid lubrication mechanisms, space environmental effects on lubrication, classification of lubricants, liquid lubricant additives, grease lubrication, mechanism materials, bearing anomalies and failures, lubricant supply techniques, and application types and lubricant needs for those applications.

Fusaro, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS2002

High Temperature Si-doped BN Interphases for Woven SiC/SiC Composites

The hydrolytic stability of high-temperature deposited Si-doped BN has been shown in the past to be superior in comparison to "pure" BN processed at similar or even higher temperatures. This type of material would be very desirable as a SiC/SiC composite interphase that is formed by chemical infiltration into multi-ply woven preform. However, due to rapid deposition on the preform outer surface at the high processing temperature, this has proven very difficult. To overcome this issue, single plies of woven fabric were infiltrated with Si-doped BN. Three composite panels of different SiC fiber types were fabricated with Si-doped BN interphases including Sylramic, Hi-Nicalon Type S and Sylramic-iBN fiber-types. The latter fiber-type possesses a thin in-situ grown BN layer on the fiber surface. High Si contents (approx. 7 to 10 a/o) and low oxygen contents (less than 1 a/o) were achieved. All three composite systems demonstrated reasonable debonding and sliding properties. The coated Sylramic fabric and composites were weak due to fiber degradation apparently caused during interphase processing by the formation of TiN crystals on the fiber surface. The Hi-Nicalon Type S composites with Si-doped BN interphase were only slightly weaker than Hi-Nicalon Type S composites with conventional BN when the strength on the load-bearing fibers at failure was compared. On the other hand, the Sylramic-iBN fabric and composites with Si-doped BN showed excellent composite and intermediate temperature stress-rupture properties. Most impressive was the lack of any significant interphase oxidation on the fracture surface of stress-ruptured specimens tested well above matrix cracking at 815C.

Morscher, Gregory N.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Effects of Water Contamination on Micropitting and Rolling Contact Fatigue of Bearing Steels

Abstract In this research, the effects of water contamination in oil were investigated on two kinds of failures that occur in bearing steel: micropitting and rolling contact fatigue. Whereas the presence of water in the oil had little effect on the generation of surface wear in these experiments, increases in the occurrences of micropitting and rolling contact fatigue were observed due to the presence of either dissolved or free water in lubricants. Additionally, the presence of white etching matter at crack interfaces was observed and evaluated. The experimental results showed that water content can be considered as a significant factor that accelerates the formation of micropitting and fatigue cracks in rolling bearings.

Engineering↗
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

Development and Evaluation of Titanium Spacesuit 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 lbs per suit system compared to the previously used stainless steel bearing race 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 (WSTF) 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 (approx. 3 years), design parameters for maximum contact stress need to be identified. To identify these design parameters, 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 and design around a cycle life requirement for 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 NTRS1994

A Review of Transmission Diagnostics Research at NASA Lewis Research Center

This paper presents a summary of the transmission diagnostics research work conducted at NASA Lewis Research Center over the last four years. In 1990, the Transmission Health and Usage Monitoring Research Team at NASA Lewis conducted a survey to determine the critical needs of the diagnostics community. Survey results indicated that experimental verification of gear and bearing fault detection methods, improved fault detection in planetary systems, and damage magnitude assessment and prognostics research were all critical to a highly reliable health and usage monitoring system. In response to this, a variety of transmission fault detection methods were applied to experimentally obtained fatigue data. Failure modes of the fatigue data include a variety of gear pitting failures, tooth wear, tooth fracture, and bearing spalling failures. Overall results indicate that, of the gear fault detection techniques, no one method can successfully detect all possible failure modes. The more successful methods need to be integrated into a single more reliable detection technique. A recently developed method, NA4, in addition to being one of the more successful gear fault detection methods, was also found to exhibit damage magnitude estimation capabilities.

Zakajsek, James J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

An evaluation of various ball bearing lubricants operating in various environments /A status report/

Testing of both fluid and solid lubricants in small ball bearings is reported for a period of up to one year in various environments. The testing equipment, procedures and detailed results of five different lubricants, operating in a vacuum at ambient temperature, are described. Specially made motors were shimmed to maintain a 2.27 kg thrust load on both bearings, having a speed of 3600 rpm allowing 216,000 revolutions on each bearing per hour until failure. The commercial perfluoropolyether (PFPE-1) grease, having the best results, was recommended for long term bearing operation under hard vacuum conditions. It had an average life of over 8760 hrs. The ester based grease was recommended for moderate life requirements in vacuum conditions, while the silicone based grease and the fluorosilicone based grease were not recommended for vacuum operation due to extensive metal damage in the bearings.

Demorest, k. E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Endurance and failure characteristics of main-shaft jet engine bearings at 3x10 to the 6th power DN

Groups of thirty 120-mm bore angular contact ball bearings were endurance tested at a speed of 12,000 and 25,000 rpm and a thrust load of 66 721 N. The bearings were manufactured from a single heat of VIM-VAR AISI M-50 steel. At 1.44X1 million and 3.0x1 million DN, 84 483 and 74 800 bearing test hours were accumulated, respectively. Test results were compared with similar bearings made from CVM AISI M-50 steel run under the same conditions. Bearing lives at speeds of 3x1 million DN with the VIM-VAR AISI M-50 steel were nearly equivalent to those obtained at lower speeds. A combined processing and material life factor of 44 was found for VIM-VAR AISI M-50 steel. Continuous running after a spall has occurred at 3.0x1 million DN can result in a destructive fracture of the bearing inner race.

Bamberger, E. N.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Endurance and failure characteristic of main-shaft jet engine bearing at 3 million DN

Groups of thirty 120-mm bore angular-contact ball bearings were endurance tested at a speed of 12,000 and 25,000 rpm (1.44 million and 3.0 million DN, where DN is the product of the bearing bore in mm and the shaft speed in rpm) and a thrust load of 66,721 N. The bearings were manufactured from a single heat of VIM-VAR AISI M-50 steel. At 1.44 million and 3.0 million DN, 84,483 and 74,800 bearing test hours were accumulated, respectively. Test results were compared with similar bearings made from CVM AISI M-50 steel run under the same conditions. Bearing lives at speeds of 3 million DN with the VIM-VAR AISI M-50 steel were nearly equivalent to those obtained at lower speeds. A combined processing and material life factor of 44 was found for VIM-VAR AISI M-50 steel. Continuous running after a spall has occurred at 3.0 million DN can result in a destructive fracture of the bearing inner race.

Bamberger, E. N.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Failure Analysis and Recovery of a 50 MM Highly Elastic Intermetallic NiTi Ball Bearing for an ISS Application

The ISS Distillation Assembly centrifuge is the pathfinder application for 50mm bore, deep-groove ball bearings made from the highly elastic intermetallic material 60NiTi. Superior corrosion and shock resistance are required to withstand the acidic wastewater exposure and heavy spacecraft launch related loads that challenge conventional steel bearings. During early ground testing one bearing unexpectedly and catastrophically failed after operating for only 200 hours of run time. A second bearing running on the same shaft was completely unaffected. A thorough investigation into the root cause of the failure determined that an excessively tight press-fit of the bearing outer race coupled with NiTis relatively low elastic modulus were key contributing factors. The proposed failure mode was successfully duplicated by experiment. To further corroborate the root cause theory, a successful bearing life test using improved installation practices (selective fitting) was conducted. The results show that NiTi bearings are suitable for space applications provided that care is taken to accommodate their unique material characteristics.

failure analyses↗
NASA NTRS1978

Mini-BRU/BIPS foil bearing development

The analysis revealed the failure agent to be a combination of poor teflon coating adhesion, a decrease in bearing sway space and, possibly, lack of flushing flow through the bearing. A change in Teflon coating vendors provided substantially improved coating quality and surface finish. The sway space was increased and the cooling bleed flow was adjusted to flush the bearing. These changes were included in a test conducted in the WHL from 6 April to 22 May 1978 which resulted in the completion of 1006.9 hours of operation at temperature and load. Post-test inspection revealed the bearings to be in excellent condition and capable of completing a much longer test.

Dobler, F. X.↗