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At least 1,423 records · Page 79

A summary of NASA/Air Force full scale engine research programs using the F100 engine

A full scale engine research (FSER) program conducted with the F100 engine is presented. The program mechanism is described and the F100 test vehicles utilized are illustrated. Technology items were addressed in the areas of swirl augmentation, flutter phenomenon, advanced electronic control logic theory, strain gage technology and distortion sensitivity. The associated test programs are described. The FSER approach utilizes existing state of the art engine hardware to evaluate advanced technology concepts and problem areas. Aerodynamic phenomenon previously not considered by design systems were identified and incorporated into industry design tools.

Deskin, W. J.↗

Mechanical properties and strain localization of WA-DED printed P91 steel

This paper discusses a P91 steel block that was additively manufactured by wire arc direct energy deposition (WA-DED) followed by two types of post-process heat treatment (PPHT). Vickers microhardness and digital image correlation tensile tests were performed along the building direction. The global mechanical properties (i.e., microhardness and tensile properties) and the local mechanical responses (i.e., hardness fluctuation and strain localization) were systematically investigated. Results showed that (1) all P91 specimens showed higher strengths than American Society of Mechanical Engineers standard requirements for wrought P91 steel, (2) the as-printed P91 exhibited much higher average hardness and fluctuations than that after PPHT, (3) PPHT reduced P91 strengths but improved the ductility significantly, and (4) strain localization presented in the as-printed specimen during uniform deformation in tensile tests. The hardness fluctuation and strain localization along the building direction of the AP P91 were caused by different thermal histories received during WA-DED. The study indicated that PPHT, ideally tempering-only heat treatment, is necessary for the WA-DED printed P91 steel.

Mechanical properties↗

Distributed Acoustic Sensing of Strain at Earth Tide Frequencies

The solid Earth strains in response to the gravitational pull from the Moon, Sun, and other planetary bodies. Measuring the flexure of geologic material in response to these Earth tides provides information about the geomechanical properties of rock and sediment. Such measurements are particularly useful for understanding dilation of faults and fractures in competent rock. A new approach to measuring earth tides using fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is presented here. DAS was originally designed to record acoustic vibration through the measurement of dynamic strain on a fiber optic cable. Here, laboratory experiments demonstrate that oscillating strain can be measured with DAS in the microHertz frequency range, corresponding to half-day (M2) lunar tidal cycles. Although the magnitude of strain measured in the laboratory is larger than what would be expected due to earth tides, a clear signal at half-day period was extracted from the data. With the increased signal-to-noise expected from quiet field applications and improvements to DAS using engineered fiber, earth tides could potentially be measured in deep boreholes with DAS. Because of the distributed nature of the sensor (0.25 m measurement interval over kilometres), fractures could be simultaneously located and evaluated. Such measurements would provide valuable information regarding the placement and stiffness of open fractures in bedrock. Characterization of bedrock fractures is an important goal for multiple subsurface operations such as petroleum extraction, geothermal energy recovery, and geologic carbon sequestration.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Rear Heterojunction GaAs Solar Cells With Strain-Balanced GaInAs/GaAsP Quantum Wells

We have fabricated GaAs rear-heterojunction solar cells with strain-balanced GaInAs/GaAsP multiple quantum wells to increase the range of absorption. The overall device architecture includes a thick n-type GaAs emitter layer, followed by undoped multiple quantum wells (QWs) and then a heterojunction with a higher bandgap GaInP p-type base. The QWs shift the band edge to from ~870 nm to 930 nm and results in >2 mA/cm 2 collection below the GaAs bandgap. Due to the heterojunction, the cell demonstrated a high open-circuit voltage of Voc=1.03V and an efficiency of 26.4% at 1000 W/m 2.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

A Database of Stress-Strain Properties Auto-generated from the Scientific Literature using ChemDataExtractor

Abstract There has been an ongoing need for information-rich databases in the mechanical-engineering domain to aid in data-driven materials science. To address the lack of suitable property databases, this study employs the latest version of the chemistry-aware natural-language-processing (NLP) toolkit, ChemDataExtractor, to automatically curate a comprehensive materials database of key stress-strain properties. The database contains information about materials and their cognate properties: ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, fracture strength, Young’s modulus, and ductility values. 720,308 data records were extracted from the scientific literature and organized into machine-readable databases formats. The extracted data have an overall precision, recall and F-score of 82.03%, 92.13% and 86.79%, respectively. The resulting database has been made publicly available, aiming to facilitate data-driven research and accelerate advancements within the mechanical-engineering domain.

Kumar, Pankaj↗

The NASA strain gage laboratory

The goal of the NASA-sponsored high-temperature high-strain gage program (which combines in-house, contract, and grant work) is to develop a gage that will measure static strains up to 2000 microstrain to within 10 percent, and at temperatures up to 1250 K (typical for combustors and turbine blades and vanes of gas turbine engines) maintained over 50-h period. The basic equipment of the NASA in-house lab is described (with special attention given to the strain-gage testing system), and some examples of recent test results are discussed. Data are presented on following tests performed on four gages: apparent strain vs temperature at different cooling rates, gage factor at various strain and temperature levels, and drift and creep tests at 133 C.

Hobart, Howard F.↗

Synthetic methylotrophy: engineering the production of biofuels and chemicals based on the biology of aerobic methanol utilization

Synthetic methylotrophy is the development of non-native methylotrophs that can utilize methane and methanol as sole carbon and energy sources or as co-substrates with carbohydrates to produce metabolites as biofuels and chemicals. Here, the availability of methane (from natural gas) and its oxidation product, methanol, has been increasing, while prices have been decreasing, thus rendering them as attractive fermentation substrates. As they are more reduced than most carbohydrates, methane and methanol, as co-substrates, can enhance the yields of biologically produced metabolites. Here we discuss synthetic biology and metabolic engineering strategies based on the native biology of aerobic methylotrophs for developing synthetic strains grown on methanol, with Escherichia coli as the prototype.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Modeling deformation and failure in AlSi-polyester abradable sealcoating material using microstructure-based finite element simulation

A plasma-sprayed aluminum-silicon (AlSi)/polyester coating is applied in modern gas turbine engines as an abradable sealcoating to maintain tight clearances between the rotating blades and the static casing. While running the engine, the rotating blades “rub” with the abradable coating, which results in extreme strain rate (up to 10 6 ) dynamics and a high-temperature environment. Due to the difficulty of collecting direct measurements, predictive computational models are important for analyzing the deformation and failure of the abradable material, to help meet the design target of avoiding damage to the blade tip and maintaining high fuel efficiency. In this research, a microstructure-based finite element (FE) computational model was developed to capture the complex mechanical behavior of the AlSi/polyester microstructure. The model is based on a virtual representative-volume-element (RVE) of a metal-polymer microstructure, reconstructed from x-ray computed tomography. It models the plastic deformation of, and damage to, each AlSi and polyester constituents, as well as the failure at their interface. The model was calibrated and validated with uniaxial tension and compression experiments, conducted at two temperatures (298 K and 533 K) at an applied strain rate of 10 3 - 10 4 s -1 . The material exhibited strongly asymmetric tension-compression behavior and a sensitivity to temperature, which was well captured by the model. The model was further applied to investigate changes in mechanical behavior due to variations in constituents’ volume fractions, which provides guidance to the microstructural design of AlSi/polyester abradable materials. The model is expected to facilitate the development of improved abradable materials by bypassing the conventional trial-and-error approach and extensive testing requirements.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Sterically controlled mechanochemistry under hydrostatic pressure

Mechanical stimuli can modify the energy landscape of chemical reactions and enable reaction pathways, offering a synthetic strategy that complements conventional chemistry. These mechanochemical mechanisms have been studied extensively in one-dimensional polymers under tensile stress using ring-opening and reorganization, polymer unzipping and disulfide reduction as model reactions. In these systems, the pulling force stretches chemical bonds, initiating the reaction. Additionally, it has been shown that forces orthogonal to the chemical bonds can alter the rate of bond dissociation. Furthermore, these bond activation mechanisms have not been possible under isotropic, compressive stress (that is, hydrostatic pressure). Here we show that mechanochemistry through isotropic compression is possible by molecularly engineering structures that can translate macroscopic isotropic stress into molecular-level anisotropic strain.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Metabolic Modification of Sphingobium lignivorans SYK-6 for Lignin Valorization Through the Discovery of an Unusual Transcriptional Repressor of Lignin-Derived Dimer Catabolism

Sphingobium lignivorans SYK-6 catabolizes guaiacylglycerol-..beta..-guaiacyl ether (GGE, a ..beta..-O-4-type dimer) and 1,2-diguaiacylpropane-1,3-diol (DGPD, a ..beta..-1-type dimer) derived from lignin. Recently, SLG_35860 containing TetR- and MarR-type transcriptional regulator motifs was suggested to be involved in the regulation of GGE and DGPD catabolism. Here we investigated the role of SLG_35860 in the transcriptional regulation of GGE and DGPD catabolism genes. SLG_35860 designated ligS repressed 11 genes involved in GGE and DGPD catabolism. LigS binds directly to specific sequences in the promoter region of each gene. The MarR domain was shown to be involved in these bindings; however, GGE, DGPD, and their metabolites did not function as effectors of LigS. We discovered unidentified compound(s) in the black liquor of oxygen-soda anthraquinone pulping of Japanese cedar that SYK-6 cannot metabolize and that acted as effector(s). Therefore, LigS constantly represses the transcription of the GGE and DGPD catabolism genes to low levels. Based on these findings, we examined the productivity of a polymer building block, 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC), from GGE, DGPD, and a GGE metabolite using an engineered ligS mutant. The rates of PDC production from each compound by this strain were 1.5-6.0 times higher than those of a PDC-producing strain carrying ligS.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Stepping on the Gas to a Circular Economy: Accelerating Development of Carbon-Negative Chemical Production from Gas Fermentation

Owing to rising levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and oceans, climate change poses significant environmental, economic, and social challenges globally. Technologies that enable carbon capture and conversion of greenhouse gases into useful products will help mitigate climate change by enabling a new circular carbon economy. Gas fermentation using carbon-fixing microorganisms offers an economically viable and scalable solution with unique feedstock and product flexibility that has been commercialized recently. Here, we review the state of the art of gas fermentation and discuss opportunities to accelerate future development and rollout. We discuss the current commercial process for conversion of waste gases to ethanol, including the underlying biology, challenges in process scale-up, and progress on genetic tool development and metabolic engineering to expand the product spectrum. We emphasize key enabling technologies to accelerate strain development for acetogens and other nonmodel organisms.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The use of heterodyne speckle photogrammetry to measure high-temperature strain distributions

Thermal and mechanical strains have been measured on samples of a common material used in jet engine burner liners, which were heated from room temperature to 870 C and cooled back to 220 C, in a laboratory furnace. The physical geometry of the sample surface was recorded to select temperatures by means of a set of twelve single-exposure specklegrams. Sequential pairs of specklegrams were compared in a heterodyne interferometer which allowed high-precision measurement of differential displacements. Good speckle correlation was observed between the first and last specklegrams also, which showed the durability of the surface microstructure, and permitted a check on accumulated errors. Agreement with calculated thermal expansion was to within a few hundred microstrain over a range of fourteen thousand.

Stetson, K. A.↗

High temperature stress-strain analysis

The objectives are threefold: to assist in developing predictive tools needed to improve design analyses and procedures for the efficient and accurate prediction of burner liner structural performance and response; to calibrate, validate, and evaluate these predictive tools by comparing the predicted results with the experimental data; and to evaluate existing as well as advanced temperature and strain measurement instrumentation, through both contact and noncontact efforts, in a simulated turbine engine combustor environment. As the predictive tool, tests, test methods, instrumentation, and data acquisition and reduction methods are developed and evaluated, a proven, integrated analysis/experiment method will be developed that will permit the accurate prediction of the cyclic life of a burner liner.

Thompson, R. L.↗

Experimental studies of adaptive structures for precision performance

An experimental study was made of the adaptive structure concept. Experimental data were obtained for a three-longeron, thirteen-bay truss-type test structure. This test structure can be softly suspended as well as rigidly clamped at the central bay. The load-carrying active member consists of a stack of concentric piezoelectric wafers, an eddy current displacement sensor, and a strain gage force sensor. A bridge (or compound) feedback technique developed in communication engineering is applied to the problem of active damping augmentation in adaptive structures. Using collocated force and velocity feedback around the active member, a desired output mechanical impedance can be implemented to maximize energy absorption by the active members. In addition, large gains can be implemented to linearize the active member's nonlinear behavior. Good agreements with linear finite element analysis was found for both static and dynamic structural responses. An 11 percent damping in the first bending mode was demonstrated in the closed-loop damping experiment.

Chen, G.-S.↗

Elevated temperature crack growth

A study was performed to examine the applicability of path-independent (P-I) integrals to crack growth problems in hot section components of gas turbine aircraft engines. Alloy 718 was used and the experimental parameters included combined temperature and strain cycling, thermal gradients, elastic-plastic strain levels, and mean strains. A literature review was conducted of proposed P-I integrals, and those capable of analyzing hot section component problems were selected and programmed into the postprocessor of a finite element code. Detailed elastic-plastic finite element analyses were conducted to simulate crack growth and crack closure of the test specimen, and to evaluate the P-I integrals. It was shown that the selected P-I integrals are very effective for predicting crack growth for isothermal conditions.

Kim, K. S.↗

New instrumentation technologies for testing the bonding of sensors to solid materials

This report presents the results of a comprehensive research and development project that was conducted over a three-year period to develop new technologies for testing the attachment of sensors to solid materials for the following NASA applications: (1) testing the performance of composites that are used for the lining of solid rocket motor nozzles, (2) testing the bonding of surface-mounted platinum resistance thermometers that are used on fuel and oxidizer lines of the space shuttle to detect valve leaks by monitoring temperature, (3) testing the attachment of strain gages that are used in testing the performance of space shuttle main engines, and (4) testing the thermocouples that are used for determining the performance of blast tube liner material in solid rocket boosters.

Hashemian, H. M.↗

Validation of High Displacement Piezoelectric Actuator Finite Element Models

The paper presents the results obtained by using NASTRAN(Registered Trademark) and ANSYS(Regitered Trademark) finite element codes to predict doming of the THUNDER piezoelectric actuators during the manufacturing process and subsequent straining due to an applied input voltage. To effectively use such devices in engineering applications, modeling and characterization are essential. Length, width, dome height, and thickness are important parameters for users of such devices. Therefore, finite element models were used to assess the effects of these parameters. NASTRAN(Registered Trademark) and ANSYS(Registered Trademark) used different methods for modeling piezoelectric effects. In NASTRAN(Registered Trademark), a thermal analogy was used to represent voltage at nodes as equivalent temperatures, while ANSYS(Registered Trademark) processed the voltage directly using piezoelectric finite elements. The results of finite element models were validated by using the experimental results.

Taleghani, B. K.↗