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At least 199 records · Page 11

The effect of yttrium and thorium on the oxidation behavior of Ni-Cr-Al alloys

The effect of quaternary additions of 0.5% Y, 0.5 and 1.0% Th to a base alloy of Ni-10CR-5Al on the oxidation behavior and mechanism was studied during oxidation in air over the range of 1000 to 1200 C. The presence of yttrium decreased the oxidation kinetics slightly, whereas, the addition of thorium caused a slight increase. Oxide scale adherence was markedly improved by the addition of the quaternary elements. Although a number of oxides formed on yttrium containing alloys, quantitative X-ray diffraction clearly showed that the rate-controlling step was the diffusion of aluminum through short circuit paths in a thin layer of alumina that formed parabolically with time. Although the scale adherence of the yttrium containing alloy was considerably better than the base alloys, spalling did occur that was attributed to the formation of the voluminous YAG particles which grew in a mushroom-like manner, lifting the protective scale off the subrate locally. The YAG particles formed primarily at grain boundaries in the substrate in which the yttrium originally existed as YNi9.

Kumar, A.↗

Insulating effectiveness of self-spacing dimpled foil

Experimental data are graphed for determining conductive heat losses of multilayer insulation as function of number of foil layers. Foil was 0.0051 cm thick Nb, 1% Zr refractory alloy, dimpled to 0.0254 cm with approximately 28 dimples/sq cm. Heat losses were determined at 0.1 microtorr between 700 and 1089 K.

Bond, J. A.↗

Thermionic technology infrastructure for space power

An assessment is made of the potential effectiveness, designs, and technological difficulties involved in the construction of space nuclear reactors coupled to thermionic energy converters (TEC). The TECs can be positioned either inside or outside of the reactor core. The out-of-core design lowers the reactor shielding requirements, as well as removing the need for mechanically pumped coolant for the reactor. R&D is still needed for the heat pipes for the reactor and the collectors, electrical insulation, and to reduce the potential losses in the interelectrode space. A cylindrical converter for the out-of-core configuration consists of a tungsten emitter heated by a tungsten-lithium heat pipe. The collector is a layer of tungsten oxide deposited on a Nb-1%Zr alloy, and has been tested at emitter temperatures of 1300-1850 K and a collector temperature range of 700-850 K. A design of a superheated thermionic converter is described, noting that a prototype has been operated at 1730 K for 12,000 hr.

Huffman, F.↗

Measurements of diffusion limited solidification at varying gravity

The environment of the NASA KC-135 low gravity aircraft was employed to examine the effects of g-jitter on the growth of a solidification diffusion layer for 28 wt pct NH4Cl-H2O, a metal alloy model material. The hypothesis that jitter (vibrational) effects account for previously observed low gravity growth anomalies was investigated by comparing optical data (central dark ground method) for 10-squared g(e) (earth's gravity) KC-135 growth conditions and 1 g(e) laboratory conditions. Accelerometer data obtained during the flight program showed the KC-135 low gravity environment to have extreme levels of jitters.

Mccay, T. D.↗

Trichite growth during oxidation of titanium and TA6V4 alloy by water vapor at high temperatures

Analysis by electron scanning microscope detected the formation of rutile trichites on the surface of specimens of titanium and titanium alloy TA6V4 oxidized in water vapor in the temperature range 650 to 950 C and the water vapor pressure range from 0.5 to 18 torr. In all specimens, two sublayers of rutile were formed: an external layer of basalt-like appearance, and a microcrystalline inner layer. Morphology of the trichites depends on temperature and the material (whether metal or alloy), but not on vapor pressure.

Coddet, C.↗

Chemical and Microstructural Changes in Metallic and Ceramic Materials Exposed to Venusian Surface Conditions

The chemical and microstructural behavior of steels (304, 310, 316, and 1018), nickel-based alloys (beta-NiAl, G30, and 625), gold, coatings (4YSZ, SilcoNert(TradeMark) 1040 (SilcoTek Co.), Dursan(TradeMark) (SilcoTek Co.), and porcelain), and bulk ceramics (alpha-Al2O3, fused quartz, beta-SiC, and alpha-Si3N4) were probed after exposure to supercritical fluid with temperature, pressure, and composition mimicking the Venus lower atmosphere. Exposures were carried out in the Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER) chamber with the Venusian gas mixture (96.5% CO2, 3.5% N2, 30 ppm H2O, 150 ppm SO2, 28 ppm CO, 15 ppm OCS, 3 ppm H2S, 0.5 ppm HCl, and 5 ppb HF) at 92 bar (1330 psi) and 467 C (873 F) for durations of 10 and 42 days. An additional 21-day exposure was done to stainless steel uncoated and coated with SilcoNert(TradeMark) and Dursan(TradeMark). Samples were characterized before and after the experiment by gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron and Auger electron spectroscopies, and cross section electron microscopy analysis. All steels exposed for 10 and 42 days formed double-layered scales consisting mainly of metal (Cr, Fe, Ni) oxides and sulfides showing different chemistry, microstructure, and crystalline phases. The alloys G30 and 625 formed double-layered scales consisting mainly of nickel sulfides. After 10 days, the beta-NiAl exhibited no detectable scale, suggesting only a very thin film was formed. The 304 and 316 stainless steels coated with 4YSZ that were exposed for 10 and 42 days exhibited no significant oxidation. Steel 1018 coated with 4YSZ exhibited a corrosion scale of iron and/or chromium oxide formed at the base of the alloy. The 304 steel coated with porcelain did not exhibit corrosion, although the coating exhibited recession. SilcoNert(TradeMark) exposed for 10 and 42 days exhibited recession, although no oxidation was found to occur at the base of the alloy. Stainless steel 316 coated with Dursan(TradeMark)  exhibited corrosion at the base of the alloy. All ceramics tested showed no clear evidence of reaction. The weight-gain-per-area performance of the materials exposed in the GEER for 10 and 42 days are reported from the lowest to the highest weight gain per area as follows: gold did not exhibit any weight change; nickel-based alloys: beta- NiAl < G30 < 625; steels: 304 < 310 < 316 < 1018; ceramics: considering the experimental uncertainties, no weight change was observed for all ceramics of this work (alpha-Al2O3, Si3N4, SiC, and amorphous SiO2).

Costa, Gustavo C. C.↗

A New High Efficiency Segmented Thermoelectric Unicouple

To achieve high thermal-to-electric energy conversion efficiency, it is desirable to operate thermoelectric generator devices over large temperature gradients and also to maximize the thermoelectric performance of the materials used to build the devices. However, no single thermoelectric material is suitable for use over a very wide range of temperatures (approx. 300 - 1000 K). It is therefore necessary to use different materials in each temperature range where they possess optimum performance. This can be achieved in two ways: 1) multistage thermoelectric generators where each stage operates over a fixed temperature difference and is electrically insulated but thermally in contact with the other stages and 2) segmented generators where the p- and n-legs are formed of different segments joined in series. The concept of integrating new thermoelectric materials developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) into a segmented thermoelectric generator has been presented in detail in earlier publications . This new generator is expected to operate over a 300-973 K temperature difference and will use novel segmented legs based on a combination of state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials and novel p-type Zn4Sb3, p-type CeFe4Sb12-based alloys and n-type CoSb3-based alloys. An increase in the conversion efficiency of about 60% is expected compared to conventional Bi2Te3- and PbTe-based generators. We present in this paper the latest experimental results from the bonding studies between the different segments of the p-legs, n-legs, and p-leg to n-leg interconnect. Evaluation of the bond quality was done by measuring the contact resistance across the joints as well as by detailed microstructure investigations to reveal any potential interdiffusion. Among the materials investigated as inter-layers between the different segments of the legs, Pd-Ag joining alloys have been found to provide mechanically stable and low electrical resistance bonds.

Caillat, T.↗

A new diffusion-inhibited oxidation-resistant coating for superalloys

A concept for enhanced protection of superalloys consists of adding an oxidation- and diffusion-resistant cermet layer between the superalloy and the outer oxidation-resistant metallic alloy coating. Such a duplex coating was compared with a physical-vapor-deposited (PVD) NiCrAlY coating in cyclic oxidation at 1150 C. The substrate alloy was MA 754 - an oxide-dispersion-strengthened superalloy that is difficult to coat. The duplex coating, applied by plasma spraying, outperformed the PVD coating on the basis of weight change and both macroscopic and metallographic observations.

Gedwill, M. A.↗

Molecular orbital studies in oxidation: Sulfate formation and metal-metal oxide adhesion

The chemical mechanisms for sulfate formation from sodium chloride and sulfur trioxide, which is a product of jet fuel combustion was determined. Molten sodium sulfate leads to hot corrosion of the protective oxide layers on turbine blades. How yttrium dopants in nidkel-aluminum alloys used in turbine blades reduce the spalling rate of protective alumina films and enhance their adhesion was also determined. Two other fulfate mechanisms were deduced and structure of carbon monoxide on a clean chronium and clean platinum-titanium alloys surfaces was determined. All studies were by use of the atom superposition and electron delocalization molecular orbital (ASED-MO) theory. Seven studies were completed. Their titles and abstracts are given.

Anderson, A. B.↗

Ceramic coatings on smooth surfaces

A metallic coating is plasma sprayed onto a smooth surface of a metal alloy substitute or on a bond coating. An initial thin ceramic layer is low pressure sprayed onto the smooth surface of the substrate or bond coating. Another ceramic layer is atmospheric plasma sprayed onto the initial ceramic layer.

Miller, R. A.↗

Development of graphite/copper composites utilizing engineered interfaces

In situ measurements of graphite/copper alloy contact angles were made using the sessile drop method. The interfacial energy values obtained from these measurements were then applied to a model for the fiber matrix interfacial debonding phenomenon found in graphite/copper composites. The formation obtained from the sessile drop tests led to the development of a copper alloy that suitably wets graphite. Characterization of graphite/copper alloy interfaces subjected to elevated temperatures was conducted using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, Auger Electron Spectroscopy, and X Ray Diffraction analyses. These analyses indicated that during sessile drop tests conducted at 1130 C for 1 hour, copper alloys containing greater than 0.98 at pct chromium form continuous reaction layers of approx. 10 microns in thickness. The reaction layers are adherent to the graphite surface. The copper wets the reaction layer to form a contact angle of 60 deg or less. X ray diffraction results indicate that the reaction layer is Cr3C2.

Devincent, Sandra M.↗

Pool boiler heat transport system for a 25 kWe advanced Stirling conversion system

Experiments to determine alkali metal/enhanced surface combinations that have stable boiling at the temperatures and heat fluxes that occur in the Stirling engine are reported. Two enhanced surfaces and two alkali metal working fluids were evaluated. The enhanced surfaces were an EDM hole covered surface and a sintered-powder-metal porous layer surface. The working fluids tested were potassium and eutectic sodium-potasium alloy (NaK), both with and without undissolved noncondensible gas. Noncondensible gas (He and Xe) was added to the system to provide gas in the nucleation sites, preventing quenching of the sites. The experiments demonstrated the potential of an alkali metal pool boiler heat transport system for use in a solar-powered Stirling engine. The most favorable fluid/surface combination tested was NaK boiling on a -100 +140 mesh 304L stainless steel sintered porous layer with no undissolved noncondensible gas. This combination provided stable, high-performance boiling at the operating temperature of 700 C. Heat fluxes into the system ranged from 10 to 50 W/sq cm. The transition from free convection to nucleate boiling occurred at temperatures near 540 C. Based on these experiments, a pool boiler was designed for a full-scale 25-kWe Stirling system.

Anderson, W. G.↗

dc modulation noise in thin film magnetic recording disk media

A study of dc modulation noise as a function of magnetic layer thickness has been conducted for plated longitudinal low-noise Co-alloy disk media with a range of 900 to 1100 Oe. The noise, produced by the application of a reverse longitudinal dc field to a uniformly magnetized disk, supplies data regarding the uniformity of the disk. A spectrum analyzer measures the noise by means of electronic detection, and noise spectra and autocorrelation functions calculated with a model are compared to the experimental results. The model correlates with experimental data to more than 0.99. The maximum distance between effective transitions diminishes from 2.8 microns to 1 micron when the thickness of the magnetic layer is increased from 25 nm to 60 nm. The maximum average transition amplitude is found to be independent of thickness, and is bounded by 0.001 of the saturation magnetization.

Katti, R. R.↗

Protective Al2O3 scale formation on NbAl3-base alloys

The oxidation of NbAl3 with additions of Cr and Y was studied to determine the mechanisms of the beneficial effects of these elements upon oxidation. Cr additions to the binary NbAl3 alloy of up to 6.8 at. percent reduced the scale growth rates and promoted alpha-Al2O3 formation over much longer times relative to binary NbAl3. A major effect of Cr is to form a layer of AlNbCr at the metal/scale interface, which is inherently more oxidation-resistant than the matrix alloy in the long term. Yttrium additions to a Cr-containing alloy improved the scale growth rate and adherence and changed the scale microstructure to mimic that of a typical protective Al2O3 scale.

Doychak, J.↗

Earth's core-mantle boundary - Results of experiments at high pressures and temperatures

Laboratory experiments document that liquid iron reacts chemically with silicates at high pressures (above 2.4 x 10 to the 10th Pa) and temperatures. In particular, (Mg,Fe)SiO3 perovskite, the most abundant mineral of earth's lower mantle, is expected to react with liquid iron to produce metallic alloys (FeO and FeSi) and nonmetallic silicates (SiO2 stishovite and MgSiO3 perovskite) at the pressures of the core-mantle boundary, 14 x 10 to the 10th Pa. The experimental observations, in conjunction with seismological data, suggest that the lowermost 200 to 300 km of earth's mantle, the D-double-prime layer, may be an extremely heterogeneous region as a result of chemical reactions between the silicate mantle and the liquid iron alloy of earth's core. The combined thermal-chemical-electrical boundary layer resulting from such reactions offers a plausible explanation for the complex behavior of seismic waves near the core-mantle boundary and could influence earth's magnetic field observed at the surface.

Knittle, Elise↗

Progress in Fabrication of Rocket Combustion Chambers by VPS

Several documents in a collection describe aspects of the development of advanced materials and fabrication processes intended to enable the manufacture of advanced rocket combustion chambers and nozzles at relatively low cost. One concept discussed in most of the documents is the fabrication of combustion-chamber liners by vacuum plasma spraying (VPS) of an alloy of 88Cu/8Cr/4Nb (numbers indicate atomic percentages) -- a concept that was reported in "Improved Alloy for Fabrication of Combustion Chambers by VPS" (MFS-26546). Another concept is the deposition of graded-composition wall and liner structures by VPS in order to make liners integral parts of wall structures and to make oxidation- and thermal-protection layers integral parts of liners: The VPS process is started at 100 percent of a first alloy, then the proportion of a second alloy is increased gradually from zero as deposition continues, ending at 100 percent of the second alloy. Yet another concept discussed in one of the documents is the VPS of oxidation-protection coats in the forms of nickel-and-chromium-containing refractory alloys on VPS-deposited 88Cu/8Cr/4Nb liners.

Holmes, Richard R.↗

Metal-metal laminar composites for high-temperature applications.

The potentialities of composites consisting of multiple layers of tungsten alternated by layers of Nichrome V (a ductile, weaker than tungsten, but oxidation resistant alloy) at temperatures on the order of 2000 F are studied experimentally. The highest tensile strengths obtained for the composites were 600 MN/sq m (87,000 psi) at 1600 F and 448 MN/sq m (65,000 psi) at 2000 F. Highest 100-hr stress-rupture strengths at these temperatures were 387 MN/sq m (56,000 psi) and 121 MN/sq m (17,500 psi), respectively.

Hoffman, C. A.↗

Friction and Wear Characteristics of Candidate Foil Bearing Materials from 25 C to 800 C

The friction and wear behavior of unlubricated metal/metal sliding couples was investigated to screen potential candidates for high temperature foil bearings. The tribo-tests were run in an induction-heated high temperature pin-on-disk tribometer in an air atmosphere at a load of 4.9 N and at a sliding velocity of 1 m/s. The friction and wear properties of several nickel based alloys (Rene'41, Inconel X-750, Inconel 713C), iron based alloys (MA956 and Inconel 909) and a ceramic (Al2O3) were tested at 25, 500, and 800 C. In general, at elevated temperatures the alloys oxidized and formed a tenacious and lubricous oxide surface film or layer. At 800 C, Inconel X-750 versus Rene'41 had the lowest friction coefficient (0.27) and at 500 C, Inconel X-750 versus Inconel 909 the lowest pin wear (2.84 x 10(exp -6)cu mm/N-m). Gouging and severe wear of the softer material occurred whenever a significant difference in hardness existed between the pin and disk specimens.

DellaCorte, C.↗