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At least 325 records · Page 18

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NASA NTRS1976

Selected fretting-wear-resistant coatings for titanium - 6-percent-aluminum - 4-percent-vanadium alloy

A titanium - 6-percent-aluminum - 4-percent-vanadium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) was subjected to fretting-wear exposures against uncoated Ti-6Al-4V as a baseline and against various coatings and surface treatments applied to Ti-6Al-4V. The coatings evaluated included plasma-sprayed tungsten carbide with 12 percent cobalt, aluminum oxide with 13 percent titanium oxide, chromium oxide, and aluminum bronze with 10 percent aromatic polyester; polymer-bonded polyimide, polyimide with graphite fluoride, polyimide with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and methyl phenyl silicone bonded MoS2, preoxidation surface treatment, a nitride surface treatment, and a sputtered MoS2 coating. Results of wear measurements on both the coated and uncoated surfaces after 300,000 fretting cycles indicated that the polyimide coating was the most wear resistant and caused the least wear to the uncoated mating surface.

Bill, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Carbide coated fibers in graphites-aluminum composites

Research activities are described for a NASA-supported program at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory to develop graphite fiber-aluminum matrix composites. A chemical vapor deposition apparatus was constructed for continuously coating graphite fibers with TiC. As much as 150 meters of continuously coated fibers were produced. Deposition temperatures were varied from 1365 K to about 1750 K, and deposition time from 6 to 150 seconds. The 6 sec deposition time corresponded to a fiber feed rate of 2.54 m/min through the coater. Thin, uniform, adherent TiC coats, with thicknesses up to approximately 0.1 micrometer were produced on the individual fibers of Thornel 50 graphite yarns without affecting fiber strength. Although coat properties were fairly uniform throughout a given batch, more work is needed to improve the batch-to-batch reproducibility. Samples of TiC-coated Thornel 50 fibers were infiltrated with an aluminum alloy and hot-pressed in vacuum to produce small composite bars for flexure testing. Strengths as high as 90% of the rule-of-mixtures strength were achieved. Results of the examination of the fracture surfaces indicate that the bonding between the aluminum and the TiC-coated fibers is better than that achieved in a similar, commercially infiltrated material made with fibers having no observable surface coats. Several samples of Al-infiltrated, TiC-coated Thornel 50 graphite yarns, together with samples of the commercially infiltrated, uncoated fibers, were heated for 100 hours at temperatures near the alloy solidus. The TiC-coated samples appear to undergo less reaction than do the uncoated samples. Photomicrographs are shown.

Imprescia, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Brazing dissimilar aluminum alloys

Dip-brazing process joins aluminum castings to aluminum sheet made from different aluminum alloy. Process includes careful cleaning, surface preparation, and temperature control. It causes minimum distortion of parts.

Dalalian, H.↗

NASA NTRS1979

The effect of surface oxide layer on the rate of hydrogen emission from aluminum and its alloys in a high vacuum

The influence of surface oxide layers on the kinetics of hydrogen emission at the high vacuum of 10 to the minus 8th power torr was investigated at temperatures from 20 to 450 C using samples of pure AB00 aluminum and the cast alloy AMg. Cast and deformed samples of AMts alloy were used to study the effect of oxide film thickness on the rate of hydrogen emission. Thermodynamic calculations of the reactions of the generation and dissociation of aluminum oxide show that degasification at elevated temperatures (up to 600 C) and high vacuum will not reduce the thickness of artificially-generated surface oxide layers on aluminum and its alloys.

Makarova, V. I.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Extreme ultraviolet reflection efficiencies of diamond-turned aluminum, polished nickel, and evaporated gold surfaces

Measured reflection efficiencies are presented for flat samples of diamond-turned aluminum, nickel, and evaporated gold surfaces fabricated by techniques suited for EUV telescopes. The aluminum samples were 6.2-cm-diameter disks of 6061-T6, the electroless nickel samples were formed by plating beryllium disks with 7.5-microns of Kanigen. Gold samples were produced by coating the aluminum and nickel samples with 5 strips of evaporated gold. Reflection efficiencies are given for grazing angles in the 5-75 degree range. The results indicate that for wavelengths over about 100 A, the gold-coated nickel samples yield highest efficiencies. For shorter wavelengths, the nickel samples yield better efficiencies. 500 A is found to be the optimal gold thickness.

Malina, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Resonance-tube ignition of aluminum

An experimental program was carried out to determine whether spontaneous fluid-dynamic oscillations could create a hazard in gaseous oxygen flow systems by igniting metal contaminants. The particular fluid-dynamic oscillation studied was the resonance-tube phenomenon as it was excited in a tee-shaped configuration representative of configurations found in many industrial flow systems. Pure aluminum was chosen as the candidate material for ignition. The oscillations in the tee-shaped configuration were compared with oscillations driven by choked convergent nozzles and were found to differ markedly. The temperatures generated at the base of the resonance tube were well in excess of 1000 F for both gaseous oxygen and nitrogen. The effect of inert particulate matter introduced into the resonance tube was to increase significantly the measured temperatures. Aluminum in both powder and fiber form was readily ignited within the resonance tube at pressures less than 1200 psia. At higher pressures, the aluminum-oxygen mixture exploded. This investigation confirms the hazardous nature of resonance-tube oscillations as generated in typical piping configurations that use high-pressure oxygen.

Phillips, B. R.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Aluminum-encased lead mallet

Soft hammer will not mar or distort work piece. Aluminum casing, made from aluminum tube, reduces flaring and flaking of lead. Lead can be melted out and recast to refurbish hammer when necessary. Hammer would replace plastic, lead, and aluminum soft hammers currently used widely in industry.

Chin, F.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Corrosion resistance of sodium sulfate coated cobalt-chromium-aluminum alloys at 900 C, 1000 C, and 1100 C

The corrosion of sodium sulfate coated cobalt alloys was measured and the results compared to the cyclic oxidation of alloys with the same composition, and to the hot corrosion of compositionally equivalent nickel-base alloys. Cobalt alloys with sufficient aluminum content to form aluminum containing scales corrode less than their nickel-base counterparts. The cobalt alloys with lower aluminum levels form CoO scales and corrode more than their nickel-base counterparts which form NiO scales.

Santoro, G. J.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Preparation of cast aluminum alloy-mica particle composites

A method for making aluminum-mica particle composites is presented in which mica particles are stirred in molten aluminum alloys followed by casting in permanent molds. Magnesium is added either as an alloying element or in the form of pieces to the surface of the alloy melts to disperse up to 3 wt% mica powders in the melts and to obtain high recoveries of mica in the castings. The mechanical properties of the aluminum alloy-mica composite decrease with increasing mica content; however, even at 2.2% it has a tensile strength of 14.22 kg/sq mm with 1.1% elongation, a compression strength of 42.61 kg/sq mm, and an impact strength of 0.30 kgm/sq cm. Cryogenic and self-lubricating bearing are mentioned applications.

Deonath, MR.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Evaluation of several corrosion protective coating systems on aluminum

A study of several protective coating systems for use on aluminum in seawater/seacoast environments was conducted to review the developments made on protective coatings since early in the Space Shuttle program and to perform comparative studies on these coatings to determine their effectiveness for providing corrosion protection during exposure to seawater/seacoast environments. Panels of 2219-T87 aluminum were coated with 21 different systems and exposed to a 5 percent salt spray for 4000 hr. Application properties, adhesion measurements, heat resistance and corrosion protection were evaluated. For comparative studies, the presently specified Bostik epoxy system used on the SRB structures was included. Results of these tests indicate four systems with outstanding performance and four additional systems with protection almost as good. These systems are based on a chromated pretreatment, a chromate epoxy primer, and a polyurethane topcoat. Consideration for one of these systems should be included for those applications where superior corrosion protection for aluminum surfaces is required.

Higgins, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1981

The effect of mechanical surface and heat treatments on the erosion resistance of 6061 aluminum alloy

The effects of both mechanical surface treatments and heat treatments on the erosion resistance of 6061 aluminum alloy were studied in order to gain a better understanding of material properties which affect erosion behavior. It was found that mechanical surface treatments have little or no effect on the erosion resistance. This is due to the formation by particle impact of a work-hardened surface layer, independent of the initial surface condition. The erosion resistance of aluminum single crystals was found to be independent of orientation, which is due to destruction of the surface microstructure and formation of a polycrystalline surface layer by the particle impact as observed by X-ray diffraction. Although on solution treatment of annealed aluminum 6061 the increase in hardness is accompanied by an increase in erosion resistance, precipitation treatment (which causes a further increase in hardness) results in a slightly lower erosion resistance.

Salik, J.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Hydrogen outgassing considerations for an orbiting aluminum molecular shield

A molecular shield and associated hardware made of pure aluminum is shown to have an outgassing rate sufficiently low so that operations in orbit would undergo less density contributions than that present from the upper atmospheric atomic hydrogen contribution. Measurements of the atomic hydrogen outgassing from baked-out 6061 aluminum cylindrical samples 3 mm thick are demonstrated to be less than 1/100 trillion l/sec per sq cm, comparable to that of austenitic stainless steels. Calculations of the density distribution with a hemispherical molecular shield are presented, and the elimination of porosity in the aluminum shells is recommended by means of vacuum melting.

Outlaw, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1982

A study of the initial oxidation of evaporated thin films of aluminum by AES, ELS, and ESD

The room temperature, low pressure, oxidation of evaporated aluminum thin films has been studied by AES, ELS, and ESD. ESD was the most sensitive of the three methods to characterize a clean aluminum surface. Two oxidation stages were distinguished in the 0-3000 L oxygen exposure range. Between 0 and 50 L, the chemisorption of oxygen atoms was characterized by a fast decrease of the 67 eV AES Al peak and the 10 eV surface plasmon peak, and by a simultaneous increase of the oxygen AES and ESD signals. After 50 L, a change in slope in all AES and ESD signal variations was attributed to the slow growth of a thin layer of aluminum oxide, which after 3000 L was still only a few angstroms thick.

Bujor, M.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Applications of high-temperature powder metal aluminum alloys to small gas turbines

A program aimed at the development of advanced powder-metallurgy (PM) aluminum alloys for high-temperature applications up to 650 F using the concepts of rapid solidification and mechanical alloying is discussed. In particular, application of rapidly solidified PM aluminum alloys to centrifugal compressor impellers, currently used in auxiliary power units for both military and commercial aircraft and potentially for advanced automotive gas turbine engines, is examined. It is shown that substitution of high-temperature aluminum for titanium alloy impellers operating in the 360-650 F range provides significant savings in material and machining costs and results in reduced component weight, and consequently, reduced rotating group inertia requirements.

Millan, P. P., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Low-Weight Inserts for Aluminum Honeycomb Panels

Fiber/epoxy composites used in place of solid aluminum. New proposal suggests to make inserts out of such lightweight, high strength materials as fiber/epoxy composites or high density aluminum honeycomb. Composite insert is same size and shape as aluminum insert it replaces.

Bumgarner, G. S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Shielded Aluminum Flat-Conductor Cable

Thin wiring harness stores compactly. Flat aluminum conductors glued between layers of polyimide. Aluminum shield surrounds insulated conductors. Outer layer polyimide. Aluminum shield reduces flexibility of cable and cable withstand only limited number of repetitions of sharp bending at same spot.

Farina, S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Electron-stimulated desorption study of hydrogen-exposed aluminum films

H2 adsorption of evaporated clean and H2-exposed aluminum films is investigated by using the electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) method. A strong H(+)ESD signal is observed on a freshly evaporated aluminum surface which is clean according to previously proposed cleanlines criteria. An increased H(+) yield on H2 exposure is also observed. However, the increasing rate of H(+) emission could be directly correlated with small increases in H2O partial pressure during H2 exposure. It is proposed that the oxidation of aluminum by water vapor and subsequent adsorption of H2 or water is the primary process of the enhanced high H(+) yield during H2 exposure.

Park, CH.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Ignition phenomena of bulk aluminum alloy as a function of oxygen pressure

An ignition phenomena of 6061 aluminum alloy was investigated as a function of oxygen pressure. Cylindrical aluminum alloy specimens were ignited in a pure oxygen environment by a focused CW CO2 laser beam. The experiments were conducted at oxygen pressures ranging from 0.084 to 2.413 MPa. The temperature history of the entire upper surface of the specimen and of a 0.5 mm diameter spot located initially at the center of the specimen top surface was recorded by using a commercial two-color ratio pyrometer and a fast-response, narrow-band, two-color pyrometer. Mass, brightness, and interior temperatures (for certain experiments) were also recorded throughout the experiment. The results show that the surface temperatures at ignition of the alloy obtained from the temperature curves are below the melting temperature of the aluminum oxide and are slightly dependent on oxygen pressure. The data indicate that the ignition mechanism is complex and probably composed of several phenomena acting both separately and in conjunction with each other.

Nguyen, K.↗