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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

The microstructure of near-equiatomic B2/f.c.c. FeNiMnAl alloys

A microstructural analysis of two FeNiMnAl alloys, Fe{sub 30}Ni{sub 20}Mn{sub 30}Al{sub 20} and Fe{sub 25}Ni{sub 25}Mn{sub 30}Al{sub 20}, was performed by a combination of atom probe tomography and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Although the microstructures of both alloys, which consist of alternating platelets aligned along < 100> of the B2-ordered phase, are similar to B2/b.c.c. two-phase alloys previously observed in the FeNiMnAl system, the two phases present in the current alloys are B2-ordered and f.c.c., with the latter phase being heavily twinned. Very fine ({approx} 5 nm) precipitates, whose chemistry was similar to that of the f.c.c. (Fe, Mn)-rich phase, were found within the B2 (Ni, Al)-rich phase in both alloys. - Highlights: {yields} The microstructures of the novel alloys Fe{sub 30}Ni{sub 20}Mn{sub 30}Al{sub 20} and Fe{sub 25}Ni{sub 25}Mn{sub 30}Al{sub 20} were characterized. {yields} Atom probe tomography and transmission electron microscopy were used in the study. {yields} A < 100>-aligned B2-ordered phase and heavily-twinned f.c.c. phase were present. {yields} Very fine (Fe, Mn)-rich precipitates were found within the B2 (Ni, Al)-rich phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Report on the Synchrotron Characterization of U-Mo and U-Zr Alloys and the Modeling Results

ABSTRACT Uranium-molybdenum (U-Mo) and uranium-zirconium (U-Zr) are two promising fuel candidates for nuclear transmutation reactors which burn long-lived minor actinides and fission products within fast spectrum reactors. The objectives of this research are centered on understanding the early stages of fuel performance through the examination of the irradiation induced microstructural changes in U-Zr and U-Mo alloys subjected to low neutron fluences. Specimens that were analyzed include those that were previously irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor at INL. This most recent work has focused on a sub-set of the irradiated specimens, specifically U-Zr and U-Mo alloys that were irradiated to 0.01 dpa at temperatures ranging from (150-800oC). These specimens were analyzed with two types of synchrotron techniques, including X-ray absorption fine structure and X-ray diffraction. These techniques provide non-destructive microstructural analysis, including phase identification and quantitation, lattice parameters, crystallite sizes, as well as bonding, structure, and chemistry. Preliminary research has shown changes in the phase fractions, crystallite sizes, and lattice parameters as a function of irradiation and temperature. Future data analyses will continue to explore these microstructural changes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Complete Status Report Documenting Weld Development for Thin Wall Tubing of ODS Ferritic Alloys

Beginning in 2015, research in the FCRD program began the development of FSW for joining thin sections of 14YWT in the form of thin (0.5 mm) plate and ultimately thin wall tubing. In the previous fiscal year, a ~1 mm thick plate, or sheet, of 14YWT was produced by hot rolling with no edge cracking. The initial FSW experiment was performed on the 1 mm thick plate and involved a bead-on-plate weld in which the spinning pin tool is plunged into the plate surface, but does not penetrate the thickness of the plate, and then travels the length of the plate. The FSW run successfully produced a bead-on-plate stir zone on the 1 mm thick plate of 14YWT, but no characterization studies of the stir zone were performed by the end of FY15. Therefore, the results presented in this report cover the microstructural analysis of the bead-on-plate stir zone and the initial research task on obtaining tensile properties of the stir zone using the digital image correlation (DIC) approach during testing of miniature tensile specimens to assess the quality of the FSW parameters used in the initial experiment. The results of the microstructural characterization study using optical, scanning electron and scanning transmission electron microscopies showed the grain structure in the SZ to have isotropic and irregular shape but very similar size compared to the highly elongated grains oriented horizontally with the plane of the plate that were observed in the unaffected zone of 14YWT. Several cracks oriented horizontally were observed mostly on the retreating side of the SZ in both the SZ and TMAZ. These cracks may have formed due to insufficient pressure being exerted on the top surface of the plate by the shoulder and pin tool during the FSW run. High resolution STEM-EDS analysis showed the presence of the Y-Ti-O particles in the SZ, but that some particles exhibited coarsening. Overall, the FSW parameters used to produce the bead-on-plate SZ in the 0.1 cm thick plate of 14YWT were nearly optimized. The results of the digital image correlation (DIC) analysis of the two SS-Mini-2 tensile specimens fabricated from the 0.1 cm thick plate of 14YWT showed that the specimens exhibited high strength and good ductility. However, strain localization occurred in one of the specimens during the tensile test that was too close to the grips, which invalidated the data from the DIC analysis. This was surprising since the abrupt crack pop-in that occurred in the 0.1 cm thick plate of 14YWT during fabrication by wire EDM suggested that residual stresses were high. Residual stress measurements and the effects of post weld heat treatment on the FSW quality of joined 14YWT plates will be investigated in the next FW work package.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Predicting radiative transport properties of plasma sprayed porous ceramics

The typical yttria-stabilized zirconia material for making the thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) is intrinsically semitransparent to thermal radiation, and the unique disordered microstructures in TBCs make them surprisingly highly scattering. To quantitatively understand the influence of disordered microstructures, this paper presents a quantitative prediction on the radiative properties, especially the transport scattering coefficient of plasma sprayed TBC based on microstructure analysis and rigorous electromagnetic theory. The impact of the porosity, shape, size, and orientation of different types of voids on transport scattering coefficient is comprehensively investigated under the discrete dipole approximation. An inverse model integrating these factors together is then proposed to quantitatively connect transport scattering coefficient with microstructural information, which is also validated by available experimental data. Afterwards, an optimization procedure is carried out based on this model to obtain the optimal size and orientation distribution of the microscale voids to achieve the maximal radiation insulation performance at different operating temperatures, providing guidelines for practical coating design and fabrication. This work suggests that the current model is effective and also efficient for connecting scattering properties to microstructures and can be implemented as a quantitative tool for further studies like non-destructive infrared imaging as well as micro/nanoscale thermal design of TBCs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Understanding the solidification and microstructure evolution during CSC-MIG welding of Fe–Cr–B-based alloy

The present is a study of the solidification and microstructure of Fe–28.2%Cr–3.8%B–1.5%Si–1.5%Mn (wt.%) alloy deposited onto a 1020 plain carbon steel substrate using the controlled short-circuit metal inert gas welding process. The as-solidified alloy was a metal matrix composite with a hypereutectic microstructure. Thermodynamic calculation based on the Scheil–Gulliver model showed that a primary (Cr,Fe){sub 2}B phase formed first during solidification, followed by an eutectic formation of the (Cr,Fe){sub 2}B phase and a body-centered cubic Fe-based solid solution matrix, which contained Cr, Mn and Si. Microstructure analysis confirmed the formation of these phases and showed that the shape of the (Cr,Fe){sub 2}B phase was irregular plate. As the welding heat input increased, the weld dilution increased and thus the volume fraction of the (Cr,Fe){sub 2}B plates decreased while other microstructural characteristics were similar. - Highlights: • We deposit Fe–Cr–B-based alloy onto plain carbon steel using the CSC-MIG process. • We model the solidification behavior using thermodynamic calculation. • As deposited alloy consists of (Cr,Fe){sub 2}B plates embedded in Fe-based matrix. • We study the effect of the welding heat input on the microstructure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Polarization effects associated with thermal processing of HY-80 structural steel using high-power laser diode array

Localized heating of roughened steel surfaces using disperse laser light emitted from high power laser diode arrays was experimentally demonstrated and compared with theoretical predictions. The Fresnel equations were used to analyze the optical absorptivity in terms of the angle of incidence and polarization state to understand the laser-induced temperature rise of HY-80 steel plates under 383-612 W laser irradiation. Laser-induced, transient temperature distributions were directly measured using bulk thermocouple probes and thermal imaging. Finite element analysis yielded quantitative assessment of energy deposition and heat transport in HY-80 steel using absorptivity as a tuning parameter. The extracted absorptivity values ranged from 0.62 to 0.75 for S-polarized and 0.63 to 0.85 for P-polarized light, in agreement with partially oxidized iron surfaces. Microstructural analysis using electron backscatter diffraction revealed a heat affected zone for the highest temperature conditions (612 W, P-polarized) as evidence of rapid quenching and an austenite to martensite transformation. In conclusion, the efficient use of diode arrays for laser-assisted advanced manufacturing technologies such as hybrid friction stir welding is discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Synthesis and characterization of ionic liquid (EMImBF{sub 4})/Li{sup +} - chitosan membranes for ion battery

Lithium ion battery has been currently developed and produced because it has a longer life time, high energycapacity, and the efficient use of lithium ion battery that is suitable for storing electrical energy. However, this battery has some drawbacks such as use liquid electrolytes that are prone to leakage and flammability during the battery charging process in high temperature. In this study, an ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMImBF4) containing Li{sup +} ions was synthesized and combined with chitosan polymer host as a polymer electrolyte membrane for lithium-ion batteries to solve this problems. This ionic liquid was obtained from the anion metathesis reaction between EMImBr and LiBF4 salt, while EMImBr was synthesized from the reaction between 1-methylimidazole and ethyl bromide utilizing Microwave Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS) method. The ionic liquid obtained was characterized by microstructure analysis with using NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The polymer electrolyte membrane was characterized by analysis functional groups (FTIR), ionic conductivity (EIS), and surface morphology (SEM). The analysis results of ion conductivity by the EIS method showed the increase the ionic conductivity value of membranes from 1.30 × 10{sup −2} S cm{sup −1} for chitosan to 1.30 × 10{sup −2} S cm{sup −1} for chitosan with EMImBF4/Li{sup +}, and this result was supported by analysis the surface morphology (SEM)

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Toward the understanding of hydration phenomena in aqueous electrolytes from the interplay of theory, molecular simulation, and experiment

We confront the microstructural analysis of aqueous electrolytes and present a detailed account of the fundamentals underlying the neutron scattering with isotopic substitution (NDIS) approach for the experimental determination of ion coordination numbers in systems involving both halides anions and oxyanions. We place particular emphasis on the frequently overlooked ion-pairing phenomenon, identify its microstructural signature in the neutron-weighted distribution functions, and suggest novel techniques to deal with either the estimation of the ion-pairing magnitude or the correction of its effects on the experimentally measured coordination numbers. We illustrate the underlying ideas by applying these new developments to the interpretation of four NDIS test-cases via molecular simulation, as convenient dry runs for the actual scattering experiments, for representative aqueous electrolyte solutions at ambient conditions involving metal halides and nitrates.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Microstructural stability of irradiated yttrium hydride under thermal cycles

Hydrides that retain their hydrogen in service are critical for advanced microreactor and space nuclear systems. Hydrogen retention is affected by evolving microstructure under temperature and irradiation extremes. This study investigated microstructural features in neutron-irradiated yttrium hydride and the stability of these features under thermal cycles. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to determine hydrogen desorption and temperatures at which significant phase changes are occurring, and transmission electron microscopy was used for microstructural analysis after each thermal cycle. Cyclic heating led to crystallization and epitaxial growth of surface oxidation and dehydriding of the matrix. Other features such as the bulk matrix crystal structure, irradiation-induced cavities, and matrix precipitation remained constant after thermal cycling. Results allow us to design better hydride alloys through microstructure tailoring and potential irradiation conditioning treatments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Effects of magnetic field assisted heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-0.63 %C alloy

This study investigates the influence of an applied magnetic field on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of hypoeutectoid steels subjected to heat treatment. Tensile tests and microstructural analysis were performed on samples processed under varying magnetic field strengths (0 T, 5 T, and 9 T) and different austenitization incubation times. The results indicate that the application of a magnetic field alters the fraction of proeutectoid ferrite phase without changing the cooling rates and heat treatment process. Additionally, pearlite microstructural features such as lamellar spacing and misorientation angles exhibit variations under different field strengths. While the pearlite nodule diameter remains largely unaffected, an increase in percentage elongation and strength is observed in the 5 T treated sample, attributed to changes in microstructural features with the magnetic field. Additionally, the percentage elongation is reduced in the samples heat treated with reduced austenitization incubation times. The study further demonstrates that low-angle misorientations increased in the samples taken parallel to the magnetic field direction, influencing the mechanical response. These findings suggest that applying a magnetic field during heat treatment provides an additional driving force for phase transformations, offering a manufacturing process for tailoring microstructures and optimizing mechanical properties. Moreover, integrating magnetic fields in heat treatment processes has potential benefits in energy efficiency.

High magnetic field↗
DOE OSTI2016

Radiation Tolerance of Silicon Carbide Joints at LWR Relevant Temperature

The development of reliable joints in reactor service conditions is a critical requirement for SiC based accident tolerant fuels and core structures for light water reactor (LWR) applications. The effects of neutron irradiation on the mechanical properties is an important consideration under normal operation. Though various SiC joints retained the strength following neutron irradiation at ∼500 and ∼800 deg. C to ∼3 dpa, the irradiation tolerance of the joints at the LWR relevant temperature is still an unknown. This study presents the strengths of the candidate SiC joints following irradiation at ∼300 deg. C. The bonding strength was investigated using torsional shear testing which was developed for miniature irradiation specimens in previous work. Torsional shear strengths of various SiC joints were evaluated following irradiation at 270-310 deg. C to 8.7 dpa. Strength degradation by the irradiation likely occurred in the Mo diffusion bond. No obvious strength degradation was found in the MAX phase and hybrid polymer/CVD joints. The irradiation caused large deviation of the strength of Ti diffusion bond, TEP slurry and tape joints. The cause of this deviation will be investigated based on microstructural analysis in future work. (authors)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Microstructure-Based Understanding of High-Temperature Deformation Behaviors in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) 316H Stainless Steel

This report presents the results of high-temperature mechanical property testing and microstructural analysis of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316H stainless steel (SS) conducted during Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) under the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program. The study builds upon prior work by expanding the mechanical property test matrix and advancing a microstructure-based mechanistic understanding of LPBF 316H SS performance, with a focus on the solution annealed (SA, 1100°C for 1 hour) materials. High-temperature tension, creep, fatigue, and creep-fatigue tests were performed. Thermal aging studies were conducted. Advanced characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction, were employed to investigate the microstructural evolution during thermal aging and mechanical testing. It was discovered that the as-built (AB) LPBF 316H SS exhibited precipitation kinetics during thermal aging that are 10–100 times faster than its wrought counterpart due to the presence of high densities of preferred nucleation sites, while the precipitation kinetics in SA LPBF 316H was under investigation. The accelerated precipitation of embrittling phases such as sigma phase in LPBF 316H SS compared to its wrought counterpart led to significant impacts on creep ductility. The influence of laser printing parameters and build orientations on fatigue and creep-fatigue performance was observed. In assessing the creep-fatigue performance, it was discovered that the SA LPBF 316H samples failed in less than 200 cycles under 595°C, 0.5% (strain amplitude) with a 60-minute hold time. This work establishes a mechanistic framework for predicting the long-term behavior of LPBF 316H SS, supporting its rapid qualification under the ASME BPVC. The findings contribute to the broader goal of enabling the deployment of advanced materials in next-generation nuclear energy systems. An outlook for FY26 work, including continued aging studies, mechanical testing, and microstructural characterization, is provided.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Degradation of Carbon Fiber Microstructures Due to Oxidative Etch Pitting

In order to understand the influence of etch pits on the material properties of carbon fiber microstructures, we use the Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software to create realistic pitted structures from virgin fiber structures and then analyze their degradation as the degree of pitting increases. For that purpose, we developed a pitting module within PuMA that creates pits with user-defined geometry (shape, size) and distribution (defect density) on the surface of arbitrary microstructures. In this work, we consider FiberForm microstructures, which are commonly used as the base material for ablative thermal protection systems (TPS). Using the new pitting module, we mimic the evolution of etch pits on FiberForm as it occurs from oxidation in ablative heating environments, by first importing the virgin FiberForm structure from a micrograph scan and then imposing different pitting conditions by varying pit radii and defect densities. We then leverage PuMA’s capabilities to calculate material properties for each structure. The results clearly show the degradation of thermal conductivity and structural integrity as etch pits grow, and furthermore highlight the complex evolution of the surface topology, which results in significant changes of the flowgeometry and chemical gas-surface interactions. Furthermore, a comparison of these changes with the case of shrinking fibers, which has heretofore been the standard for modelling ablation of carbon structures, yields significant differences. For example, we observe the formation of small chunks of fibers as pits grow in size, which could be released into the surrounding flow environment as spallation particles. This motivates us to continue our efforts of modelling pitting as an integral part of the structural degradation of carbon fiber structures in oxidation environments, which will ultimately improve our understanding of failure mechanisms in those materials.

PuMA↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Degradation of Carbon Fiber Microstructures Due to Oxidative Etch Pitting

In order to understand the influence of etch pits on the material properties of carbon fiber microstructures, we use the Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software to create realistic pitted structures from virgin fiber structures and then analyze their degradation as the degree of pitting increases. For that purpose, we developed a pitting module within PuMA that creates pits with user-defined geometry (shape, size) and distribution (defect density) on the surface of arbitrary microstructures. In this work, we consider FiberForm microstructures, which are commonly used as the base material for ablative thermal protection systems (TPS). Using the new pitting module, we mimic the evolution of etch pits on FiberForm as it occurs from oxidation in ablative heating environments, by first importing the virgin FiberForm structure from a micrograph scan and then imposing different pitting conditions by varying pit radii and defect densities. We then leverage PuMA’s capabilities to calculate material properties for each structure. The results clearly show the degradation of thermal conductivity and structural integrity as etch pits grow, and furthermore highlight the complex evolution of the surface topology, which results in significant changes of the flowgeometry and chemical gas-surface interactions. Furthermore, a comparison of these changes with the case of shrinking fibers, which has heretofore been the standard for modelling ablation of carbon structures, yields significant differences. For example, we observe the formation of small chunks of fibers as pits grow in size, which could be released into the surrounding flow environment as spallation particles. This motivates us to continue our efforts of modelling pitting as an integral part of the structural degradation of carbon fiber structures in oxidation environments, which will ultimately improve our understanding of failure mechanisms in those materials.

PuMA↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of heat treatment time on microstructure and electrical conductivity in LATP glass ceramics

Glass-ceramic is prepared by heat treatment of melt quenched 14Li{sub 2}O−9Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}−38TiO{sub 2}−39P{sub 2}O{sub 5} glass in the vicinity of crystallization temperature. Growth of ceramic phase is controlled by tuning heat treatment time at fixed temperature. Ceramic phase was identified to be LiTi{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} from X Ray Diffraction analysis. Microstructural evolution of this phase with hold time was observed under high resolution Scanning Electron Microscope. DC conductivity is observed to increase by 4-5 orders of magnitude in this glass-ceramic compared to parent glass. However, formation of pores and cracks with very large heat treatment time seem to hinder further increase of conductivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of Sintering Atmosphere on the Synthesis Process, Electrical and Mechanical Properties of NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}/Nano-TiN Ceramics

NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}/nano-TiN ceramics were fabricated by a two-step cold-pressing sintering process. Effect of sintering atmosphere (air, nitrogen, argon) on the synthesis process of NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}/nano-TiN ceramics was investigated. The DSC-TG and XRD analysis results indicated that besides principal phases of NiO and NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}, new-phase Ni{sub 3}TiO{sub 5} formed in the sintered ceramics under the three sintering atmospheres, and metallic phase including iron and nickel appeared in the sintered samples with inert gas (nitrogen, argon) sintering condition. Microstructure analysis results showed that considerable quantity of micropores appeared in the ceramic samples sintered under inert gases (argon, nitrogen), but lower porosity (3.0, 3.6%) and higher densities (4.78 g/cm{sup 3}, 4.51 g/cm{sup 3}) can be obtained, comparing to the both values (14.4%, 4.17 g/cm{sup 3}) for the ceramic samples sintered under air atmosphere. Besides, the average bending strength and elastic modulus of the samples sintered under argon is 113.75 MPa and 7.13GPa, which is higher than that of 75.12 MPa, 5.42GPa and 91.96 MPa, 6.26GPa for the samples synthesized under air and nitrogen, separately. When changing sintering atmosphere from air to inert gases (argon, nitrogen), the fracture model of the 4 wt.%nano-TiN/NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} ceramics synthesized at 1400 °C for 4 h transformed from intergranular fracture to intergranular-transgranular fracture.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Utilizing machine learning to predict tensile ductility and yield strength of CoNiV-based multi-principal elements alloys

This study explores the use of machine learning (ML) as a computational tool to accelerate the design of multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) with improved tensile elongation. An ML model was trained using available experimental data from the literature along with theoretically derived features to predict yield strength (YS) and ductility. A subset of ML-predicted compositions—CoNiVFe, CoNiVTi, CoNiVTiFe, and CoCrNiVTi—was synthesized and evaluated through tensile testing. The ML model underpredicted YS by approximately 20–30 % and overpredicted ductility by 60–70 % for Ti-containing alloys. Microstructural analysis revealed that Ti segregation at interdendritic regions contributed to early fracture, leading to discrepancies in ductility predictions. Ti segregation at these regions likely drives the increased YS due to segregation strengthening. In contrast, the CoNiVFe alloy showed good agreement with both experimental YS and elongation, with prediction errors of ∼10.2 % and ∼20.7 %, respectively. Microstructural characterization revealed minimal segregation in this alloy, suggesting that the ML model can reliably predict the properties of alloys with little to no segregation. These findings highlight the capability of ML in predicting YS with good accuracy but underscore its limitations in capturing defect-driven failure mechanisms such as segregation-induced embrittlement.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PuMA and Multiscale Modeling

The Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software was initially developed to analyze tomographic reconstructions of fibrous materials, commonly used as insulators in NASA spacecrafts. Since then, the software grew in capabilities and it is now able to compute many different geometric and physical properties, which are often anisotropic at multiple scales. In addition, PuMA can generate its own artificial microstructures in order to study their performance. This talk will give an overview of the main functions and display its application to some of the widely used carbon ablators for heatshields, including the more challenging woven architectures.

Federico Semeraro↗