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At least 199 records · Page 11

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NASA NTRS2015

Design of a Thermal Precipitator for the Characterization of Smoke Particles from Common Spacecraft Materials

A thermal precipitator (TP) was designed to collect smoke aerosol particles for microscopic analysis in fire characterization research. Information on particle morphology, size and agglomerate structure obtained from these tests supplements additional aerosol data collected. Modeling of the thermal precipitator throughout the design process was performed with the COMSOL Multiphysics finite element software package, including the Eulerian flow field and thermal gradients in the fluid. The COMSOL Particle Tracing Module was subsequently used to determine particle deposition. Modeling provided optimized design parameters such as geometry, flow rate and temperatures. The thermal precipitator was built and testing verified the performance of the first iteration of the device. The thermal precipitator was successfully operated and provided quality particle samples for microscopic analysis, which furthered the body of knowledge on smoke particulates. This information is a key element of smoke characterization and will be useful for future spacecraft fire detection research.

Smoke↗

NASA NTRS1975

Contamination control in hybrid microelectronic modules. Part 2: Selection and evaluation of coating materials

The selection, test, and evaluation of organic coating materials for contamination control in hybrid circuits is reported. The coatings were evaluated to determine their suitability for use as a conformal coating over the hybrid microcircuit (including chips and wire bonds) inside a hermetically sealed package. Evaluations included ease of coating application and repair and effect on thin film and thick film resistors, beam leads, wire bonds, transistor chips, and capacitor chips. The coatings were also tested for such properties as insulation resistance, voltage breakdown strength, and capability of immobilizing loose particles inside the packages. The selected coatings were found to be electrically, mechanically, and chemically compatible with all components and materials normally used in hybrid microcircuits.

Himmel, R. P.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Effect of carbide size, area, density on rolling-element fatigue

A carbide parameter that can be used to predict rolling element fatigue life was developed.The parameter is based on a statistical life analysis and incorporates the total number of particles per unit area, particle size, and percent carbide area. These were determined from quantimet image analyzing computer examinations of random samples selected from eight lots of material previously tested in rolling fatigue. The carbide parameter is independent of chemical composition, heat treatment, and hardening mechanism of the materials investigated.

Chevalier, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Reducing Airborne Debris In Wind Tunnels

In proposed technique to trap airborne particles during normal wind-tunnel testing, large sections of single-backed adhesive paper or cloth mounted with adhesive side exposed to flow. Adhesive material securely installed on flow vanes, walls, or other surfaces of wind tunnel in manner facilitating replacement. Installed or replaced anytime permissible to enter tunnel. Provides safe, inexpensive, rugged, passive, continuous, and otherwise inert cleansing action suitable for wind tunnel of any size. Also applied to specialized clean-room environments and to air-conditioning systems in general.

Sleeper, Robert K.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Space Environmental Effects on the Optical Properties of Selected Transparent Polymers

Transparent polymer films are currently considered for use as solar concentrating lenses for spacecraft power and propulsion systems. These polymer films concentrate solar energy onto energy conversion devices such as solar cells and thermal energy systems. Conversion efficiency is directly related to the polymer transmission. Space environmental effects will decrease the transmission and thus reduce the conversion efficiency. This investigation focuses on the effects of ultraviolet and charged particle radiation on the transmission of selected transparent polymers. Multiple candidate polymer samples were exposed to near ultraviolet (NUV) radiation to screen the materials and select optimum materials for further study. All materials experienced transmission degradation of varying degree. A method was developed to normalize the transmission loss and thus rank the materials according to their tolerance of NUV. Teflon(Tm) FEP and Teflon(Tm) PFA were selected for further study. These materials were subjected to a combined charged particle dose equivalent to 5 years in a typical geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). Results from these NUV screening tests and the 5 year GEO equivalent dose are presented.

Edwards, David L.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Testing the Solar Probe Cup, an Instrument Designed to Touch the Sun

Solar Probe Plus will be the first, fastest, and closest mission to the sun, providing the first direct sampling of the sub-Alfvenic corona. The Solar Probe Cup (SPC) is a unique re-imagining of the traditional Faraday Cup design and materials for immersion in this high temperature environment. Sending an instrument of this type into a never-seen particle environment requires extensive characterization prior to launch to establish sufficient measurement accuracy and instrument response. To reach this end, a slew of tests for allowing SPC to see ranges of appropriate ions and electrons, as well as a facility that reproduces solar photon spectra and fluxes for this mission. Having already tested the SPC at flight like temperatures with no significant modification of the noise floor, we recently completed a round of particle testing to see if the deviations in Faraday Cup design fundamentally change the operation of the instrument. Results and implications from these tests will be presented, as well as performance comparisons to cousin instruments such as those on the WIND spacecraft.

Whittlesey, Phyllis L.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Testing the Solar Probe Cup, An Instrument Designed to Touch The Sun

Abstract: Solar Probe Plus will be the first, fastest, and closest mission to the Sun, providing the first direct sampling of the sub-Alfvénic corona. The Solar Probe Cup (SPC) is a unique re-imagining of the traditional Faraday Cup design and materials for immersion in this high temperature environment. Sending an instrument of this type into a never-seen particle environment requires extensive characterization prior to launch to establish sufficient measurement accuracy and instrument response. To reach this end, a slew of tests are created for allowing SPC to see ranges of appropriate ions and electrons, as well as a facility that reproduces solar photon spectra and fluxes for this mission. Having already tested the SPC at flight-like temperatures with no significant modification of the noise floor, we recently completed a round of particle testing to see if the deviations in Faraday Cup design fundamentally change the operation of the instrument. Results and implications from these tests will be presented, as well as performance comparisons to cousin instruments such as those on the WIND spacecraft.

solar physics↗

NASA NTRS1983

Solid spherical glass particle impingement studies of plastic materials

Erosion experiments on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were conducted with spherical glass beads impacting at normal incidence. Optical and scanning electron microscopic studies and surface profile measurements were made on specimens at predetermined test intervals. During the initial stage of damage to PMMA and polycarbonate, material expands or builds up above the original surface. However, this buildup disappears as testing progresses. Little or no buildup was observed on PTFE. PTFE is observed to be the most resistant material to erosion and PMMA the least. At low impact pressures, material removal mechanisms are believed to be similar to those for metallic materials. However, at higher pressures, surface melting is indicated at the center of impact. Deformation and fatigue appear to play major roles in the material removal process with possible melting or softening.

Rao, P. V.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Material Response Analysis of PICA-NuSil at the Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System

Phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) is a thermal protection system (TPS) that gained heritage during the Stardust mission and is the baseline TPS material for expeditions to Mars (e.g., Mars Science Laboratory and Mars 2020).1 PICA is friable; therefore, a polysiloxane resin (NuSil CV-1144-0) is deposited onto the surface of flight hardware before assembly, test, and launch operations (ATLO) to mitigate particle shedding. Furthermore, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Mars 2020 heatshields were instrumented with an array of thermocouple plugs (MEDLI Integrated Sensor Plugs or MISP) designed to measure the in-depth thermal response of PICA during flight. Post-flight analysis of MISP data suggests that recession was lower than predicted, and NuSil is suspected as a reasonable cause. NuSil primarily consists of a copolymer blend of dimethyl and diphenyl-substituted polysiloxane resin. Four decades of research in the field of polymer-derived ceramics demonstrate that polysiloxane resins form oxidation-resistant silicon oxycarbide materials at pyrolysis temperatures as low as 800 °C. -2 Furthermore, silicon oxycarbide materials exhibit excellent thermal stability at relatively high-temperatures (< 1200 °C) but eventually decompose via carbothermal reduction. -3 Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that NuSil forms an oxidation-resistant thermal barrier coating on the TPS surface and influences the material response during atmospheric entry. Evidence for this notion was observed during prior arc-jet testing at both the Aerodynamic Heating Facility (AHF) and the Panel Test Facility (PTF) at the NASA Ames Research Center. Articles of PICA were subjected to testing in airflow, and a temperature discontinuity was recorded at the surface of coupons coated with NuSil. A glassy coating was observed to form at the surface in shear flow configurations (wedge and panel) under moderate heat fluxes. Furthermore, state-of-the-art material response models have yet to account for the underlying physics and chemistry of the temperature discontinuity. To this end, a pathfinder test campaign was executed at the Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System (HyMETS) to enhance the fundamental understanding of PICA-NuSil ablation phenomena and provide a preliminary data set to aid in the development of material response models.

PICA↗

NASA NTRS2002

Vacuum Ultraviolet Radiation and Atomic Oxygen Durability Evaluation of HST Bi-Stem Thermal Shield Materials

Bellows-type thermal shields were used on the bi-stems of replacement solar arrays installed on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during the first HST servicing mission (SMI) in December 1993. These thermal shields helped reduce the problem of thermal gradient- induced jitter observed with the original HST solar arrays during orbital thermal cycling and have been in use on HST for eight years. This paper describes ground testing of the candidate solar array bi-stem thermal shield materials including backside aluminized Teflon(R)FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) with and without atomic oxygen (AO) and ultraviolet radiation protective surface coatings for durability to AO and combined AO and vacuum ultraviolet (VOV) radiation. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) conducted VUV and AO exposures of samples of candidate thermal shield materials at HST operational temperatures and pre- and post-exposure analyses as part of an overall program coordinated by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to determine the on-orbit durability of these materials. Coating adhesion problems were observed for samples having the AO- and combined AO/UV-protective coatings. Coating lamination occurred with rapid thermal cycling testing which simulated orbital thermal cycling. This lack of adhesion caused production of coating flakes from the material that would have posed a serious risk to HST optics if the coated materials were used for the bi-stem thermal shields. No serious degradation was observed for the uncoated aluminized Teflon(R) as evaluated by optical microscopy, although atomic force microscopy (AFM) microhardness testing revealed that an embrittled surface layer formed on the uncoated Teflon(R) surface due to vacuum ultraviolet radiation exposure. This embrittled layer was not completely removed by AO erosion, No cracks or particle flakes were produced for the embrittled uncoated material upon exposure to VUV and AO at operational temperatures to an equivalent exposure of approximately five years in the HST environment. Uncoated aluminized FEP Teflon(R) was determined to be the most appropriate thermal shield material and was used on the bi-stems of replacement solar arrays installed on HST during SMI in December 1993. The SMI -installed solar arrays air scheduled to be replaced during MST's fourth servicing mission (SM3B) in early 2002.

Dever, Joyce↗

NASA NTRS1989

Cosmogenic nuclides in cometary materials: Implications for rate of mass loss and exposure history

As planned, the Rosetta mission will return to earth with a 10-kg core and a 1-kg surface sample from a comet. The selection of a comet with low current activity will maximize the chance of obtaining material altered as little as possible. Current temperature and level of activity, however, may not reliably indicate previous values. Fortunately, from measurements of the cosmogenic nuclide contents of cometary material, one may estimate a rate of mass loss in the past and perhaps learn something about the exposure history of the comet. Perhaps the simplest way to estimate the rate of mass loss is to compare the total inventories of several long-lived cosmogenic radionuclides with the values expected on the basis of model calculations. Although model calculations have become steadily more reliable, application to bodies with the composition of comets will require some extension beyond the normal range of use. In particular, the influence of light elements on the secondary particle cascade will need study, in part through laboratory irradiations of volatile-rich materials. In the analysis of cometary data, it would be valuable to test calculations against measurements of short-lived isotopes.

Herzog, G. F.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Installation and Characterization of Charged Particle Sources for Space Environmental Effects Testing

Charged particle sources are integral devices used by Marshall Space Flight Center s Environmental Effects Branch (EM50) in order to simulate space environments for accurate testing of materials and systems. By using these sources inside custom vacuum systems, materials can be tested to determine charging and discharging properties as well as resistance to sputter damage. This knowledge can enable scientists and engineers to choose proper materials that will not fail in harsh space environments. This paper combines the steps utilized to build a low energy electron gun (The "Skevington 3000") as well as the methods used to characterize the output of both the Skevington 3000 and a manufactured Xenon ion source. Such characterizations include beam flux, beam uniformity, and beam energy. Both sources were deemed suitable for simulating environments in future testing.

Skevington, Jennifer L.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Radiative Properties of Arbitrary Material Bodies

This work introduces an effective way to study radiative responses of bulk materials, in which a material body is regarded as an array of microscopic particles. Practical examples include the comparison between theory and experiment. Related computer codes are openly available for test.

Xu, Yu-Lin↗

NASA NTRS1988

Vertically reciprocating auger

The mathematical model and test results developed for the Vertically Reciprocating Auger (VRA) are summarized. The VRA is a device capable of transporting cuttings that result from below surface drilling. It was developed chiefly for the lunar surface, where conventional fluid flushing while drilling would not be practical. The VRA uses only reciprocating motion and transports material through reflections with the surface above. Particles are reflected forward and land ahead of radially placed fences, which prevent the particles from rolling back down the auger. Three input wave forms are considered to drive the auger. A modified sawtooth wave form was chosen for testing, over a modified square wave or sine wave, due to its simplicity and effectiveness. The three-dimensional mathematical model predicted a sand throughput rate of 0.2667 pounds/stroke, while the actual test setup transported 0.075 pounds/stroke. Based on this result, a correction factor of 0.281 is suggested for a modified sawtooth input.

Etheridge, Mark↗

NASA NTRS2013

Chemical Pollution from Combustion of Modern Spacecraft Materials

Fire is one of the most critical contingencies in spacecraft and any closed environment including submarines. Currently, NASA uses particle based technology to detect fires and hand-held combustion product monitors to track the clean-up and restoration of habitable cabin environment after the fire is extinguished. In the future, chemical detection could augment particle detection to eliminate frequent nuisance false alarms triggered by dust. In the interest of understanding combustion from both particulate and chemical generation, NASA Centers have been collaborating on combustion studies at White Sands Test Facility using modern spacecraft materials as fuels, and both old and new technology to measure the chemical and particulate products of combustion. The tests attempted to study smoldering pyrolysis at relatively low temperatures without ignition to flaming conditions. This paper will summarize the results of two 1-week long tests undertaken in 2012, focusing on the chemical products of combustion. The results confirm the key chemical products are carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), hydrogen fluoride (HF) and hydrogen chloride (HCl), whose concentrations depend on the particular material and test conditions. For example, modern aerospace wire insulation produces significant concentration of HF, which persists in the test chamber longer than anticipated. These compounds are the analytical targets identified for the development of new tunable diode laser based hand-held monitors, to replace the aging electrochemical sensor based devices currently in use on the International Space Station.

Mudgett, Paul D.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Development of moldable carbonaceous materials for ablative rocket nozzles.

Description of a materials system developed for use as low-cost ablative nozzles for NASA's 260-in. solid rocket motor. Petroleum coke and carbon black fillers were employed; high density was achieved by controlling particle size distribution. An alumina catalyzed furfuryl ester resin which produced high carbon residues after pyrolysis was employed as the binder. Staple carbon fibers improved the strength and crack resistance of molded bodies. In static firing tests of two subscale nozzles, this material compared favorably in erosion rate with several other ablative systems.

Lockhart, R. J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Electrical Endurance to Extrinsic Aging of Polyphenylsulfone-Boron Nitride Composite Insulation for Aeronautical Power Systems

Various insulating materials which can be potentially used in energy application, especially in electrified transportation, are investigated in this paper. They are based on Polyphenylsulfone matrix filled by macro and nano hexagonal Boron-nitride particles. Our study focuses on electrical properties, particularly endurance to partial discharges. Upon developing an original testing procedure and adequate partial discharge inception modeling, it is shown that that the h-BN micron and nano fillers can significantly improve the dielectric strength and resistance of PPSU to extrinsic aging, even in comparison with the insulating material typically used for electrified transportation, i.e., corona resistant polyimide. Also, a new diagnostic marker, extracted from partial discharge monitoring and analytics obtained by an innovative software, i.e., the likelihood surface discharge identification, seems to be very promising for dynamic residual life prediction for an insulation system subjected to surface discharges.

Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU)↗

NASA NTRS1976

The effect of changes in the USF/NASA toxicity screening test method on data from some cellular polymers

Rankings of relative toxicity can be markedly affected by changes in test variables. Revision of the USF/NASA toxicity screening test procedure to eliminate the connecting tube and supporting floor and incorporate a 1.0 g sample weight, 200 C starting temperature, and 800 C upper limit temperature for pyrolysis, reversed the rankings of flexible polyurethane and polychloroprene foams, not only in relation to each other, but also in relation to cotton and red oak. Much of the change is attributed to reduction of the distance between the sample and the test animals, and reduction of the sample weight charged. Elimination of the connecting tube increased the relative toxicity of the polyurethane foams. The materials tested were flexible polyurethane foam, without and with fire retardant; rigid polyurethane foam with fire retardant; flexible polychloroprene foam; cotton, Douglas fir, red oak, hemlock, hardboard, particle board, polystyrene, and polymethyl methacrylate.

Hilado, C. J.↗