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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Preparation of 1,3-Dihydroxyphenazine

The ability to effectively store energy produced by intermittent renewable sources is a critical challenge for chemists and materials scientists. Redox flow batteries (RFB), which generate current by the flow of electrons between dissolved redox active compounds in separate solutions, are envisioned as a method to store renewable energy at the electrical grid scale. The best known examples of RFBs are driven by redox active metal or main group complexes. Within the past decade, redox active organic molecules have begun to be used in the construction of RFBs with high cell potential and cycle stability, at economical price points. Of particular interest are substituted dihydroxy phenazines, a class of heterocycles, that have recently been used as an anolyte for aqueous organic RFBs. Recent work indicates that different regioisomers of dihydroxyphenazine show dramatically different solubility and stability under electrochemical cycling conditions. Of particular interest was 1,3-dihydroxyphenazine (1,3-DHP), which showed greater than 1.5 M solubility in 2M KOH and excellent electrochemical stability. Current methods of producing 1,3-DHP, however, are low yielding and cumbersome. In the article proposal that follows, we offer an improved method of producing 1,3-DHP at high purity and moderate yield. The method detailed below was used by the Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF) at Argonne National Lab to deliver more than 1.5 kg of this compound for use in the construction of aqueous organic RFBs.

Dzwiniel, Trevor [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL↗
NASA NTRS2012

Open Circuit Resonant (SansEC) Sensor for Composite Damage Detection and Diagnosis in Aircraft Lightning Environments

Composite materials are increasingly used in modern aircraft for reducing weight, improving fuel efficiency, and enhancing the overall design, performance, and manufacturability of airborne vehicles. Materials such as fiberglass reinforced composites (FRC) and carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) are being used to great advantage in airframes, wings, engine nacelles, turbine blades, fairings, fuselage and empennage structures, control surfaces and coverings. However, the potential damage from the direct and indirect effects of lightning strikes is of increased concern to aircraft designers and operators. When a lightning strike occurs, the points of attachment and detachment on the aircraft surface must be found by visual inspection, and then assessed for damage by maintenance personnel to ensure continued safe flight operations. In this paper, a new method and system for aircraft in-situ damage detection and diagnosis are presented. The method and system are based on open circuit (SansEC) sensor technology developed at NASA Langley Research Center. SansEC (Sans Electric Connection) sensor technology is a new technical framework for designing, powering, and interrogating sensors to detect damage in composite materials. Damage in composite material is generally associated with a localized change in material permittivity and/or conductivity. These changes are sensed using SansEC. Unique electrical signatures are used for damage detection and diagnosis. NASA LaRC has both experimentally and theoretically demonstrated that SansEC sensors can be effectively used for in-situ composite damage detection.

Wang, Chuantong↗
DOE OSTI2024

Submerged Fatigue Testing of Marine Energy Advanced Materials

Marine energy structures are typically made of advanced composite materials and are subjected to extreme ocean environments in service. In extreme ocean environments, seawater currents and waves load structures repeatedly, which cause two environmental conditions: water intrusion and mechanical fatigue. In prior research, the two environmental conditions were applied sequentially, where composite specimens were aged and then mechanically tested. To understand the combined effects of dynamic loading and water intrusion on composite materials, the present study involves the static and fatigue four-point bend testing of composite coupons in a water tank. The water tank was designed and built to fit either a 100 kN or a 250 kN load frame. Flexural strength value, cycles to failure, and failure mode results from submerged fatigue testing will be used to inform marine energy structure designs. The coupon-scale test method will be used to scale up to and inform methods for subsequent subcomponent testing and standards development. The benefits of designing marine energy structures to informed standards are decreased lifetime costs and increased reliability and energy production, ultimately leading to a sustainable and low-carbon energy system.

composite materials↗
DOE OSTI2026

Second Harmonic Generation Electric Field Triplet Interferometry for Absolute Phasing

We report second harmonic generation (SHG) electric field triplet interferometry performed using three mutually coherent ultrafast pulses in a common path with controllable relative phases, namely, the light fields of a sample signal (SI), a reference oscillator (RO), and a local oscillator (LO). The ROLO phase determined from the interference of the light fields produced by two quartz wafers is subtracted from the phase determined from the SIROLO interferogram to yield the signal phase, ϕ SI . The new method also calibrates the measured SHG intensity from a given sample internally by sending the fundamental light field reflected from the sample into one of the quartz wafers in the ROLO element. The approach avoids having to exchange the sample against a reference material with a known χ(2) value or known phase and accounts on-the-fly for situations where the reflected fundamental light field intensity changes with experimental conditions. The new method is successfully benchmarked against z-cut α-quartz, fused silica held at its point of zero charge, and hematite nanolayers in air, across three different interferometers. Furthermore, the approach should be applicable for other second-order nonlinear spectroscopies, such as vibrational or electronic sum-frequency generation.

Interfaces↗
NASA NTRS1998

Finite Element and Plate Theory Modeling of Acoustic Emission Waveforms

A comparison was made between two approaches to predict acoustic emission waveforms in thin plates. A normal mode solution method for Mindlin plate theory was used to predict the response of the flexural plate mode to a point source, step-function load, applied on the plate surface. The second approach used a dynamic finite element method to model the problem using equations of motion based on exact linear elasticity. Calculations were made using properties for both isotropic (aluminum) and anisotropic (unidirectional graphite/epoxy composite) materials. For simulations of anisotropic plates, propagation along multiple directions was evaluated. In general, agreement between the two theoretical approaches was good. Discrepancies in the waveforms at longer times were caused by differences in reflections from the lateral plate boundaries. These differences resulted from the fact that the two methods used different boundary conditions. At shorter times in the signals, before reflections, the slight discrepancies in the waveforms were attributed to limitations of Mindlin plate theory, which is an approximate plate theory. The advantages of the finite element method are that it used the exact linear elasticity solutions, and that it can be used to model real source conditions and complicated, finite specimen geometries as well as thick plates. These advantages come at a cost of increased computational difficulty, requiring lengthy calculations on workstations or supercomputers. The Mindlin plate theory solutions, meanwhile, can be quickly generated on personal computers. Specimens with finite geometry can also be modeled. However, only limited simple geometries such as circular or rectangular plates can easily be accommodated with the normal mode solution technique. Likewise, very limited source configurations can be modeled and plate theory is applicable only to thin plates.

Prosser, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The (RH+t) aging correlation. Electrical resistivity of PVB at various temperatures and relative humidities

Electrical products having organic materials functioning as pottants, encapsulants, and insulation coatings are commonly exposed to elevated conditions of temperature and humidity. In order to assess service life potential from this method of accelerated aging, it was empirically observed that service life seems proportional to an aging correlation which is the sum of temperature in degrees Celsius (t), and the relative humidity (RH) expressed in percent. Specifically, the correlation involves a plot of time-to-failure on a log scale versus the variable RH + T plotted on a linear scale. A theoretical foundation is provided for this empirically observed correlation by pointing out that the correlation actually involves a relationship between the electrical resistivity (or conductivity) of the organic material, and the variable RH + t. If time-to-failure is a result of total number of coulombs conducted through the organic material, then the correlation of resistivity versus RH + t is synonymous with the empirical correlation of time-to-failure versus RH + t.

Cuddihy, E. F.↗
NASA NTRS1951

Study of Chromium-Frit-Type Coatings for High-Temperature Protection of Molybdenum

The achievement of more compact and efficient power plants for aircraft is dependent, among other factors, on the perfection of heat-resisting materials that are superior to those in current use. Molybdenum is one of the high-melting metals (melting point, 4750 F). It is fairly abundant and also can be worked into many of the shapes required in modern power plants. To permit its widespread use at elevated temperatures, however, some means must first be found to prevent its rapid oxidation. The application of a protective coating is one method that might be used to achieve this goal. In the present work, a number of chromium-frit-type coatings were studied. These were bonded to molybdenum specimens by firing in controlled atmospheres to temperatures in the range of 2400 to 2700 F.

CERAMICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Submerged Fatigue Testing of Marine Energy Advanced Materials

Marine energy structures are typically made of advanced composite materials and are subjected to extreme ocean environments in service. In extreme ocean environments, seawater currents and waves load structures repeatedly, which cause two environmental conditions: water intrusion and mechanical fatigue. In prior research, the two environmental conditions were applied sequentially, where composite specimens were aged and then mechanically tested. To understand the combined effects of dynamic loading and water intrusion on composite materials, the present study involves the static and fatigue four-point bend testing of composite coupons in a water tank. The water tank was designed and built to fit either a 100 kN or a 250 kN load frame. Flexural strength value, cycles to failure, and failure mode results from submerged fatigue testing will be used to inform marine energy structure designs. The coupon-scale test method will be used to scale up to and inform methods for subsequent subcomponent testing and standards development. Finally, the benefits of designing marine energy structures to informed standards are decreased lifetime costs and increased reliability and energy production, ultimately leading to a sustainable and low-carbon energy system.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparison Between DSMC and CFD for Hypersonic Planetary Entry Simulations

Hypersonic planetary entry flows span a wide range of Knudsen numbers between rarefied and continuum flows. While computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques cannot provide an accurate solution for flows in the rarefied regime, the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is capable of providing accurate solutions for flows in both in the rarefied and continuum regimes but becomes prohibitively expensive as the Knudsen number decreases. For the purpose of thermal protection systems (TPS) design and post-flight reconstruction, various selected points along an entry trajectory are often solved using hypersonic solvers. The quantities of interest that are obtained from that exercise are generally surface quantities, such as pressure, heat flux and enthalpy. Then, material response solvers are used to either design the heat shield to an optimal thickness based on a choice of material, or to provide in-depth heating profiles through the material at various select locations, and compare with flight instrumentation such as the ones that flew on NASA’s two most recent Mars missions, MSL and Mars2020. While most of the heating is generally experienced during the continuum part of the entry, the heating within the rarefied regime is significant for some atmospheres, and hence the flow solutions need to be computed using the DSMC method. Ensuring consistency between hypersonic CFD and the DSMC is crucial so that reliable surface quantities can be passed to material response solvers. Studies were performed to compare the two methods at various select locations, for both non-reacting argon flows as well reacting CO2/N2 flows. Preliminary conclusions show that, for non-reacting flows, the agreement between the two methods for surface heating is excellent (within expected uncertainties) for a freestream Knudsen number of 0.0006, and gets progressively worse as the Knudsen number increases to 0.06. Continuum breakdown analyses were performed and showed that, in general, the Gradient Length Local Knudsen number (KnGLL) from Boyd [1] and associated criteria (KnGLL > 0.05) can be accurately used to predict zones of breakdown in the flow, and associated errors for surface quantities. Furthermore, when studying reacting flow, our studies showed that while flow quantities are highly dependent on relaxation parameters and chemistry rates, it is possible to obtain a good agreement for surface heating, as long as the continuum breakdown in minimal (see Fig. 1). Finally, we studied the impact of the grid refinement on the surface quantities in DSMC.

DSMC↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparison Between DSMC and CFD for Hypersonic Planetary Entry Simulations

Hypersonic planetary entry flows span a wide range of Knudsen numbers between rarefied and continuum flows. While computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques cannot provide an accurate solution for flows in the rarefied regime, the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is capable of providing accurate solutions for flows in both in the rarefied and continuum regimes but becomes prohibitively expensive as the Knudsen number decreases. For the purpose of thermal protection systems (TPS) design and post-flight reconstruction, various selected points along an entry trajectory are often solved using hypersonic solvers. The quantities of interest that are obtained from that exercise are generally surface quantities, such as pressure, heat flux and enthalpy. Then, material response solvers are used to either design the heat shield to an optimal thickness based on a choice of material, or to provide in-depth heating profiles through the material at various select locations, and compare with flight instrumentation such as the ones that flew on NASA’s two most recent Mars missions, MSL and Mars2020. While most of the heating is generally experienced during the continuum part of the entry, the heating within the rarefied regime is significant for some atmospheres, and hence the flow solutions need to be computed using the DSMC method. Ensuring consistency between hypersonic CFD and the DSMC is crucial so that reliable surface quantities can be passed to material response solvers. Studies were performed to compare the two methods at various select locations, for both non-reacting argon flows as well reacting CO2/N2 flows. Preliminary conclusions show that, for non-reacting flows, the agreement between the two methods for surface heating is excellent (within expected uncertainties) for a freestream Knudsen number of 0.0006, and gets progressively worse as the Knudsen number increases to 0.06. Continuum breakdown analyses were performed and showed that, in general, the Gradient Length Local Knudsen number (KnGLL) from Boyd and associated criterion (KnGLL > 0.05) seems conservative in predicting zones of breakdown in the flow, and associated errors for surface quantities. Updated criteria of KnGLL = 2.0 and 0.5 appear to be more appropriate for surface and flow quantities, respectively. Furthermore, when studying reacting flows, our studies showed that while flow quantities are highly dependent on relaxation parameters and chemistry rates, it is possible to obtain a good agreement for surface heating, as long as the continuum breakdown is minimal.

DSMC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electron Microscopy Approaches to Unraveling the Structure of Amorphous Materials

Determining atomic structures in crystalline materials—where atoms are arranged in rigid, periodic lattices—has been highly successful using probes such as electrons, X-rays, and neutrons. In contrast, amorphous materials, despite their ubiquity and technological importance, remain far more challenging to characterize with comparable accuracy and precision. This review highlights existing, emerging, and potential (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM) techniques for probing short- and medium-range order in amorphous materials. Approaches ranging from high-resolution (S)TEM imaging and selected electron diffraction pattern to four-dimensional STEM (4D-STEM) based pair distribution function, fluctuation electron microscopy, tomography, ptychography, and spectroscopic methods are discussed, emphasizing their ability to provide complementary insights across multiple length scales—from sub-angstrom local environments to nanometer-scale correlations. Here, we further explore the promise of multimodal and correlative strategies, as well as the growing role of machine learning and physics-informed AI in enabling real-time, quantitative interpretation of complex structural signatures. Together, these advances point toward a future where electron microscopy not only reveals the hidden order in amorphous systems but also establishes robust structure–property relationships, paving the way for materials innovation in disordered matter.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1985

Raman structural studies of the nickel electrode

Raman spectroscopy is sensitive to empirically controlled nickel electrode structural variations, and has unique potential for structural characterization of these materials. How the structure relates to electrochemical properties is examined so that the latter can be more completely understood, controlled, and optimized. Electrodes were impregnated and cycled, and cyclic voltammetry is being used for electrochemical characterization. Structural variation was observed which has escaped detection using other methods. Structural changes are induced by: (1) cobalt doping, (2) the state of change or discharge, (3) the preparation conditions and type of buffer used, and (4) the formation process. Charged active mass has an NiOOH-type structure, agreeing with X-ray diffraction results. Discharged active mass, however, is not isostructural with beta-Ni(OH)2. Chemically prepared alpha phases are not isostructural either. A disordered structural model, containing point defects, is proposed for the cycled materials. This model explains K(+) incorporation. Band assignments were made and spectra interpreted for beta-Ni(OH)2, electrochemical NiOOH and chemically precipitated NiOOH.

Cornilsen, B. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Simultaneous elastic and photoelastic calibration of birefringent orthotropic model materials

Transmission photoelastic analysis of composite models has been shown in recent years to be a viable stress analysis method for composite structures. However, difficulties in the fabrication of the model materials require the development of efficient mechanical and optical calibration procedures. In this paper, the methods for measuring elastic and photoelastic constants of composites are briefly reviewed. Then a new method, utilizing a relatively small calibration specimen, is described. In this method, electrical resistance strain gauges are mounted at selected points of a half-plane model and photoelastic measurements and strain readings are simultaneously taken. The data are processed by a least-squares procedure to yield the elastic and photoelastic constants. Comparison of results obtained by the proposed method with the results from conventional tests shows good agreement.

Prabhakaran, R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Fracture of composites using singular finite elements

Six noded quarter point natural isoparametric triangular elements are employed to obtain displacement and stress distributions around the crack tip in unidirectional graphite epoxy. The performance of the quarter point element for predicting crack growth direction in unidirectional composite materials is studied for different loading conditions and fiber orientations. The finite element results are compared to analytical solutions of anisotropic elasticity where available. Notched Iosipescu shear specimens are analyzed to study fracture behavior under shear loading. Two methods for determining stress intensity factors are presented.

Choksi, G. N.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Variable Depth Bragg Peak Method for Single Event Effects Testing

Traditionally, accelerator SEE testing is accomplished by removing the tops of packages so that the IC chips are accessible to heavy ions. However, ICs in some advanced packages cannot be de-lidded so a different approach is used that involves grinding and/or chemically etching away part of the package and the chip from the back side. The parts are then tested from the back side with ions having sufficient range to reach the sensitive volume. More recently, the entire silicon substrate in an SOI/SRAM was removed, making it possible to use low-energy ions with shorter ranges. Where removal of part of the package is not possible, facilities at Michigan State, NASA Space Radiation Laboratory, GANIL (France) and GSI (Germany) offer high-energy heavy ions with long ranges so that the ions can reach the devices' sensitive volumes without much change in the LET. Unfortunately, a run will typically involve only one ion species having a single energy and LET due to the long time it takes to tune a new energy. The Variable Depth Bragg Peak (VDBP) method is similar to the above method in that it involves the use of high-energy heavy ions that are able to pass through the packaging material and reach the device, obviating the need to remove the package. However, the method provides a broad range of LETs from a single ion by inserting degraders in the beam that modify the ion energy and, therefore, the LET. The crux of the method involves establishing a fiduciary point for degrader thickness, i.e., where the Bragg peak is located precisely at the sensitive volume in the device, for which the measured SEU cross-section and the ion LET are both also maxima and can be calculated using a Monte-Carlo program, TRIM. Once the fiduciary point has been established, calibrated high density polyethylene (HDPE) degraders are inserted into or removed from the beam to vary the ion LET at the device in a known manner. After each change of degrader thickness, the SEU cross-section is measured and the corresponding LET calculated from the change in degrader thickness. That information is used to generate a plot of cross-section as a function of ion LET. The advantages of this approach are that the part does not have to be de-lidded and a broad range of LETs is available from a single heavy ion without having to go to non-normal angles of incidence to change the "effective" LET. As we will show, it is possible to obtain an entire curve of cross-section versus LET using just two or three ions. Fig. 1 shows curves of cross-section vs LET for a Freescale 4 Mbit SOI/SRAM measured at the 88" Cyclotron at Berkeley and at NSRL. The open symbols are the data obtained from Berkeley for top-side and back-side irradiation. The solid data points are for the data obtained at NSRL using a device for which the package was intact. The data are for Iron and Gold and cover a range of LETs from 4 MeV.cm2/mg to 84 MeV.cm2/mg. The agreement between the data obtained from Berkeley and from NSRL is excellent, demonstrating that the VDBP method is capable of providing accurate values of cross-section versus LET, at least for the 4 Mbit SRAM. Details of the technique will be included in the final presentation.

Buchner, S.↗
NASA NTRS1976

A methodology for small scale rural land use mapping in semi-arid developing countries using orbital imagery. Part 5: Experimental and operational techniques of mapping land use

The author has identified the following significant results. Scope of the preprocessing techniques was restricted to standard material from the EROS Data Center accompanied by some enlarging procedures and the use of the diazo process. Investigation has shown that the most appropriate sampling strategy for this study is the stratified random technique. A viable sampling procedure, together with a method for determining minimum number of sample points in order to test results of any interpretation are presented.

Vangenderen, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Sandwich beam compressive test method

Tests presented show that the sandwich beam in four-point bending could be used to obtain reliable compressive elastic constants for graphite/polyimide laminates although some difficulties were encountered measuring composite compressive strengths. Data were obtained for ultimate stress, ultimate strain, Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio values in 117K, room temperature, and 589K test environments for the HTS1/PMR-15 material system. A total of 36 compressive tests on various laminates were performed. Also, 24 tensile tests on the same laminate orientations were performed to obtain input to the analytical portion of this program. A portion of the beam test section was analyzed using a linear elastic finite element computer program to predict the stress state in the graphite/polyimide composite. The influence of the honeycomb core of this stress state was analytically determined.

Shuart, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

FEM/SINDA: Combining the strengths of NASTRAN, SINDA, I-DEAS, and PATRAN for thermal and structural analysis

This paper describes the interface/integration between FEM/SINDA, a general purpose geometry driven thermal analysis code, and the FEM software: I-DEAS, PATRAN, and NASTRAN. FEM/SINDA brings together the advantages of the finite element method to model arbitrary geometry and anisotropic materials and SINDA's finite difference capability to model thermal properties, loads, and boundary conditions that vary with time or temperature. I-DEAS and PATRAN thermal entities are directly supported since FEM/SINDA uses the nodes of the FEM model as the point at which the temperature is determined. Output from FEM/SINDA (as well as the FEM/SINDA input deck) can be used directly by NASTRAN for structural analysis.

Zarda, P. Richard↗