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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Manganese, Metallogenium, and Martian Microfossils

Manganese could easily be considered an abundant element in the Martian regolith, assuming that the composition of martian meteorites reflects the composition of the planet. Mineralogical analyses of 5 SNC meteorites have revealed an average manganese oxide concentration of 0.48%, relative to the 0.1% concentration of manganese found in the Earth's crust. On the Earth, the accumulation of manganese oxides in oceans, soils, rocks, sedimentary ores, fresh water systems, and hydrothermal vents can be largely attributed to microbial activity. Manganese is also a required trace nutrient for most life forms and participates in many critical enzymatic reactions such as photosynthesis. The wide-spread process of bacterial manganese cycling on Earth suggests that manganese is an important element to both geology and biology. Furthermore, there is evidence that bacteria can be fossilized within manganese ores, implying that manganese beds may be good repositories for preserved biomarkers. A particular genus of bacteria, known historically as Metallogenium, can form star-shaped manganese oxide minerals (called metallogenium) through the action of manganese oxide precipitation along its surface. Fossilized structures that resemble metallogenium have been found in Precambrian sedimentary formations and in Cretaceous-Paleogene cherts. The Cretaceous-Paleogene formations are highly enriched in manganese and have concentrations of trace elements (Fe, Zn, Cu, and Co) similar to modern-day manganese oxide deposits in marine environments. The appearance of metallogenium-like fossils associated with manganese deposits suggests that bacteria may be preserved within the minerals that they form. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Stein, L. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Identification of the prooxidant site of human ceruloplasmin: a model for oxidative damage by copper bound to protein surfaces

Free transition metal ions oxidize lipids and lipoproteins in vitro; however, recent evidence suggests that free metal ion-independent mechanisms are more likely in vivo. We have shown previously that human ceruloplasmin (Cp), a serum protein containing seven Cu atoms, induces low density lipoprotein oxidation in vitro and that the activity depends on the presence of a single, chelatable Cu atom. We here use biochemical and molecular approaches to determine the site responsible for Cp prooxidant activity. Experiments with the His-specific reagent diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) showed that one or more His residues was specifically required. Quantitative [14C]DEPC binding studies indicated the importance of a single His residue because only one was exposed upon removal of the prooxidant Cu. Plasmin digestion of [14C]DEPC-treated Cp (and N-terminal sequence analysis of the fragments) showed that the critical His was in a 17-kDa region containing four His residues in the second major sequence homology domain of Cp. A full length human Cp cDNA was modified by site-directed mutagenesis to give His-to-Ala substitutions at each of the four positions and was transfected into COS-7 cells, and low density lipoprotein oxidation was measured. The prooxidant site was localized to a region containing His426 because CpH426A almost completely lacked prooxidant activity whereas the other mutants expressed normal activity. These observations support the hypothesis that Cu bound at specific sites on protein surfaces can cause oxidative damage to macromolecules in their environment. Cp may serve as a model protein for understanding mechanisms of oxidant damage by copper-containing (or -binding) proteins such as Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase, and amyloid precursor protein.

NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology↗
NASA NTRS1996

Thermochemical Degradation Mechanisms for Reinforced Carbon/Carbon Panels on the Space Shuttle

The wing leading edge and nose cone of the space shuttle are fabricated from a reinforced carbon/carbon material (RCC). This material attains its durability from a diffusion coating of silicon carbide (SiC) and a glass sealant (ref. 1). During reentry, this material is subjected to an oxidizing high-temperature environment. Joint work between the Ohio State University and the NASA Lewis Research Center led to a survey of potential degradation mechanisms of the reinforced carbon/carbon (RCC) material at high temperatures

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1999

Continuous method of producing silicon carbide fibers

This invention pertains to a method for production of polycrystalline ceramic fibers from silicon oxycarbide (SiCO) ceramic fibers wherein the method comprises heating an amorphous ceramic fiber containing silicon and carbon in an inert environment comprising a boron oxide and carbon monoxide at a temperature sufficient to convert the amorphous ceramic fiber to a polycrystalline ceramic fiber. By having carbon monoxide present during the heating of the ceramic fiber, it is possible to achieve higher production rates on a continuous process.

Barnard, Thomas Duncan↗
NASA NTRS2016

Development Status and Performance Comparisons of Environmental Barrier Coating Systems for SiCSiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

Environmental barrier coatings (EBC) and SiCSiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) will play a crucial role in future aircraft turbine engine systems, because of their ability to significantly increase engine operating temperatures, reduce engine weight and cooling requirements. This paper presents current NASA EBC-CMC development emphases including: the coating composition and processing improvements, laser high heat flux-thermal gradient thermo-mechanical fatigue - environmental testing methodology development, and property evaluations for next generation EBC-CMC systems. EBCs processed with various deposition techniques including Plasma Spray, Electron Beam - Physical Vapor Deposition, and Plasma Spray Physical Vapor Deposition (PS-PVD) will be particularly discussed. The testing results and demonstrations of advanced EBCs-CMCs in complex simulated engine thermal gradient cyclic fatigue, oxidizing-steam and CMAS environments will help provide insights into the coating development strategies to meet long-term engine component durability goals.

Processing and Properties↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mirror coatings for large aperture UV optical infrared telescope optics

Large space telescope concepts such as LUVOIR and HabEx aiming for observations from far UV to near IR require advanced coating technologies to enable efficient gathering of light with important spectral signatures including those in far UV region down to 90nm. Typical Aluminum mirrors protected with MgF2 fall short of the requirements below 120nm. New and improved coatings are sought to protect aluminum from oxidizing readily in normal environment causing severe absorption and reduction of reflectance in the deep UV. Choice of materials and the process of applying coatings present challenges. Here we present the progress achieved to date with experimental investigations of coatings at JPL and at GSFC and discuss the path forward to achieve high reflectance in the spectral region from 90 to 300nm without degrading performance in the visible and NIR regions taking into account durability concerns when the mirrors are exposed to normal laboratory environment as well as high humidity conditions. Reflectivity uniformity required on these mirrors is also discussed.

Quijada, Manuel↗
NASA NTRS1989

MoS2 interactions with 1.5 eV atomic oxygen

Exposures of MoS2 to 1.5-eV atomic oxygen in an anhydrous environment reveal that the degree of oxidation is essentially independent of crystallite orientation, and that the surface-adsorbed reaction products are MoO3 and MoO2. A mixture of oxides and sulfide exists over a depth of about 90 A, and this layer has a low diffusion rate for oxygen. It is concluded that a protective oxide layer forms on MoS2 on exposure to the atomic-oxygen-rich environment of LEO.

Martin, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Failure Analysis of Main Flame Deflector Nelson Studs

NASA Structures engineers submitted two Nelson refractory studs from the main flame deflector at Launch Complex (LC) 39 A for analysis when they were observed to be missing a significant amount of material after launch. The damaged stud and an unused comparative stud were analyzed by macroscopic and microscopic examination along with metallographic evaluation of the microstructure. The stud lost material due to a combination of erosion and corrosion. Plain carbon steel readily forms an oxide layer in the coastal launch environment at Kennedy Space Center. The blast during a launch removes this brittle oxide layer, which then forms again post-launch, thereby further removing material. No indications of melting were observed.

Long, Victoria↗
NASA NTRS1988

Oxidation and protection of fiberglass-epoxy composite masts for photovoltaic arrays in the low Earth orbital environment

Fiberglass-epoxy composites are considered for use as structural members for the mast of the space station solar array panel. The low Earth orbital environment in which space station is to operate is composed mainly of atomic oxygen, which has been shown to cause erosion of many organic materials and some metals. Ground based testing in a plasma asher was performed to determine the extent of degradation of fiberglass-epoxy composites when exposed to a simulated atomic oxygen environment. During exposure, the epoxy at the surface of the composite was oxidized, exposing individual glass fibers which could easily be removed. Several methods of protecting the composite were evaluated in an atomic oxygen environment and with thermal cycling and flexing. The protection techniques evaluated to date include an aluminum braid covering, an indium-tin eutectic and a silicone based paint. The open aluminum braid offered little protection while the CV-1144 coating offered some initial protection against atomic oxygen, but appears to develop cracks which accelerate degradation when flexed. Coatings such as the In-Sn eutectic may provide adequate protection by containing the glass fibers even though mass loss still occurs.

Rutledge, Sharon K.↗
NASA NTRS2003

New Oxide Ceramic Developed for Superior High-Temperature Wear Resistance

Ceramics, for the most part, do not have inherently good tribological properties. For example friction coefficients in excess of 0.7 have been reported for silicon nitride sliding on silicon nitride or on bearing steel (ref. 1). High friction is always accompanied by considerable wear. Despite their inherently poor tribological properties, the high strength and high toughness of silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramics has led to their successful use in tribological applications (refs. 1 to 4). The upper temperature limit for the application of Si3N4 as wear-resistant material is limited by reaction with the tribological environment (ref. 3). Silicon nitride is known to produce a thin silicon dioxide film with easy shear capability that results in low friction and low wear in a moist environment (ref. 5). At elevated temperatures, the removal of the reaction product that acts as lubricant causes the friction coefficient to increase and, consequently, the wear performance to become poor. New materials are sought that will have wear resistance superior to that of Si3N4 at elevated temperatures and in harsh environments. A new class of oxide ceramic materials has been developed with potential for excellent high-temperature wear resistance. The new material consists of a multicomponent oxide with a two-phase microstructure, in which the wear resistance of the mixed oxide is significantly higher than that of the individual constituents. This is attributed to the strong constraining effects provided by the interlocking microstructures at different length scales, to the large aspect ratio of the phases, to the strong interphase bonding, and to the residual stresses. Fretting wear tests were conducted by rubbing the new ceramic material against boron carbide (B4C). The new ceramic material produced a wear track groove on B4C, suggesting significantly higher wear resistance for the oxide ceramic. The new material did not suffer from any microstructural degradation after the wear test. The wear rate of the new ceramic material at 600 C was determined to be on the order of 10-10 mm3/N-m, which is 3 to 5 orders of magnitude lower than that for the current state-of-theart wear-resistant materials (Si3N4and B4C). The friction coefficient of the new ceramic materials is on the order of 0.4, which is significantly lower than that of silicon nitride. This new class of oxide materials has shown considerable potential for applications requiring high wear resistance at high temperatures and in harsh environments. New understanding of the wear behavior of ceramic materials is emerging as a result of the surprisingly high wear resistance of two-phase oxide ceramics. There is excellent potential for further improvements in the wear resistance of oxide ceramics through optimizing the microstructure and altering the crystallographic properties of specific oxide materials as a second phase to reduce the coefficient of friction at elevated temperatures.

Sayir, Ali↗
NASA NTRS1990

Silicon dioxide space coatings studied ellipsometrically

Mechanisms of initial oxidation of silicon for the formation of silicon dioxide have been investigated. The oxidation of silicon in an atomic oxigen plasma environment is found to exhibit two distinct and linear oxide growth curves for each of the plasma powers used in ashing (25, 50, and 100 watts). Data obtained indicate that the exponent to the pressure in the oxide growth rate formula changes from 1.4 + or - 0.1 to 0.7 + or - 0.1 as one crosses the critical thickness. These data contradict the theory predicting that this exponent should be 1 for both regimes. The activation energy for oxidation in the zone reaction regime is found to be 0.17 eV, in contrast to the published value of 1-2 eV for thermally grown oxides.

De, Bhola N.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Oxidation of Carbon Fibers in Water Vapor Studied

T-300 carbon fibers (BP Amoco Chemicals, Greenville, SC) are a common reinforcement for silicon carbide composite materials, and carbon-fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composites (C/SiC) are proposed for use in space propulsion applications. It has been shown that the time to failure for C/SiC in stressed oxidation tests is directly correlated with the fiber oxidation rate (ref. 1). To date, most of the testing of these fibers and composites has been conducted in oxygen or air environments; however, many components for space propulsion, such as turbopumps, combustors, and thrusters, are expected to operate in hydrogen and water vapor (H2/H2O) environments with very low oxygen contents. The oxidation rate of carbon fibers in conditions representative of space propulsion environments is, therefore, critical for predicting component lifetimes for real applications. This report describes experimental results that demonstrate that, under some conditions, lower oxidation rates of carbon fibers are observed in water vapor and H2/H2O environments than are found in oxygen or air. At the NASA Glenn Research Center, the weight loss of the fibers was studied as a function of water pressure, temperature, and gas velocity. The rate of carbon fiber oxidation was determined, and the reaction mechanism was identified.

Opila, Elizabeth J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The evolution of enstatite and chondrules in unequilibrated enstatite chondrites: Evidence from iron-rich pyroxene

FeO-rich (Fs(sub 6)-34) pyroxene lacking cathodoluminescence (CL), hereafter black pyroxene, is a major constituent of some of the chondrules and fragments in unequilibrated (type 3) enstatite chondrites (UECs). It contains structurally oriented zones of Cr-, Mn-, V-rich, FeO-poor enstatite with red CL, associated with mm-sized blebs of low-Ni, Fe-metal and, in some cases, silica. These occurrences represent clear evidence of pyroxene reduction. The black pyroxene is nearly always rimmed by minor element (Cr, Mn, V)-poor enstatite having a blue CL. More commonly, red and blue enstatites, unassociated with black pyroxene, occur as larger grains in chondrules and fragments, and these constitute the major silicate phases in UECs. The rare earth element (REE) abundance patterns of the black pyroxene are LREE-depleted. The blue enstatite rims, however, have a near-flat to LREE-enriched pattern, approx. 0.5-4x chondritic. The petrologic and trace element data indicate that the black pyroxene is from an earlier generation of chondrules that formed in a nebular region that was more oxidizing than that of the enstatite chondrites. Following solidification, these chondrules experienced a more reducing nebular environment and underwent reduction. Some, perhaps most, of the red enstatite that is common throughout the UECs may be the product of solid-state reduction of black pyroxene. The blue enstatite rims grew onto the surfaces of the black pyroxene and red enstatite as a result of condensation from a nebular gas. The evolutionary history of some of the enstatite and chondrules in enstatite chondrites can be expressed in a four-stage model that includes: Stage 1. Formation of chondrules in an oxidizing nebular environment. Stage 2. Solid-state reduction of the more oxidized chondrules and fragments to red enstatite in a more reducing nebular environment. Stage 3. Formation of blue enstatite rims on the black pyroxene as well as on the red enstatite. Stage 4. Reprocessing, by various degrees of melting, of many of the earlier-formed materials.

Weisberg, Michael K.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Arc Jet Testing of Hafnium Diboride Based Ultra High Temperature Ceramics

Hafnium Diboride (HFB,) based materials have shown promise for use in a number of high temperature aerospace applications, including rocket nozzles and as leading edges on hypersonic reentry vehicles. The stability of the materials in relevant environments is key to determining their suitability for a particular application. In this program we have been developing HfB2/SiC materials for use as sharp leading edges. The program as a whole included processing and characterization of the HfBJSiC materials. The specific work discussed here will focus on studies of the materials oxidation behavior in simulated reentry environments through arc jet testing. Four flat face models were tested to examine the influence of heat flux and stagnation pressure on the materials oxidation behavior. The results from arc jet testing of two HfB2/SiC cone models will also be discussed. Each cone model was run multiple times with gradually increasing heat fluxes. Total run times on a single cone model exceeded 80 minutes. For both the flat face and cone models surface temperatures well in excess of 2200 C were measured. Post test microstructural examination of the models and correlations with measured temperatures will be discussed.

Ellerby, Don↗
NASA NTRS1980

Evaluation of micron size carbon fibers released from burning graphite composites

Quantitative estimates were developed of micron carbon fibers released during the burning of graphite composites. Evidence was found of fibrillated particles which were the predominant source of the micron fiber data obtained from large pool fire tests. The fibrillation phenomena were attributed to fiber oxidation effects caused by the fire environment. Analysis of propane burn test records indicated that wind sources can cause considerable carbon fiber oxidation. Criteria estimates were determined for the number of micron carbon fibers released during an aircraft accident. An extreme case analysis indicated that the upper limit of the micron carbon fiber concentration level was only about half the permissible asbestos ceiling concentration level.

Sussholz, B.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Oxidation Kinetics of Chemically Vapor-Deposited Silicon Carbide in Wet Oxygen

The oxidation kinetics of chemically vapor-deposited SiC in dry oxygen and wet oxygen (P(sub H2O) = 0.1 atm) at temperatures between 1200 C and 1400 C were monitored using thermogravimetric analysis. It was found that in a clean environment, 10% water vapor enhanced the oxidation kinetics of SiC only very slightly compared to rates found in dry oxygen. Oxidation kinetics were examined in terms of the Deal and Grove model for oxidation of silicon. It was found that in an environment containing even small amounts of impurities, such as high-purity Al2O3 reaction tubes containing 200 ppm Na, water vapor enhanced the transport of these impurities to the oxidation sample. Oxidation rates increased under these conditions presumably because of the formation of less protective sodium alumino-silicate scales.

Opila, Elizabeth J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The Carlisle Lakes-type chondrites - A new grouplet with high Delta(17)O and evidence for nebular oxidation

The petrogenesis of the Carlisle Lakes-type chondrites and their relationship to other chondrites are studied using new petrologic data, especially on mineralogical zoning patterns, and oxygen isotopic analyses of the whole chondrites and some of chondrules. Detailed zoning profiles of mafic silicates are measured in order to determine the environment(s) in which their oxidation states are established. It is concluded that the zoning did not form during crystallization from a melt droplet chondrule but post-dated chondrule formation. Parent-body thermal metamorphism and nebular gas-solid exchange reactions accompanied by condensation of new FeO-rich olivine, utilizing existing olivine surfaces as nucleation sites are considered as hypotheses explaining the zoning. The occurrence of zoned grains in a host that is mainly equilibrated suggests that the equilibration of the Carlisle Lakes-type chondrites occurred prior to final lithification.

Weisberg, Michael K.↗