Engineering topics

Raj, S. V.

Publications and source records attributed to Raj, S. V..

At least 19 records

NASA NTRS2019

Development and Characterization of Hot-Pressed Matrices for Engineered Ceramic Matrix Composites (E-CMCs)

The present research effort was undertaken to develop a new generation of SiC fiber-reinforced engineered ceramic matrix composites (E-CMCs). In contrast to traditional CMCs with a brittle SiC matrix, an E-CMC is designed to consist of a matrix engineered to possess sufficient high temperature plasticity to minimize crack propagation, relatively high fracture toughness, and self-healing capabilities to prevent oxygen ingress to the BN-coated fibers through surface-connected cracks. The present paper discusses the bend strength, isothermal oxidation, microstructures and self-healing properties of several silicide-behaved engineered matrices. Based on the oxidation tests, where it was observed that some of the matrices exhibited either catastrophic oxidation ("pesting") or spalling of the oxide scale, two engineered matrices, CrSi2/SiC/Si3N4 and CrMoSi/SiC/Si3N4, were down-selected for further investigation. Four-point bend tests were conducted on these two engineered matrices between room temperature and 1698 degrees Kelvin. Although these matrices were brittle at low temperatures, it was observed that the bend strengths and bend ductility increased at high temperatures as the silicide particles became more ductile, which was qualitatively consistent with the theoretically expected behavior that crack blunting at these particles should increase the matrix strength. Additional studies were conducted to study the effects of different additives on the self-healing properties of the engineered matrices, which helped to identify the most effective additives.

Composite Materials↗

NASA NTRS2017

Thermophysical Properties of Cold and Vacuum Plasma Sprayed Cu-Cr-X Alloys, NiAl and NiCrAlY Coatings: Electrical and Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity, and Total Hemispherical Emissivity - Part 1

This two-part paper reports the thermophysical properties of several cold and vacuum plasma sprayed monolithic Cu and Ni-based alloy coatings. Part I presents the electrical and thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and total hemispherical emissivity data while Part II reports the specific heat capacity data for these coatings. Metallic copper alloys, stoichiometric NiAl and NiCrAlY coatings were fabricated by either the cold sprayed or the vacuum plasma spray deposition processes for thermal property measurements between 77 and 1223 K. The temperature dependencies of the thermal conductivities, thermal diffusivities, electrical conductivities and total hemispherical emissivities of these cold and vacuum sprayed monolithic coatings are reported in this paper. The electrical and thermal conductivity data correlate reasonably well for Cu-8%Cr-1%Al, Cu-23%Cr-5%Al and NiAl in accordance with the Wiedemann-Franz (WF) law although a better fit is obtained using the Smith-Palmer relationship. The Lorentz numbers determined from the WF law are close to the theoretical value.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Thermophysical Properties of Cold and Vacuum Plasma Sprayed Cu-Cr-X Alloys, NiAl and NiCrAlY Coatings: Specific Heat Capacity - Part 2

Part I of the paper discussed the temperature dependencies of the electrical resistivities, thermal conductivities, thermal diffusivities and total hemispherical emissivities of several vacuum plasma sprayed (VPS) and cold sprayed copper alloy monolithic coatings, VPS NiAl, VPS NiCrAlY, extruded GRCop-84 and as-cast Cu-17(wt.%)Cr-5%Al. Part II discusses the temperature dependencies of the constant pressure specific heat capacities, CP, of these coatings. The data were empirically were regression-fitted with the equation: CP = AT4 + BT3 + CT2 + DT +E where T is the absolute temperature and A, B, C, D and E are regression constants. The temperature dependencies of the molar enthalpy, molar entropy and Gibbs molar free energy determined from experimental values of molar specific heat capacity are reported. Calculated values of CP using the Neumann-Kopp (NK) rule were in poor agreement with experimental data. Instead, a modification of the Neumann-Kopp rule was found to predict values closer to the experimental data with an absolute deviation less than 6.5%. The specific molar heat capacities for all the alloys did not agree with the Dulong-Petit law, and CP is greater than 3R, where R is the universal gas constant, were measured for all the alloys except NiAl for which CP is less than 3R at all temperatures.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Thermal Expansion Behavior of Hot-Pressed Engineered Matrices

Advanced engineered matrix composites (EMCs) require that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the engineered matrix (EM) matches those of the fiber reinforcements as closely as possible in order to reduce thermal compatibility strains during heating and cooling of the composites. The present paper proposes a general concept for designing suitable matrices for long fiber reinforced composites using a rule of mixtures (ROM) approach to minimize the global differences in the thermal expansion mismatches between the fibers and the engineered matrix. Proof-of-concept studies were conducted to demonstrate the validity of the concept.

engineered matrix↗

NASA NTRS2013

Low Temperature Creep of Hot-Extruded Near-Stoichiometric NiTi Shape Memory Alloy: Isothermal Creep - Part I

This two-part paper is the first published report on the long term, low temperature creep of hot-extruded near-stoichiometric NiTi. Constant load tensile creep tests were conducted on hot-extruded near-stoichiometric NiTi at 300, 373 and 473 K under initial applied stresses varying between 200 and 350 MPa as long as 15 months. These temperatures corresponded to the martensitic, two-phase and austenitic phase regions, respectively. Normal primary creep lasting several months was observed under all conditions indicating dislocation activity. Although steady-state creep was not observed under these conditions, the estimated creep rates varied between 10(exp -10) and 10(exp -9)/s. The creep behavior of the two phases showed significant differences. The martensitic phase exhibited a large strain on loading followed by a primary creep region accumulating a small amount of strain over a period of several months. The loading strain was attributed to the detwinning of the martensitic phase whereas the subsequent strain accumulation was attributed to dislocation glide-controlled creep. An "incubation period" was observed before the occurrence of detwinning. In contrast, the austenitic phase exhibited a relatively smaller loading strain followed by a primary creep region, where the creep strain continued to increase over several months. It is concluded that the creep of the austenitic phase occurs by a dislocation glide-controlled creep mechanism as well as by the nucleation and growth of deformation twins.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Low Temperature Creep of Hot-Extruded Near-Stoichiometric NiTi Shape Memory Alloy: Effect of Thermal Cycling - Part 2

This paper is the first report on the effect prior low temperature creep on the thermal cycling behavior of NiTi. The isothermal low temperature creep behavior of near-stoichiometric NiTi between 300 and 473 K was discussed in Part I. The effect of temperature cycling on its creep behavior is reported in the present paper (Part II). Temperature cycling tests were conducted between either 300 or 373 K and 473 K under a constant applied stress of either 250 or 350 MPa with hold times lasting at each temperature varying between 300 and 700 h. Each specimen was pre-crept either at 300 or at 473 K for several months under an identical applied stress as that used in the subsequent thermal cycling tests. Irrespective of the initial pre-crept microstructures, the specimens exhibited a considerable increase in strain with each thermal cycle so that the total strain continued to build-up to 15 to 20 percent after only 5 cycles. Creep strains were immeasurably small during the hold periods. It is demonstrated that the strains in the austenite and martensite are linearly correlated. Interestingly, the differential irrecoverable strain, in the material measured in either phase decreases with increasing number of cycles, similar to the well-known Manson-Coffin relation in low cycle fatigue. Both phases are shown to undergo strain hardening due to the development of residual stresses. Plots of true creep rate against absolute temperature showed distinct peaks and valleys during the cool-down and heat-up portions of the thermal cycles, respectively. Transformation temperatures determined from the creep data revealed that the austenitic start and finish temperatures were more sensitive to the pre-crept martensitic phase than to the pre-crept austenitic phase. The results are discussed in terms of a phenomenological model, where it is suggested that thermal cycling between the austenitic and martensitic phase temperatures or vice versa results in the deformation of the austenite and a corresponding development of a back stress due to a significant increase in the dislocation density during thermal cycling.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Microstructural Characterization of Metal Foams: An Examination of the Applicability of the Theoretical Models for Modeling Foams

Establishing the geometry of foam cells is useful in developing microstructure-based acoustic and structural models. Since experimental data on the geometry of the foam cells are limited, most modeling efforts use an idealized three-dimensional, space-filling Kelvin tetrakaidecahedron. The validity of this assumption is investigated in the present paper. Several FeCrAlY foams with relative densities varying between 3 and 15 percent and cells per mm (c.p.mm.) varying between 0.2 and 3.9 c.p.mm. were microstructurally evaluated. The number of edges per face for each foam specimen was counted by approximating the cell faces by regular polygons, where the number of cell faces measured varied between 207 and 745. The present observations revealed that 50 to 57 percent of the cell faces were pentagonal while 24 to 28 percent were quadrilateral and 15 to 22 percent were hexagonal. The present measurements are shown to be in excellent agreement with literature data. It is demonstrated that the Kelvin model, as well as other proposed theoretical models, cannot accurately describe the FeCrAlY foam cell structure. Instead, it is suggested that the ideal foam cell geometry consists of 11 faces with three quadrilateral, six pentagonal faces and two hexagonal faces consistent with the 3-6-2 Matzke cell. A compilation of 90 years of experimental data reveals that the average number of cell faces decreases linearly with the increasing ratio of quadrilateral to pentagonal faces. It is concluded that the Kelvin model is not supported by these experimental data.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Effect of Microstructural Parameters on the Relative Densities of Metal Foams

A detailed quantitative microstructural analyses of primarily open cell FeCrAlY and 314 stainless steel metal foams with different relative densities and pores per inch (p.p.i.) were undertaken in the present investigation to determine the effect of microstructural parameters on the relative densities of metal foams. Several elements of the microstructure, such as longitudinal and transverse cell sizes, cell areas and perimeters, ligament dimensions, cell shapes and volume fractions of closed and open cells, were measured. The cross-sections of the foam ligaments showed a large number of shrinkage cavities, and their circularity factors and average sizes were determined. The volume fractions of closed cells increased linearly with increasing relative density. In contrast, the volume fractions of the open cells and ligaments decreased with increasing relative density. The relative densities and p.p.i. were not significantly dependent on cell size, cell perimeter and ligament dimensions within the limits of experimental scatter. A phenomenological model is proposed to rationalize the present microstructural observations.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Microstructural Characterization of Metal Foams: An Examination of the Applicability of the Theoretical Models for Modeling Foams

Establishing the geometry of foam cells is useful in developing microstructure-based acoustic and structural models. Since experimental data on the geometry of the foam cells are limited, most modeling efforts use the three-dimensional, space-filling Kelvin tetrakaidecahedron. The validity of this assumption is investigated in the present paper. Several FeCrAlY foams with relative densities varying between 3 and 15 percent and cells per mm (c.p.mm.) varying between 0.2 and 3.9 c.p.mm. were microstructurally evaluated. The number of edges per face for each foam specimen was counted by approximating the cell faces by regular polygons, where the number of cell faces measured varied between 207 and 745. The present observations revealed that 50 to 57 percent of the cell faces were pentagonal while 24 to 28 percent were quadrilateral and 15 to 22 percent were hexagonal. The present measurements are shown to be in excellent agreement with literature data. It is demonstrated that the Kelvin model, as well as other proposed theoretical models, cannot accurately describe the FeCrAlY foam cell structure. Instead, it is suggested that the ideal foam cell geometry consists of 11 faces with 3 quadrilateral, 6 pentagonal faces and 2 hexagonal faces consistent with the 3-6-2 cell.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Young's Moduli of Cold and Vacuum Plasma Sprayed Metallic Coatings

Monolithic metallic copper alloy and NiCrAlY coatings were fabricated by either the cold spray (CS) or the vacuum plasma spray (VPS) deposition processes. Dynamic elastic modulus property measurements were conducted on these monolithic coating specimens between 300 K and 1273 K using the impulse excitation technique. The Young's moduli decreased almost linearly with increasing temperature at all temperatures except in the case of the CS Cu-23%Cr-5%Al and VPS NiCrAlY, where deviations from linearity were observed above a critical temperature. It was observed that the Young's moduli for VPS Cu-8%Cr were larger than literature data compiled for Cu. The addition of 1%Al to Cu- 8%Cr significantly increased its Young's modulus by 12 to 17% presumably due to a solid solution effect. Comparisons of the Young s moduli data between two different measurements on the same CS Cu- 23%Cr-5%Al specimen revealed that the values measured in the first run were about 10% higher than those in the second run. It is suggested that this observation is due to annealing of the initial cold work microstructure resulting form the cold spray deposition process.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Comparison of the Isothermal Oxidation Behavior of As-Cast Cu-17 Percent Cr and Cu-17 Percent Cr-5 Percent Al: Oxidation Kinetics - Part 1

The isothermal oxidation kinetics of as-cast Cu-17%Cr and Cu-17%Cr-5%Al in air were studied between 773 and 1173 K under atmospheric pressure. These observations reveal that Cu-17%Cr-5%Al oxidizes at significantly slower rates than Cu-17%Cr. The rate constants for the alloys were determined from generalized analyses of the data without an a priori assumption of the nature of the oxidation kinetics. Detailed analyses of the isothermal thermogravimetric weight change data revealed that Cu-17%Cr exhibited parabolic oxidation kinetics with an activation energy of 165.9+/-9.5 kJ/mol. In contrast, the oxidation kinetics for the Cu-17%Cr-5%Al alloy exhibited a parabolic oxidation kinetics during the initial stages followed by a quartic relationship in the later stages of oxidation. Alternatively, the oxidation behavior of Cu-17%CR-5%Al could be better represented by a logarithmic relationship. The parabolic rate constants and activation energy data for the two alloys are compared with literature data to gain insights on the nature of the oxidation mechanisms dominant in these alloys.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Comparison of the Isothermal Oxidation Behavior of As-Cast Cu-17 Percent Cr and Cu-17 Percent Cr-5 Percent Al: Scale Microstructures - Part 2

The isothermal oxidation kinetics of as-cast Cu-17%Cr and Cu-17%Cr-5%Al in air were studied between 773 and 1173 K under atmospheric pressure. Details of the oxidation kinetics of these alloys were discussed in Part I. This paper analyzes the microstructures of the scale and its composition in an attempt to elucidate the oxidation mechanisms in these alloys. The scales formed on Cu-17%Cr specimens oxidized between 773 and 973 K consisted of external CuO and subsurface Cu2O layers. The total thickness of these scales varied from about 10 m at 773 K to about 450 m at 973 K. In contrast, thin scales formed on Cu-17%Cr-5%Al alloys oxidized between 773 and 1173 K. The exact nature of these scales could not be determined by x-ray diffraction but energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses were used to construct a scale composition map. Phenomenological oxidation mechanisms are proposed for the two alloys.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Mechanical Properties of 17-4PH Stainless Steel Foam Panels

Rectangular 17-4PH stainless steel sandwiched foam panels were fabricated using a commercial manufacturing technique by brazing two sheets to a foam core. Microstructural observations and ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation of the panels revealed large variations in the quality of the brazed areas from one panel to the next as well as within the same panel. Shear tests conducted on specimens machined from the panels exhibited failures either in the brazed region or in the foam core for the poorly brazed and well-brazed samples, respectively. Compression tests were conducted on the foam cores to evaluate their elastic and plastic deformation behavior. These data were compared with published data on polymeric and metallic foams, and with theoretical deformation models proposed for open cell foams.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Failure Maps for Rectangular 17-4PH Stainless Steel Sandwiched Foam Panels

A new and innovative concept is proposed for designing lightweight fan blades for aircraft engines using commercially available 17-4PH precipitation hardened stainless steel. Rotating fan blades in aircraft engines experience a complex loading state consisting of combinations of centrifugal, distributed pressure and torsional loads. Theoretical failure plastic collapse maps, showing plots of the foam relative density versus face sheet thickness, t, normalized by the fan blade span length, L, have been generated for rectangular 17-4PH sandwiched foam panels under these three loading modes assuming three failure plastic collapse modes. These maps show that the 17-4PH sandwiched foam panels can fail by either the yielding of the face sheets, yielding of the foam core or wrinkling of the face sheets depending on foam relative density, the magnitude of t/L and the loading mode. The design envelop of a generic fan blade is superimposed on the maps to provide valuable insights on the probable failure modes in a sandwiched foam fan blade.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Characterization of Cold Sprayed CuCrAl-Coated and Uncoated GRCop-84 Substrates for Space Launch Vehicles

A newly developed Cu-23(wt.%)Cr-5%Al (CuCrAl) alloy is currently being considered as a protective coating for GRCop-84 (Cu-8(at.%)Cr-4%Nb). The coating was deposited on GRCop-84 substrates by the cold spray deposition technique. Cyclic oxidation tests conducted in air on both coated and uncoated substrates between 773 and 1073 K revealed that the coating remained intact and protected the substrate up to 1073 K. No significant weight loss of the coated specimens were observed at 773 and 873 K even after a cumulative cyclic time of 500 h. In contrast, the uncoated substrate lost as much as 80% of its original weight under similar test conditions. Low cycle fatigue tests revealed that the fatigue lives of thinly coated GRCop-84 specimens were similar to the uncoated specimens within the limits of experimental scatter. It is concluded that the cold sprayed CuCrAl coating is suitable for protecting GRCop-84 substrates.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Cyclic Oxidation Behavior of Cold Sprayed CuCrAl-Coated and Uncoated GRCop-84 Substrates for Space Launch Vehicles

A newly developed Cu-23 (wt %) Cr-5%Al (CuCrAl) alloy shown to resist hydridation and oxidation in an as-cast form is currently being considered as a protective coating for GRCop-84, which is an advanced copper alloy containing 8 (at.%) Cr and 4 (at.%) Nb. The coating was deposited on GRCop-84 substrates by the cold spray deposition technique. Cyclic oxidation tests conducted in air on both coated and uncoated substrates between 773 and 1073 K revealed that the coating remained intact and protected the substrate up to 1073 K. No significant weight loss of the coated specimens were observed at 773 and 873 K even after a cumulative cyclic time of 500 h. About a 10 percent weight loss observed at 973 and 1073 K was attributed to the excessive oxidation of the uncoated sides. In contrast, the uncoated substrate lost as much as 80 percent of its original weight under similar test conditions. It is concluded that the cold sprayed CuCrAl coating is suitable for protecting GRCop-84 substrates.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Low Pressure Plasma Sprayed Overlay Coatings for GRCop-84 Combustion Chamber Liners for Reusable Launch Vehicles

An advanced Cu-8(at.%)Cr-4%Nb alloy developed at NASA's Glenn Research Center, and designated as GRCop-84, is currently being considered for use as combustor chamber liners and nozzle ramps in NASA s future generations of reusable launch vehicles (RLVs). However, past experience has shown that unprotected copper alloys undergo an environmental attack called "blanching" in rocket engines using liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. Potential for sulfidation attack of the liners in hydrocarbon-fueled engines is also of concern. Protective overlay coatings alloys are being developed for GRCop-84. The development of this coatings technology has involved a combination of modeling, coatings development and characterization, and process optimization. Coatings have been low pressure plasma sprayed on GRCop-84 substrates of various geometries and shapes. Microstructural, mechanical property data and thermophysical results on the coated substrates are presented and discussed.

Raj, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2003

A Comparison between Growth Morphology of "Eutectic" Cells/Dendrites and Single-Phase Cells/Dendrites

Directionally solidified (DS) intermetallic and ceramic-based eutectic alloys with an in-situ composite microstructure containing finely distributed, long aspect ratio, fiber, or plate reinforcements are being seriously examined for several advanced aero-propulsion applications. In designing these alloys, additional solutes need to be added to the base eutectic composition in order to improve heir high-temperature strength, and provide for adequate toughness and resistance to environmental degradation. Solute addition, however, promotes instability at the planar liquid-solid interface resulting in the formation of two-phase eutectic "colonies." Because morphology of eutectic colonies is very similar to the single-phase cells and dendrites, the stability analysis of Mullins and Sekerka has been extended to describe their formation. Onset of their formation shows a good agreement with this approach; however, unlike the single-phase cells and dendrites, there is limited examination of their growth speed dependence of spacing, morphology, and spatial distribution. The purpose of this study is to compare the growth speed dependence of the morphology, spacing, and spatial distribution of eutectic cells and dendrites with that for the single-phase cells and dendrites.

Tewari, S. N.↗