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At least 1,405 records · Page 78

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NASA NTRS1979

Tungsten wire/FeCrAlY matrix turbine blade fabrication study

The objective was to establish a viable FRS monotape technology base to fabricate a complex, advanced turbine blade. All elements of monotape fabrication were addressed. A new process for incorporation of the matrix, including bi-alloy matrices, was developed. Bonding, cleaning, cutting, sizing, and forming parameters were established. These monotapes were then used to fabricate a 48 ply solid JT9D-7F 1st stage turbine blade. Core technology was then developed and first a 12 ply and then a 7 ply shell hollow airfoil was fabricated. As the fabrication technology advanced, additional airfoils incorporated further elements of sophistication, by introducing in sequence bonded root blocks, cross-plying, bi-metallic matrix, tip cap, trailing edge slots, and impingement inserts.

Melnyk, P.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Gravitational contributions to microstructural coarsening in liquid phase sintering

Preliminary experiments for determining the role of gravity in liquid phase sintering have been carried out. Tungsten heavy alloys were selected for this investigation because of the large density difference between solid and liquid, extensive interest in the alloys and considerable data on these alloys. By identifying and isolating the role that gravity plays in shape distortion and microstructural coarsening, further insight into the mechanisms of coarsening kinetics may be realized. Improvements in mechanical properties, shape complexity, and dimensional stability may be realized in the future from low gravity sintering.

Kipphut, C. M.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Transfer orbit stage mechanisms thermal vacuum test

A systems level mechanisms test was conducted on the Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Transfer Orbit Stage (TOS). The TOS is a unique partially reusable transfer vehicle which will boost a satellite into its operational orbit from the Space Shuttle's cargo bay. The mechanical cradle and tilt assemblies will return to earth with the Space Shuttle while the Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) and avionics package are expended. A mechanisms test was performed on the forward cradle and aft tilting assemblies of the TOS under thermal vacuum conditions. Actuating these assemblies under a 1 g environment and thermal vacuum conditions proved to be a complex task. Pneumatic test fixturing was used to lift the forward cradle, and tilt the SRM, and avionics package. Clinometers, linear voltage displacement transducers, and load cells were used in the thermal vacuum chamber to measure the performance and characteristics of the TOS mechanism assembly. Incorporation of the instrumentation and pneumatic system into the test setup was not routine since pneumatic actuation of flight hardware had not been previously performed in the facility. The methods used are presented along with the problems experienced during the design, setup and test phases.

Oleary, Scott T.↗

NASA NTRS2004

A Model for Shear Layer Effects on Engine Noise Radiation

Prediction of aircraft engine noise is an important aspect of addressing the issues of community noise and cabin noise control. The development of physics based methodologies for performing such predictions has been a focus of Computational Aeroacoustics (CAA). A recent example of code development in this area is the ducted fan noise propagation and radiation code CDUCT-LaRC. Included within the code is a duct radiation model that is based on the solution of FfowcsWilliams-Hawkings (FW-H) equation with a penetrable data surface. Testing of this equation for many acoustic problems has shown it to provide generally better results than the Kirchhoff formula for moving surfaces. Currently, the data surface is taken to be the inlet or exhaust plane for inlet or aft-fan cases, respectively. While this provides reasonable results in many situations, these choices of data surface location lead to a few limitations. For example, the shear layer between the bypass ow and external stream can refract the sound waves radiated to the far field. Radiation results can be improved by including this effect, as well as the rejection of the sound in the bypass region from the solid surface external to the bypass duct surrounding the core ow. This work describes the implementation, and possible approximation, of a shear layer boundary condition within CDUCT-LaRC. An example application also illustrates the improvements that this extension offers for predicting noise radiation from complex inlet and bypass duct geometries, thereby providing a means to evaluate external treatments in the vicinity of the bypass duct exhaust plane.

Nark, Douglas M.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Following Human Footsteps: Proposal of a Decision Theory Based on Human Behavior

Human behavior is a complex nature which depends on circumstances and decisions varying from time to time as well as place to place. The way a decision is made either directly or indirectly related to the availability of the options. These options though appear at random nature, have a solid directional way for decision making. In this paper, a decision theory is proposed which is based on human behavior. The theory is structured with model sets that will show the all possible combinations for making a decision, A virtual and simulated environment is considered to show the results of the proposed decision theory

Mahmud, Faisal↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Aluminum Borohydride Ammines as Fuels for Hybrid Rocket Motors: Theoretical Performance and Particle Synthesis

The aluminum borohydride ammines, Al(BH4)3·XNH3, are a family of complexes between aluminum borohydride and ammonia for which up to six moles of ammonia can be complexed per mole of aluminum borohydride. Two of these complexes, the diammine (X = 2) and hexammine (X = 6) are of particular interest for use in hybrid rocket motors as additives and stand alone fuels. This study compares these compounds against other metal hydride for their potential as additives to increase the regression rate of solid fuel grains. The theoretical performance of the diammine as a stand alone fuel paired with non-toxic oxidizers is also investigated. The low temperature and good performance of these combinations make them of interest for low cost orbital maneuvering thrusters. Finally, the synthesis process for Al(BH4)3·6NH3 is discussed and TGA/DSC results are presented.

hybrid rockets↗

NASA NTRS2021

Aqua Factorem: Ultra Low Energy Lunar Water Extraction

We propose a new method we call Aqua Factorem to extract lunar water. It will drastically reduce energy and complexity of lunar mining operations helping to establish this industry. Other methods to extract water from the regolith are based on phase change, pumping energy into the regolith to sublimate the ice into vapor, then capturing the vapor, re-freezing it, and hauling the solid ice to a chemical processor where it is converted again into vapor for purification then electrolysis. This requires transporting high power into the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) not only to vaporize the ice in situ in the soil but to heat the surrounding soil itself, which is wasted energy. Still other methods are based on strip mining and hauling the resource along with slag (the unwanted silicates, which constitutes about 95% of the mass), to a processing unit that is located outside the PSRs. That may be a simpler architecture but is generally not favored because hauling 49,000 t of regolith over many kilometers yearly to produce the projected demand of 2,450 t of propellant would be terribly difficult and expensive with high risk that the vehicles will get stuck driving with such loads across the unprepared regolith. We propose an alternative to both of these approaches, taking advantage of the processing that the unique lunar geology has already performed. Micrometeoroid bombardment has already broken most solid material in the upper part of the regolith into fine grains. This includes solid material of all compositions, including the ice, which is as hard as granite at PSR temperatures and is therefore essentially another type of rock. These ice grains are intermixed with all the other minerals, so a simple, ultra-low-energy grain-sorting process can extract the ice without phase change. As another benefit it can extract the 1 wt% free metal known to be in lunar soil, again with very little energy. The ice can then be hauled to the chemical processing unit in solid phase and converted into rocket propellant. We estimate the 800 kW power needed for thermal extraction can be reduced to less than 100 watts using the new method. This affects the entire architecture of the mining operation producing extensive economic benefit, which we will quantify in this study. We will study it in the context of a mission to mine propellants commercially for space tugs that boost commercial communication satellites from Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) to Geostationary Orbit (GEO) then return to the lunar surface for refueling. This simple architecture requires the minimum number of in-space elements, and notably does not require an in-space propellant depot, so it provides the lowest cost and lowest risk startup for a commercial operation. The study will also test the innovative Aqua Factorem process through laboratory experiments, and this will produce basic insights into the handling of lunar resources.

lunar↗

NASA NTRS2014

Solid-State Thermionic Nuclear Power for Megawatt Propulsion, Planetary Surface and Commercial Power Project

Thermionic (TI) power conversion is a promising technology first investigated for power conversion in the 1960's, and of renewed interest due to modern advances in nanotechnology, MEMS, materials and manufacturing. Benefits include high conversion efficiency (20%), static operation with no moving parts and potential for high reliability, greatly reduced plant complexity, and the potential for reduced development costs. Thermionic emission, credited to Edison in 1880, forms the basis of vacuum tubes and much of 20th century electronics. Heat can be converted into electricity when electrons emitted from a hot surface are collected across a small gap. For example, two "small" (6 kWe) Thermionic Space Reactors were flown by the USSR in 1987-88 for ocean radar reconnaissance. Higher powered Nuclear-Thermionic power systems driving Electric Propulsion (Q-thruster, VASIMR, etc.) may offer the breakthrough necessary for human Mars missions of < 1 yr round trip. Power generation on Earth could benefit from simpler, moe economical nuclear plants, and "topping" of more fuel and emission efficient fossil-fuel plants.

George, Jeffrey↗

DOE OSTI2025

Micrometer: Micromechanics transformer for predicting full field mechanical responses of heterogeneous materials

Predicting mechanical responses of heterogeneous materials across scales remains a significant challenge. Traditional computational methods often struggle with complex and multiscale nature of these materials, limiting their effectiveness in real-world applications. Here, in this paper, we introduce Micrometer, a vision transformer based deep learning model designed to predict full field mechanical responses of heterogeneous materials, bridging the gap between computer vision and solid mechanics problems. We show that Micrometer, trained on a large-scale high-resolution dataset of 2D fiber-reinforced composites, can achieve state-of-the-art performance in predicting microscale strain fields across a wide range of material properties and loading conditions. Our model demonstrates accuracy and computational efficiency in applications such as computational homogenization and multiscale modeling, reducing computational time by up to two orders of magnitude compared to conventional numerical solvers while maintaining less than 1 % errors in predicting macroscale stress fields. Furthermore, we showcase Micrometer’s adaptability through transfer learning experiments on new materials with limited data, highlighting its potential to tackle diverse scenarios in computational solid mechanics. These results represent a significant step towards AI-driven innovation in materials science, addressing the limitations of traditional numerical methods and paving the way for more efficient simulations of heterogeneous materials across various industrial applications.

Composite materials↗

DOE OSTI2020

Uncovering the Relationship between Diameter and Height of Electrodeposited Lithium Protrusions in a Rigid Electrolyte

A promising approach for enabling rechargeable batteries with significantly higher energy densities than current lithium-ion batteries is by deploying lithium-metal anodes. However, the growth of lithium protrusions during charging presents significant challenges. Since these protrusions are often branched and filamentous in conventional liquid electrolytes, this problem is referred to in the literature as the “dendrite problem”. While solid electrolytes have the potential to solve this problem, protrusions grow in all electrolytes when the current density exceeds a critical value. Fundamentally understanding the formation is necessary to develop a rational approach for increasing the critical current density, but it is challenging due to the complex interplay between electrochemical and material properties. The diameters and heights of protrusions on lithium-metal anodes stabilized by a rigid block copolymer electrolyte were measured in situ by synchrotron hard X-ray microtomography. The diameter of the shorting protrusions increased linearly with increasing electrolyte thickness. Further, a universal linear relationship between protrusion height and diameter of both shorting and non-shorting protrusions was observed. A model based on the concentrated solution theory was used to establish the electrochemical and mechanical sources for our observations. Here, the computational analysis indicates that elastic and plastic deformation of both the lithium metal and the polymer are important to describe protrusion growth. Both stress-induced current density effects due to the deformation of the electrolyte near the protrusion and plastic deformation of lithium metal combine to give the counterintuitive result: the fastest-growing protrusions have the largest diameter.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Measurement and Analysis of the Microphysical Properties of Arctic Precipitation Showing Frequent Occurrence of Riming

Detailed ground-based observations of snow are scarce in remote regions, such as the Arctic. Here, Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera measurements of over 55,000 solid hydrometeors—obtained during a two-year period from August 2016 to August 2018 at Oliktok Point, Alaska—are analyzed and compared to similar measurements from an earlier experiment at Alta, Utah. In general, distributions of hydrometeor fall speed, fall orientation, aspect ratio, flatness, and complexity (i.e., riming degree) were observed to be very similar between the two locations, except that Arctic hydrometeors tended to be smaller. In total, the slope parameter defining a negative exponential of the size distribution was approximately 50% steeper in the Arctic as at Alta. Sixty-six percent of particles were observed to be rimed or moderately rimed with some suggestion that riming is favored by weak boundary layer stability. On average, the fall speed of rimed particles was not notably different from aggregates. However, graupel density and fall speed increase as cloud temperatures approach the melting point.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Using Radioiodine Speciation to Address Environmental Remediation and Waste Stream Sequestration Problems at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and a DOE Site

Iodine-129 ( 129 I), with a half-life of half-life of 16 million years, is commonly considered the single greatest risk driver in high-level and low-level nuclear repositories. This risk stems from several basic properties of 129 I, and under many geochemical conditions, it can move as an anion at nearly the rate of water through the subsurface environment. 129 I is also extremely radiologically toxic because over 90% of body burden accumulates in the thyroid, which weighs only about 14g in an adult. There is also a large worldwide inventory of radioiodine as a result of its high fission yield and this inventory is rapidly increasing as a result of nuclear energy production. Radioiodine is produced at a rate of 40 GBq (1 Ci) per gigawatt of electricity produced by nuclear power. To illustrate how the properties of 129 I magnify its risk, 129 I accounts for only 0.00002% of the radiation released from the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, but contributes 13% of the population dose, a six orders of magnitude magnification of risk with respect to its radioactivity. The currently favored solid phase for LLW immobilization is cement, while HLW immobilization is the incorporation of waste into glass (vitrification). However, so far, the incorporation into cement and subsequent leaching of only iodide has been seriously investigated. The major problem with this approach is that it ignores the complex speciation of iodine, i.e., it ignores iodate and organo-iodine which have different chemistries. Most of the past research was devoted to the mechanism of iodide uptake in cement hydrate phases that is sorption and/or incorporation. Very few data exist on iodate and organo-iodine incorporation in cement, even though large quantities of liquid waste containing also radioiodine have already been solidified in cement Iodine-129 from low-level waste is commonly disposed of in cementitious materials. Grout, a dense cementitious fluid, mixed with a reducing slag, is often used to immobilize radionuclides. However, the reducing environment might not be conducive to immobilize iodine. For example, the silver based immobilization technologies (e.g., AgCl, Ag-impregnated granular activated carbon, Ag-mordenite) remove iodine from the aqueous phase by promoting the formation of Ag-iodide precipitates. The solubility of AgI is eight orders of magnitude lower than it is for AgIO 3 . Similarly, coprecipitation of iodine into calcium carbonate phases occurs only with IO 3 - and not with I - and org-I. If one would want to immobilize iodine more effectively, different engineering approaches would need to be used to promote binding of I - , IO 3 - , or organo-I. Using laboratory experiments with grout, slag, and silver-based adsorbents, and GC-MS and I K-edge XANES and EXAFS and C K-edge XANES spectroscopy for identifying iodine speciation, the major problems with these methods have been identified as focused too much on just one of the iodine species for immobilization, while others, especially organo-I, remained mobile. Finally, we established that most of the adsorbents that are used contain sufficient amounts of organic matter to create organo-I . It is anticipated that increased attention directed at understanding and quantifying the speciation of radioiodine, as opposed to simply total radioiodine, will lead to improved remediation results to be used for long-term radioiodine disposal in cementitious waste forms.

129-Iodine↗

DOE OSTI2020

Progress in Understanding the Origins of Excellent Corrosion Resistance in Metallic Alloys: From Binary Polycrystalline Alloys to Metallic Glasses and High Entropy Alloys

Some of the factors responsible for good corrosion resistance of select polycrystalline and emerging alloys in chloride solutions are discussed with a goal of providing some perspectives on the current status and future directions. Traditional metallic glass alloys, single phase high entropy alloys (HEAs), early metallic glasses, and high entropy metallic glasses are all emerging corrosion-resistant alloys (CRAs) that utilize traditional strategies for improved corrosion resistance as well as take advantage of some other novel beneficial attributes. These materials enjoy many degrees of freedom as far as choice of both composition and structure, providing great flexibility in the pursuit of superior corrosion resistance. The new materials depart from classical solvent-solute type polycrystalline binary or ternary alloys. Thus, such emerging materials provide significant opportunities to achieve even greater improvements in corrosion resistance in harsh environments. Several examples of the unique corrosion properties of selected materials in the context of modern theories of corrosion are discussed herein. Discussion is restricted to solid-solution binary or ternary polycrystalline alloys, several metallic glass alloys, and single phase HEAs. A common feature of many CRAs is that composition and microstructure often affect both passivity and resistance to localized corrosion that can be divided into initiation, stabilization, and propagation stages. Enormous complexities in protective oxide structures and chemistries and the large number of combinatorial possibilities in newer materials such as HEAs preclude trial-and-error approaches and perhaps even combinatorial experimental design. Computational materials methodologies will be required in the search for new corrosion-resistant alloys in these material classes. The search must consider the best scientific insights available regarding how major and minor alloy additions, as well as various microstructural attributes, contribute to corrosion mitigation. Additional scientific insights, as they emerge, will enable choices beyond the reliance on high concentrations of alloying elements that are known to affect passivity breakdown and pit stabilization. A challenge is to connect the “basic attributes” of an alloy with its properties. The strength of this connection will likely require new scientific principles enabling deep multiphysics insights in order to link feature(s) such as composition and metallurgical phases to the desired corrosion properties. Application of data informatics will likely also play a role given the plethora of variables that are important in corrosion and the difficulty in assessing all relationships. Here, the opportunity exists to accelerate the design of emerging materials for high corrosion resistance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1986

Presence, segregation and reactivity of H, C and N dissolved in some refractory oxides

The sources of impurities, particularly carbon, in high melting oxides and silicates are discussed, along with detection and quantification methods. The impurities are important for their effects on bulk material properties through the media of, e.g., surface or grain boundary characteristics. The impurities are usually encountered by the contact of the oxide (refractory) material with volatiles such as H2O and CO2, which become incorporated in the material and form anion complexes with oxygen acting as a covalent bonded ligand. The specific processes undergone by MgO in assimilating C impurities are delineated, using data obtained with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry and nuclear reaction profiling. Finally, maintenance of a supersaturated solid solution with C impurities by space charge control is described as a means of offset impurity effects.

Freund, F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Near net shape processing: A necessity for advanced materials applications

High quality discrete parts are the backbones for successful operation of equipment used in transportation, communication, construction, manufacturing, and appliances. Traditional shapemaking for discrete parts is carried out predominantly by machining, or removing unwanted material to produce the desired shape. As the cost and complexity of modern materials escalates, coupled with the expense and environmental hazards associated with handling of scrap, it is increasingly important to develop near net shape processes for these materials. Such processes involve casting of liquid materials, consolidation of powder materials, or deformation processing of simple solid shapes into the desired shape. Frequently, several of these operations may be used in sequence to produce a finished part. The processes for near net shape forming may be applied to any type of material, including metals, polymers, ceramics, and their composites. The ability to produce shapes is the key to implementation of laboratory developments in materials science into real world applications. This seminar presents an overview of near net shapemaking processes, some application examples, current developments, and future research opportunities.

Kuhn, Howard A.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Sources of Na for the Io atmosphere

The physics and geology of Io have been extensively studied, but there has been little discussion of the chemistry. Relatively little is known about Io chemistry, but there are constraints. Further, it will be a long time before improvements will result from direct observation, given the severe difficulties with the Galileo mission. Via laboratory simulation experiments, plausible thermochemical and photochemical processes which determine the nature and amounts of surface constituents of Io are explored. The well-known density of Io shows that the planet overall is rocky. Because the orbit of Io is well within the magnetosphere of Jupiter and because Io only has a thin, transient SO2 atmosphere, the surface is continually sputtered with magnetospheric ions. Complex processes ionize and accelerate the Io surface atoms to keV and MeV energies. Remarkably, only S, O, and Na ions were found by Voyager. Sputtering also produces an atomic cloud of Na and S (O not observable) with a trace of K. Both gaseous and solid SO2 are known from spectroscopic studies. A trace of H2S and possibly CO2 are present. Geologic features are interpreted in terms of elemental S, but there is no direct evidence for this constituent. We thus have a rocky planet which does not have rocks on the surface. Our general goal is to understand the cycling of Na, S, and O through the crust and atmosphere on present-day Io and to understand how Io evolved to this state. A specific objective was to determine the phases on the surface which are the source of the Na in the atmosphere of Io.

Burnett, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Functional disorders of the stomach

Gastroenterologists frequently encounter patients who report vague epigastric discomforts or sensations of fullness, bloating, and distention in the upper abdomen. The discomfort is neither burning in character nor severe in intensity; there is no nocturnal pain. The epigastric location of discomfort and lack of radiation may help to exclude biliary tract and pancreatic diseases. Nausea may be present, but there is little or no vomiting. After these patients ingest liquids or solid foods, the symptoms of easy filling or early satiety and increasing discomfort and nausea are almost always present. The patient may only report "indigestion," but a specific chief complaint, such as pain, discomfort, nausea, or bloating may be elicited with further inquiries. Solid foods usually provoke more symptoms than do liquids. Symptoms of early satiety, nausea, bloating, and abdominal discomfort may culminate in the vomiting of undigested food. These vague upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms have been termed "dyspepsia." When peptic diseases of the stomach are excluded, the symptom complex has been called "nonulcer" dyspepsia, a vague syndrome with symptoms attributed to stomach dysfunction. Nonulcer dyspepsia has been reviewed recently. Such symptoms, commonly attributed to a "functional" disorder, are very common in clinical practice, with an incidence of 30% of patients. In this review, we will discuss an approach to the evaluation and treatment of patients with symptoms of nausea, early satiety, bloating, and vague epigastric discomfort--dyspeptic symptoms associated with functional stomach disorders. We will review the anatomy and motility of the stomach and suggest potential neuromuscular malfunctions of the stomach that may result in epigastric symptoms. The potential role of stress and other brain-gut interactions, which may underlie these symptoms, will also be reviewed.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRS1994

(abstract) A Mobile Robot for Remote Response to Incidents Involving Hazardous Materials

This paper will report the status of the Emergency Response Robotics project, a teleoperated mobile robot system being developed at JPL for use by the JPL Fire Department/HAZMAT Team. The project, which began in 1991, has been focused on developing a robotic vehicle which can be quickly deployed by HAZMAT Team personnel for first entry into an incident site. The primary goals of the system are to gain access to the site, locate and identify the hazard, and aid in its mitigation. The involvement of JPL Fire Department/HAZMAT Team personnel has been critical in guiding the design and evaluation of the system. A unique feature of the current robot, called HAZBOT III, is its special design for operation in combustible environments. This includes the use of all solid state electronics, brushless motors, and internal pressurization. Demonstration and testing of the system with HAZMAT Team personnel has shown that teleoperated robots, such as HAZBOT III, can successfully gain access to incident sites locating and identifying hazardous material spills. Work is continuing to enable more complex missions through the addition of appropriate sensor technology and enhancement of the operator interface.

robots teleoperator hazardous materials HAZMAT HAZ↗