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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Yttrium enrichment and improved magnetic properties in partially melted Y-Ba-Cu-O materials

The yttrium-rich compositions in the Y-Ba-Cu-O system were mapped out in a systematic manner to quantify their magnetic properties and to correlate them with the microstructure and phase composition as determined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. It is found that the microstructure of Y-Ba-Cu-O compositions is a sensitive function of both their composition and processing conditions. Measurements of magnetic susceptibility and maximum (low-field) and remanent magnetization for the system Y:Ba:Cu = x:2:3 show highest values for x = 2. The corresponding structures involve numerous small crystals of Y2BaCuO5 (211) embedded in highly ordered assemblages of continous YBa2Cu3O(7-y) (123) layers.

Alterescu, Sidney↗
NASA NTRS1991

Equivalent crystal theory of alloys

Equivalent Crystal Theory (ECT) is a new, semi-empirical approach to calculating the energetics of a solid with defects. The theory has successfully reproduced surface energies in metals and semiconductors. The theory of binary alloys to date, both with first-principles and semi-empirical models, has not been very successful in predicting the energetics of alloys. This procedure is used to predict the heats of formation, cohesive energy, and lattice parameter of binary alloys of Cu, Ni, Al, Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt as functions of composition. The procedure accurately reproduces the heats of formation versus composition curves for a variety of binary alloys. The results are then compared with other approaches such as the embedded atom and lattice parameters of alloys from pure metal properties more accurately than Vegard's law is presented.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗
NASA NTRS1992

Ignition and combustion characteristics of metallized propellants

During this reporting period, theoretical work on the secondary atomization process was continued and the experimental apparatus was improved. A one-dimensional model of a rocket combustor, incorporating multiple droplet size classes, slurry combustion, secondary atomization, radiation heat transfer, and two-phase slip between slurry droplets and the gas flow was derived and a computer code was written to implement this model. The STANJAN chemical equilibrium solver was coupled with this code to yield gas temperature, density, and composition as functions of axial location. Preliminary results indicate that the model is performing correctly, given current model assumptions. Radiation heat transfer in the combustion chamber is treated as an optically-thick participating media problem requiring a solution of the radiative transfer equation. A cylindrical P sub 1 approximation was employed to yield an analytical expression for chamber-wall heat flux at each axial location. The code exercised to determine the effects of secondary atomization intensity, defined as the number of secondary drops produced per initial drop, on chamber burnout distance and final Al2O3 agglomerate diameter. These results indicate that only weak secondary atomization is required to significantly reduce these two parameters. Stronger atomization intensities were found to yield decreasing marginal benefits. The experimental apparatus was improved to reduce building vibration effects on the optical system alignment. This was accomplished by mounting the burner and the transmitting/receiving optics on a single frame supported by vibration-isolation legs. Calibration and shakedown tests indicate that vibration problems were eliminated and that the system is performing correctly.

Mueller, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Effects of the chemical environment on the spectroscopic properties of clays: Applications for Mars

Laboratory studies of Mars soil analogs pose unique problems, since soils interact readily with their environment and exhibit variable characteristics depending on the environment. We have performed a series of experiments focusing on the spectral properties of clays and how they vary as a function of composition and environment, including examination of fundamental as well as overtone absorptions, that occur in the mid- and near-IR, respectively. Smectite clays have been selected in our laboratory experiments as a primary surface analog for Mars because of their compatibility with results of the Viking biology experiments, their stability under current martian conditions, and their compatibility with reflectance spectra of Mars. We prepared a number of monoionic montmorillonites in order to examine the influence of cations on the water molecules in the clay interlayer region. Moessbauer spectra of several montmorillonites with variable amounts of interlayer iron confirm the presence of ferrihydrite.

Bishop, Janice L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Method for calculating alloy energetics

A semiempirical method for the computation of alloy energies is introduced. It is based on the equivalent-crystal theory of defect-formation energies in elemental solids. The method is both simple and accurate. Heats of formation as a function of composition are computed for some binary alloys of Cu, Ni, Al, Ag, Pd, Pt, and Au using the heats of solution in the dilute limit as experimental input. The separation of heats into strain and chemical components helps in understanding the energetics. In addition, lattice-parameter contractions seen in solid solutions of Ag and Au are accurately predicted. Good agreement with experiment is obtained in all cases.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗
NASA NTRS1993

Stratospheric aircraft exhaust plume and wake chemistry

Progress to date in an ongoing study to analyze and model emissions leaving a proposed High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) from when the exhaust gases leave the engine until they are deposited at atmospheric scales in the stratosphere is documented. A kinetic condensation model was implemented to predict heterogeneous condensation in the plume regime behind an HSCT flying in the lower stratosphere. Simulations were performed to illustrate the parametric dependence of contrail droplet growth on the exhaust condensation nuclei number density and size distribution. Model results indicate that the condensation of water vapor is strongly dependent on the number density of activated CN. Incorporation of estimates for dilution factors into a Lagrangian box model of the far-wake regime with scale-dependent diffusion indicates negligible decrease in ozone and enhancement of water concentrations of 6-13 times background, which decrease rapidly over 1-3 days. Radiative calculations indicate a net differential cooling rate of the plume about 3K/day at the beginning of the wake regime, with a total subsidence ranging between 0.4 and 1 km. Results from the Lagrangian plume model were used to estimate the effect of repeated superposition of aircraft plumes on the concentrations of water and NO(y) along a flight corridor. Results of laboratory studies of heterogeneous chemistry are also described. Kinetics of HCl, N2O5 and ClONO2 uptake on liquid sulfuric acid were measured as a function of composition and temperature. Refined measurements of the thermodynamics of nitric acid hydrates indicate that metastable dihydrate may play a role in the nucleation of more stable trihydrates PSC's.

Miake-Lye, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Constraints in Genetic Programming

Genetic programming refers to a class of genetic algorithms utilizing generic representation in the form of program trees. For a particular application, one needs to provide the set of functions, whose compositions determine the space of program structures being evolved, and the set of terminals, which determine the space of specific instances of those programs. The algorithm searches the space for the best program for a given problem, applying evolutionary mechanisms borrowed from nature. Genetic algorithms have shown great capabilities in approximately solving optimization problems which could not be approximated or solved with other methods. Genetic programming extends their capabilities to deal with a broader variety of problems. However, it also extends the size of the search space, which often becomes too large to be effectively searched even by evolutionary methods. Therefore, our objective is to utilize problem constraints, if such can be identified, to restrict this space. In this publication, we propose a generic constraint specification language, powerful enough for a broad class of problem constraints. This language has two elements -- one reduces only the number of program instances, the other reduces both the space of program structures as well as their instances. With this language, we define the minimal set of complete constraints, and a set of operators guaranteeing offspring validity from valid parents. We also show that these operators are not less efficient than the standard genetic programming operators if one preprocesses the constraints - the necessary mechanisms are identified.

Janikow, Cezary Z.↗
NASA NTRS1998

The Effect of Alloying on Topologically Close Packed Phase Instability in Advanced Nickel-Based Superalloy Rene N6

An investigation was conducted to describe topologically close packed (TCP) phase instability as a function of composition in the advanced Ni-base superalloy Rene N6. TCP phases are detrimental to overall high-temperature performance of Ni-base superalloys because of their brittle nature and because they deplete the Ni-rich matrix of potent solid solution strengthening elements. Thirty-four variations of polycrystalline Rene N6 determined from a design-of-experiments approach were cast and homogenized at 1315"C for 80 hours followed by exposure at 10930C for 400 hours to promote TCP formation. The alloys had the following composition ranges in atomic percent: Co 10.61 to 16.73%, Mo 0.32 to 1.34%, W 1.85 to 2.52%, Re 1.80 to 2.1 1 %, Ta 2.36 to 3.02%, Al 11.90 to 14.75%, and Cr 3.57 to 6.23%. Physical and chemical characteristics of all n-ticrostructures obtained were described using various analytical techniques. From these observations, a mathematical description of TCP occurrence (omega and P phase) was generated for polycrystalline Rene N6.

Ritzert, Frank↗
NASA NTRS1998

Effect of Microgravity on Afferent Innervation

Presentations and publications are: (1) an audiovisual summary web presentation on results from SLM-MIR avian experiments. A color presentation summarizing results from the SLM-MIR and STS-29 avian experiments; (2) color threshold and ratio of S 100B MAP5, NF68/200, GABA and GAD; (3) chicken (Gallus domesticus) inner ear afferents; (4) microgravity in the STS-29 Space Shuttle Discovery affected the vestibular system of chick embryos; (5) expression of S 100B in sensory and secretory cells of the vertebrate inner ear; (6) otoconia biogenesis, phylogeny, composition and functional attributes;(7) the glycan keratin sulfate in inner ear crystals; (8) elliptical-P cells in the avian perilymphatic interface of the tegmentum vasculosum; and (9) LAMP2c and S100B upregulation in brain stem after VIIIth nerve deafferentation.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1998

A Geant Study of the Scintillating Optical Fiber (SOFCAL) Cosmic Ray Detector

Recent energy measurements by balloon-borne passive emulsion chambers indicate that the flux ratios of protons to helium nuclei and of protons to all heavy nuclei decrease as the primary cosmic ray energy per nucleon increases above approx. 200 GeV/n, and suggest a "break" in the proton spectrum between 200 GeV and 5 TeV. However, these passive emulsion chambers are limited to a lower energy threshold of approx. 5 TeV/n, and cannot fully explore this energy regime. Because cosmic ray flux and composition details may be significant to acceleration models, a hybrid detector system called the Scintillating Optical Fiber Calorimeter (SOFCAL) has been designed and flown. SOFCAL incorporates both conventional passive emulsion chambers and an active calorimeter utilizing scintillating plastic fibers as detectors. These complementary types of detectors allow the balloon-borne SOFCAL experiment to measure the proton and helium spectra from approx. 400 GeV/n to approx. 20 TeV. The fundamental purpose of this study is to use the GEANT simulation package to model the hadronic and electromagnetic shower evolution of cosmic rays incident on the SOFCAL detector. This allows the interpretation of SOFCAL data in terms of charges and primary energies of cosmic rays, thus allowing the determinations of cosmic ray flux and composition as functions of primary energy.

Munroe, Ray B., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Structural Optimization for Reliability Using Nonlinear Goal Programming

This report details the development of a reliability based multi-objective design tool for solving structural optimization problems. Based on two different optimization techniques, namely sequential unconstrained minimization and nonlinear goal programming, the developed design method has the capability to take into account the effects of variability on the proposed design through a user specified reliability design criterion. In its sequential unconstrained minimization mode, the developed design tool uses a composite objective function, in conjunction with weight ordered design objectives, in order to take into account conflicting and multiple design criteria. Multiple design criteria of interest including structural weight, load induced stress and deflection, and mechanical reliability. The nonlinear goal programming mode, on the other hand, provides for a design method that eliminates the difficulty of having to define an objective function and constraints, while at the same time has the capability of handling rank ordered design objectives or goals. For simulation purposes the design of a pressure vessel cover plate was undertaken as a test bed for the newly developed design tool. The formulation of this structural optimization problem into sequential unconstrained minimization and goal programming form is presented. The resulting optimization problem was solved using: (i) the linear extended interior penalty function method algorithm; and (ii) Powell's conjugate directions method. Both single and multi-objective numerical test cases are included demonstrating the design tool's capabilities as it applies to this design problem.

El-Sayed, Mohamed E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Microstructural Studies of Space Weathering Effects in Lunar Materials

Space weathering is a term used to include all of the processes which act on material exposed at the surface of a planetary or small body. In the case of the moon, it includes a variety of processes which have formed the lunar regolith, caused the maturation of lunar soils, and formed patina on rock surfaces. The processes include micrometeorite impact and reworking, implantation of solar wind and flare particles, radiation damage and chemical effects from solar particles and cosmic rays, interactions with the lunar atmosphere, and sputtering erosion and deposition. Space weathering effects collectively result in a reddened continuum slope, lowered albedo, and attenuated absorption features in reflectance spectra of lunar soils as compared to finely comminuted rocks from the same Apollo sites. However, the regolith processes that cause these effects are not well known, nor is the petrographic setting of the products of these processes fully understood. An interesting confluence of events occurred in the early 1990s. First, came the discovery of vapor deposited coatings on lunar regolith grains by Keller and McKay, who showed that amorphous coatings from 50-100 nm thick containing fine-grained Fe metal (1-10 nm in diameter) were common in the fine size fraction of several mature lunar soils. The other discovery was the recognition that the optical properties of lunar soils were dominated by fine grain sized material (less than 45 micrometer fraction) by Pieters and coworkers. These discoveries led to coordinated studies that looked at the mineralogy, chemistry, and optical properties of lunar soils as function of composition, maturity, and grain size fraction. One of the major revelations from these studies was the recognition that much of the nanophase Fe metal is surface-correlated especially in the finest size fractions, and that it was this nanophase Fe that dominated the optical properties of the soil.

Keller, L. P.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Micro-XANES Measurements on Experimental Spinels and the Oxidation State of Vanadium in Coexisting Spinel and Silicate Melt

Spinel can be a significant host phase for V which has multiple oxidation states V(sup 2+), V(sup 3+), V(sup 4+) or V(sup 5+) at oxygen fugacities relevant to natural systems. The magnitude of D(V) spinel/melt is known to be a function of composition, temperature and fO2, but the uncertainty of the oxidation state under the range of natural conditions has made elusive a thorough understanding of D(V) spinel/melt. For example, V(sup 3+) is likely to be stable in spinels, based on exchange with Al in experiments in the CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 system. On the other hand, it has been argued that V(sup 4+) will be stable across the range of natural oxygen fugacities in nature. In order to build on our previous work in more oxidized systems, we have carried out experiments at relatively reducing conditions from the FMQ buffer to 2 log fO2 units below the IW buffer. These spinel-melt pairs, where V is present in the spinel at natural levels (approx. 300 ppm V), were analyzed using an electron microprobe at NASA-JSC and micro- XANES at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. The new results will be used together with previous results to understand the valence of V in spinel-melt systems across 12 orders of magnitude of oxygen fugacity, and with application to natural systems.

Righter, K.↗
NASA NTRS2005

The Insoluble Carbonaceous Material of CM Chondrites as Possible Source of Discrete Organics During the Asteroidal Aqueous Phase

The larger portion of the organic carbon in carbonaceous chondrites (CC) is present as a complex and heterogeneous macromolecular material that is insoluble in acids and most solvents (IOM). So far, it has been analyzed only as a whole by microscopy (TEM) and spectroscopy (IR, NMR, EPR), which have offered and overview of its chemical nature, bonding, and functional group composition. Chemical or pyrolytic decomposition has also been used in combination with GC-MS to identify individual compounds released by these processes. Their value in the recognition of the original IOM structure resides in the ability to properly interpret the decomposition pathways for any given process. We report here a preliminary study of IOM from the Murray meteorite that combines both the analytical approaches described above, under conditions that would realistically model the IOM hydrothermal exposure in the meteorite parent body. The aim is to document the possible release of water and solvent soluble organics, determine possible changes in NMR spectral features, and ascertain, by extension, the effect of this loss on the frame of the IOM residue. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Yabuta, H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Evaluation of the Improvement in the Figure of Merit of Bi_2Te_3-Based Alloys with Addition of Ultrafine Scattering Centers

The addition of ultrafine scattering centers into Bi_2Te_3-based materials and their impact on the thermal and electrical transport properties in a 200-500 K temperature range are discussed. Based on previous theoretical efforts, the resulting improvements in the figure of merit of these heavily doped thermoelectric semiconductors were calculated as a function of composition, temperature, doping level, particulate size and concentration. Determination of the lattice thermal conductivity of the various alloys was conducted by considering phonon-phonon, carrier-phonon, point defect and inert scattering center scattering mechanisms. Degradation of the electrical properties due to the increase scattering rate was also taken into account. Practical application of these results is considered.

Fleurial, Jean-Pierre↗
NASA NTRS2007

Diamond Smoothing Tools

Diamond smoothing tools have been proposed for use in conjunction with diamond cutting tools that are used in many finish-machining operations. Diamond machining (including finishing) is often used, for example, in fabrication of precise metal mirrors. A diamond smoothing tool according to the proposal would have a smooth spherical surface. For a given finish machining operation, the smoothing tool would be mounted next to the cutting tool. The smoothing tool would slide on the machined surface left behind by the cutting tool, plastically deforming the surface material and thereby reducing the roughness of the surface, closing microcracks and otherwise generally reducing or eliminating microscopic surface and subsurface defects, and increasing the microhardness of the surface layer. It has been estimated that if smoothing tools of this type were used in conjunction with cutting tools on sufficiently precise lathes, it would be possible to reduce the roughness of machined surfaces to as little as 3 nm. A tool according to the proposal would consist of a smoothing insert in a metal holder. The smoothing insert would be made from a diamond/metal functionally graded composite rod preform, which, in turn, would be made by sintering together a bulk single-crystal or polycrystalline diamond, a diamond powder, and a metallic alloy at high pressure. To form the spherical smoothing tip, the diamond end of the preform would be subjected to flat grinding, conical grinding, spherical grinding using diamond wheels, and finally spherical polishing and/or buffing using diamond powders. If the diamond were a single crystal, then it would be crystallographically oriented, relative to the machining motion, to minimize its wear and maximize its hardness. Spherically polished diamonds could also be useful for purposes other than smoothing in finish machining: They would likely also be suitable for use as heat-resistant, wear-resistant, unlubricated sliding-fit bearing inserts.

Voronov, Oleg↗
NASA NTRS2013

Engineered Surfaces for Mitigation of Insect Residue Adhesion

Maintenance of laminar flow under operational flight conditions is being investigated under NASA s Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Program. Among the challenges with natural laminar flow is the accretion of residues from insect impacts incurred during takeoff or landing. Depending on air speed, temperature, and wing structure, the critical residue height for laminar flow disruption can be as low as 4 microns near the leading edge. In this study, engineered surfaces designed to minimize insect residue adhesion were examined. The coatings studied included chemical compositions containing functional groups typically associated with abhesive (non-stick) surfaces. To reduce surface contact by liquids and enhance abhesion, the engineered surfaces consisted of these coatings doped with particulate additives to generate random surface topography, as well as coatings applied to laser ablated surfaces having precision patterned topographies. Performance evaluation of these surfaces included contact angle goniometry of pristine coatings and profilometry of surfaces after insect impacts were incurred in laboratory scale tests, wind tunnel tests and flight tests. The results illustrate the complexity of designing antifouling surfaces for effective insect contamination mitigation under dynamic conditions and suggest that superhydrophobic surfaces may not be the most effective solution for preventing insect contamination on aircraft wing leading edges.

Siochi, Emilie J.↗