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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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Monometallic diaphragm valve is used for corrosive and high temperature fluid flow control. The body, diaphragm, and plug of the valve are welded together to form an integral leakproof unit for containing the fluid as it passes through the valve from inlet to outlet.
In-tank shutoff valve is installed with the valve poppet and actuator inside the tank to provide maximum blast protection during rocket engine test operation. This valve design is applicable wherever explosive fuels are used and is currently being used in lox and liquid hydrogen tanks at a rocket engine test site.
Valve assembly simultaneously starts or stops the flow of oxidizer and fuel from separate inlet channels to reaction control motors. The assembly combines an oxidizer shutoff valve and a fuel shutoff valve which are mechanically linked and operated by a single high-speed solenoid actuator.
Prevalve actuator schedules the closure rate of a valve. The actuator is spring loaded to produce a normally open valve and pneumatically powered to close the valve. The closure rate is controlled by means of pneumatic snubber and booster circuitry.
Addition of an aspirator to a relief valve increases the valve poppet stroke under dynamic flow conditions. The aspirator allows poppet inlet dynamic forces to overcome relief valve spring force. It reduces the fluid pressure in the skirt cavity by providing a low pressure sense probe.
High pressure valve used in testing certain spacecraft systems is safely opened and closed by a remotely stationed operator. The valve is self-regulating in that if the incoming pressure drops below a desired value the valve will automatically close, warning the operator that the testing pressure has dropped to an undesired level.
Current and voltage waveforms of a solenoid coil are recorded as the valve opens and closes. Analysis of the waveforms with respect to time and the phase of the valve cycle accurately describes valve performance.
Two-stage, pressure-sensing control valve is designed for servocontrol of 10-inch main tank valve regulating pressure of liquid oxygen in tank and serving to vent tank during filling. Valve uses a negative-rate Belleville spring to cancel positive spring rates of bellows and coil springs.
Valve assembly controls air flow from feeder into main duct, with minimum of turbulence, friction, pressure differential, and noise. Valve consists of damper, deflector, and spring. Streamlining of damper and deflector merges flow smoothly, while spring keeps damper and deflector in contact and eliminates valve chatter and damping vibrations.
Valve head moves in spiral motion away from seat. Motion is controlled by travel of pin along spiral groove in valve guide. Clearances between pin and groove permit free motion of valve, but effectively dampen vibration and chattering.
Thin, compact, high-vacuum gate valve used to join two vacuum systems together demonstrates multiple operation reliability. Valve measurements and non-protruding handle make valve usable in confined areas.
Bimorph strip composed of two layers of poled piezoelectric ceramic material closes and opens valve. Strip performs like capacitator, allowing initial inrush of current when valve is energized and then only small leakage current flows as valve remains energized.
Valve concept has been devised which offers lightweight, simplified mechanism capable of automatic control of large number of fluid flow ports. Valve control is achieved with valve stem which is bimetallic device activated by heating coil to open or close selected supply port. Number of controlled ports is limited only by desired physical size of system.
Design of light weight valve for flexible tubing is described. Valve is hand operated and provides positive sealing in normally closed position. Diagram is provided to show construction of valve. Principles of operation are explained.
A special vortex valve was developed for increasing the stability margin of supersonic jet-engine inlets without the use of moving mechanical parts. A compact valve with high flow capacity and with high gain was obtained by using a unique outer wall in the vortex chamber instead of the usual cylindrical shape. The physical features of the valve are described, and the steady pressure-flow characteristics measured on scale models are given. Procedures are provided for adjusting the operating pressure, flow capacity, and gain through systematic changes in geometry.
Effective seal in one-shot valve is made by shrink-fitting ball within cylinder; thermal expansion of cylinder, caused by contiguous source of heat, will release ball and open valve. Valve can also be adapted for repeated operation and made capable of being opened without pressurized fluid.
An analysis and design effort directed to advancing the state-of-the-art of space storable isolation valves for control of flow of the propellants liquid fluorine/hydrazine and Flox/monomethylhydrazine is discussed. Emphasis is on achieving zero liquid leakage and capability of withstanding missions up to 10 years in interplanetary space. Included is a study of all-metal poppet sealing theory, an evaluation of candidate seal configurations, a valve actuator trade-off study and design description of a pneumo-thermally actuated soft metal poppet seal valve. The concepts and analysis leading to the soft seal approach are documented. A theoretical evaluation of seal leakage versus seal loading, related finishes and yield strengths of various materials is provided. Application of a confined soft aluminum seal loaded to 2 to 3 times yield strength is recommended. Use of either an electro-mechanical or pneumatic actuator appears to be feasible for the application.
The application is described of a digital control valve on an electrohydraulic servo actuator. The digital control problem is discussed in general as well as the design and evaluation of a breadboard actuator. The evaluation revealed a number of problems associated with matching the valve to a hydraulic load. The problems were related to lost motion resulting from bulk modulus and leakage. These problems were effectively minimized in the breadboard actuator by maintaining a 1000 psi back pressure on the valve circuit and thereby improving the effective bulk modulus.