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NASA NTRS2026

Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) Phase 1 3-Stage Compressor Rig Final Report - Unlimited Rights

The HyTEC Phase 1 3-Stage Compressor Rig project was conducted to mature and validate front-stage aerodynamic technologies in support of HyTEC Phase 2 and GEA’s Compact Core compressor. Building on the prior ERA Phase 2 Baseline Rig, GEA and NASA collaborated on the design and testing of the HyTEC rig, incorporating advanced technologies such as increased radius ratio, higher aerodynamic loading, and advanced casing treatment. The HyTEC test campaign leveraged similar design and instrumentation philosophy, test execution approach, and the same facility (NASA W-7) to enable clear comparison with the legacy ERA rig results. The HyTEC rig was designed to deliver benefits in efficiency, tip loading, operability, and aeromechanics, with success measured against defined TPMs that were anchored to the ERA baseline rig data.

Axial Compressors↗

NASA NTRS1995

Bend Properties of Sapphire Fibers at Elevated Temperatures: Bend Survivability - 1

The effect of temperature on the bend radius that a c-axis-oriented sapphire fiber can withstand was determined for fibers of various diameter. Bend stress rupture tests were performed for times of 1-100 h and temperatures of 300-1700 C. Fibers would survive the bend test undeformed, would fracture or would deform. The bend survival radius was determined to be the radius above which no fibers fractured or deformed for a given time-temperature treatment. It was found that the ability of fibers to withstand curvature decreases substantially with time and increasing temperature and that fibers of smaller diameter (46-83 micron) withstood smaller bend radii than would be expected from just a difference in fiber diameter when compared with the bend results of the fibers of large diameter (144 micron). This was probably due to different flaw populations, causing high temperature bend failure for the tested sapphire fibers of different diameters.

Sapphire↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Discrete Rotational Energy for Polyatomic Molecules in Direct Simulation Monte Carlo

Accurate prediction of aerothermodynamic loads in thermal non-equilibrium flows requires precise modeling of internal energy exchange. While previous direct simulation Monte Carlo frameworks have successfully implemented discrete rotational energy models for diatomic species, the treatment of polyatomic molecules has traditionally relied on continuous energy assumptions that break down at low temperatures and neglect critical high-temperature corrections. This study extends the discrete rotational energy models of Boyd and Gimelshein to fully encompass polyatomic molecules. The proposed framework implements quantized rotational energy level sampling for linear, spherical, and symmetric/asymmetric top rotors. Crucially, the model incorporates centrifugal distortion to address the limitations of the rigid-rotor assumption at hypersonic temperatures, and accounts for nuclear spin parity, which dictates the permissible rotational states and macroscopic specific heats at low temperatures. The model is verified through equilibrium sampling procedures, demonstrating agreement with theoretical quantum Boltzmann distributions and accurately reproducing thermophysical properties across a wide range of temperatures.

DSMC↗

NASA NTRS1965

Manufacturing Research in Support of Saturn V

Research achievements applicable to the production of Saturn V components a r e described in this report. Leakage at the mechanical connections in high-pressure lines has been minimized or eliminated through the use of precisely flared tubes. Flaring to close tolerance is done with a n orbital flaring adapter, and the forming operation is precisely controlled with an electronic control console. A technique of “aging” or heat-treatment hardening of aluminum materials has been used to form cylindrical-tank segments and double-contoured gore segments precisely, and to remove weld distortions). The control of weld porosity has been improved as a result of research which demonstrated the close correlation between electrical energy input per inch of weld and weld porosity and metallurgical quality. Based on this information, the gas metallic arc method has been used successfully for two-pass welding, and thinner gage aluminum has been welded (LOX tunnel to fuel bulkhead) with an MSFC designed gas metallic arc unit.

COMPOSITE MATERIAL↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluating Crystallinity in Thermoplastic composites

Thermoplastics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SR-1 Freedom Thermal Architecture Challenges

The SR-1 Freedom mission aims to demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) and deliver the Skyfall helicopter payload to Mars. Repurposing the existing Gateway Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) spacecraft and combining it with a 20 kWe-class nuclear power module (NPM) presents a variety of thermal architecture challenges. These include unprecedented waste heat rejection requirements, integration with a spacecraft bus originally designed for a different mission profile, and novel packaging constraints. This presentation will describe the simplified concept of operations as it relates to on-orbit thermal environments, early-phase architecture trades and supporting analyses, and planned forward work. We will also discuss our strategy for integrated thermal modeling of the complete spacecraft and examples of interface challenges necessitated by this ambitious effort.

Thermal↗

NASA NTRS1985

Bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery design

The initial design for the NASA-Lewis advanced nickel-hydrogen battery is discussed. Fabrication of two 10-cell boilerplate battery stacks will soon begin. The test batteries will undergo characterization testing and low Earth orbit life cycling. The design effectively deals with waste heat generated in the cell stack. Stack temperatures and temperature gradients are maintained to acceptable limits by utilizing the bipolar conduction plate as a heat path to the active cooling fluid panel external to the edge of the cell stack. The thermal design and mechanical design of the battery stack together maintain a materials balance within the cell. An electrolyte seal on each cell frame prohibits electrolyte bridging. An oxygen recombination site and electrolyte reservoir/separator design does not allow oxygen to leave the cell in which it was generated.

Koehler, C. W.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mitigating Grazing Flow Impedance Eduction Errors in Additively Manufactured Porous Liners

Additively manufactured porous metamaterials, including triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) cores, are promising candidates for aeroengine liners but often behave as extended-reacting treatments under grazing flow. Standard impedance eduction procedures assume locally-reacting behavior and can yield physically inconsistent results for such materials. This study evaluates internal partitions (thin solid walls inserted at regular intervals along the liner’s streamwise extent) as a means of suppressing internal streamwise propagation to improve eduction consistency. Six TPMS configurations were tested in the NASA Langley Grazing Flow Impedance Tube (GFIT) at partition spacings of 4′′, 2′′, and 1′′, as well as unpartitioned, and at Mach numbers up to 0.3. For most geometries, 2′′ partition spacing eliminated impedance discontinuities and substantially improved Prony correlation, though effectiveness varied with core topology. Partitions also altered the acoustic response of the liners: resistance increased, resonance frequencies shifted downward, and peak attenuation decreased while bandwidth broadened in some cases. Because partitions modify the liner itself, the educed impedance characterizes the partitioned system rather than the original unpartitioned core. These results establish partitioning as a practical pathway toward liners that are more compatible with standard eduction methods, while demonstrating that the intervention is itself an acoustic design change.

liners↗

NASA NTRS2024

Ejecta Management in a Safe Lithium Ion Battery Design

As lithium-ion battery energy densities continue to rise, managing the heat and pressure generated during failure events has become increasingly critical. Safety systems must effectively relieve pressure without releasing sparks, flames, or particulate matter, requiring robust filtration solutions. The challenge is compounded by the reduced free volume available for gas expansion in high-density designs, which increases the demands on these filters. While significant progress has been made through experimental studies and modeling efforts to understand the behavior of ejecta during battery failures, there remains a pressing need for practical, rule-of-thumb sizing parameters. These parameters would help correlate high-energy waste streams with appropriate filter design, ensuring reliable containment and safety. This talk will explore recent experimental findings in this area and discuss the potential pathways for developing these essential sizing guidelines.

Ejecta Management↗

NASA NTRS2025

A Review of Direct Ink Writing of Polymer Derived Ceramics

With the growing demand for materials capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and pressures, ceramic components with exceptional corrosion resistance and reliable mechanical properties have experienced a significant surge in demand. However, traditional ceramic forming methods involve high-temperatures and energy-intensive processes that often struggle to produce complex parts or composites efficiently. Polymer-Derived Ceramics (PDCs) offer a transformative solution by using polymeric precursors that can be converted into a wide variety of silicon-based and non-silicon-based ceramics through heat treatment. The polymeric nature of PDC precursors enables the fabrication of geometrically intricate components using conventional polymer-forming techniques at significantly lower processing temperatures. Furthermore, PDCs are well-suited for additive manufacturing (AM), allowing the production of complex structural and functional components through cost-effective, low-temperature processes. By leveraging the diverse properties of PDC materials – each with unique advantages and limitations – manufacturers can optimise performance for specific applications. This review provides an overview of the types of PDCs developed to date and their broad range of applications. Specifically, it delves into the Direct Ink Writing (DIW) process, exploring its rheological requirements and the critical role of fillers in tailoring the rheological properties of polymeric precursors to meet the specific demands of DIW.

Victoria Bishop↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Discrete Rotational Energy for Polyatomic Molecules in Direct Simulation Monte Carlo

The environments experienced by vehicles upon entry into planetary atmospheres generally result in severe aerothermodynamic loading. These flows are characterized by the formation of strong shock waves, behind which high temperatures and non-equilibrium environments are generated, and the accurate prediction of internal energy relaxation and chemical kinetics becomes important. This manuscript focuses on the internal relaxation of the rotational energy of polyatomic molecules. Previous work has described the implementation of a discrete rotational energy model for diatomic molecules (linear rotators). Later, Gimelshein et. al extended this model to include polyatomic molecular internal energies. However, they did not include details on how to generate the particles at equilibrium conditions and centrifugal distortion was not included in their model. The purpose of the present study is to extend the afore-mentioned models to the treatment of discrete rotational energy in polyatomic molecules with the addition of centrifugal distortion. An overview of the background theory needed for the implementation of the model will be given followed by the model itself and verification of the model. For example, sampled versus Boltzmann distributions are compared in Figure 1 for CH3 (oblate rotator – two quantum numbers) and examples of thermal relaxation behavior for linear and non-linear rotators are presented in Figure 2. In addition, comparisons of thermophysical properties will be presented, as well as examples of adiabatic relaxation and application to hypersonic flow.

Rarefied Gas Dynamics↗

NASA NTRS2026

Fatigue Life of Flow-Formed Aluminum 2195 and 6061 Alloys

The successful design and fabrication of metallic cryotanks for commercial aviation applications require lightweight, durable materials capable of withstanding high pressures and cryogenic temperatures through tens of thousands of thermomechanical refueling cycles. Flow forming is an advanced manufacturing technique that offers high-rate production and scalability for fabricating integrally stiffened cylinders suitable for cryotank applications. This work establishes the durability of flow-formed aluminum alloys by characterizing their fatigue life performance under conditions that mimic cryotank refueling cycles. Residual stresses in flow-formed aluminum-lithium (Al-Li) 2195-T6 cylinders were assessed using the contour method and found to be minimal. Fatigue life testing was conducted on flow-formed Al-Li 2195-T6 at room temperature and cryogenic temperatures (-321°F [-196°C]), with wrought Al-Li 2195-T6 serving as a baseline for comparison. Results showed that flow-formed materials exhibited fatigue performance comparable to or better than wrought materials, with no statistically significant differences observed between different specimen orientations relative to processing directions. Fractography revealed reduced delaminations in the flow-formed Al-Li 2195 samples as compared to wrought, indicating potential improvement to the microstructure that could result in improved service properties. Texture analysis using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) indicated recrystallization during heat treatment, potentially contributing to reduced delamination susceptibility. These findings demonstrating flow-formed material durability coupled with the high manufacturing efficiency of flow forming, makes flow forming an attractive process to produce aircraft cryotanks.

EBF3↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Microgravity Game Changers: Recent Accomplishments of Microgravity Assisted Materials Experiments on the ISS

This paper discusses important new materials, devices and technology produced in low-Earth orbit (LEO) that have been developed with funding from NASA’s In Space Production Applications (InSPA) Portfolio. In coordination with the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, InSPA supports innovative small businesses and other research & development organizations to develop microgravity-assisted applications that make significant impacts in a wide variety of industries on Earth. These technology development efforts are using the microgravity of orbital space to overcome gravity-induced defects on Earth to create high-value products for terrestrial markets in the areas of semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and communications. Through 24/7/365 operation on ISS for 25 years, coupled with commercial space transportation and services to, in, and from orbit, the microgravity environment has enabled pioneering science and significant commercial applications, including novel medical advances. World-leading researchers, innovators, and space payload developers provide compelling evidence through demonstrations on the ISS that materials processing in microgravity improves outcomes for a wide range of materials and products at all levels of the organization of matter, from quantum entities such as Bose-Einstein condensates, to crystals, alloys, composites, thin films, and photonics, to stem cells, medical diagnoses, medical treatments, and medical devices for humans. As of 2026, numerous examples proved by demonstration on ISS show the potential of these technologies in various fields. In this paper, a summary of four important experiments is presented.

microgravity medical devices↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Biosynthesized Thermoplastic/Regolith Composites for Closed-Loop In-Space Manufacturing

In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) is vital to supporting a sustained human presence on the Moon or Mars. With payload launch prices ranging from $4,000 to more than $1 million per kg, reducing payload mass is of critical interest. Using in-situ resources for ISM is particularly attractive as it allows for a system of Earth-independent manufacturing for the Lunar surface, reducing the initial payload mass that is required for current ISM systems that rely on terrestrially synthesized materials. This talk presents new composite materials made from Lunar and Martian regolith and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), a thermoplastic that offers the ability to be biosynthesized in space using various in-situ resources like organic waste or atmospheric CO2 as feedstock. The addition of regolith provides a route to creating materials with a diverse set of properties which will be discussed. The development of these materials represents the first step in creating a system of closed-loop ISM, which is critical to establishing a lasting human presence in space.

In situ resource utilization↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Polymer/Regolith Composites for In-Space Manufacturing on the Moon and Mars

In-situ resource utilization↗

NASA NTRS1992

Design of A CVD Reactor for the Deposition of Diamond in A Microgravity Environment

There is a growing body of theoretical and experimental evidence suggesting that the uniformity, rate, adhesion, quality, and other key properties of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond coatings are influenced by the gas mixing kinetics in the thermal plasma environment of the reaction chamber. The implementation of, for example, Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (MPECVD) process in microgravity has, thus, been suggested. Such a diamond deposition system, which overcomes the limitations of present systems and which is distiguishable from them by the use of high pressure MPECVD and recirculation of the would be effluent hydrogen and carbon, is described. Given the key fact that there is nothing in the effluent of the MPECVD process that is truly a byproduct or 'waste', the system can, at least in principle, lend itself to being closed loop yet dynamic. The exhaust contains hydrogen and carbon species which can be recirculated to the plasma reactor, that is, since there are no unusable reaction byproducts, the effluent can be fed back to the reaction chamber with no detriment, thus allowing deployment in a microgravity environment.

M L Languell↗

NASA NTRS2026

A Dispersion-Strengthened Low-Density Niobium Alloy and Its Elevated Temperature Mechanical Performance

In response to the elevated-temperature and weight-reduction demands of modern aerospace applications, a novel oxide-dispersion-strengthened low-density niobium alloy (LDNb-ODS) was fabricated using laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). To overcome powder procurement barriers, L-PBF feedstock was produced by blending commercial Nb521, Ti64, and Cr powder with Y2O3 nanoparticles via resonant acoustic mixing. Following L-PBF and a 1400°C vacuum heat treatment, the alloy achieved a density of 6.73 g/cc and a fine mean grain size of 4.62 µm stabilized by uniform ~30 nm yttria dispersoids. Microstructural analysis revealed a chemically inhomogeneous build with lack-of-fusion defects and a titanium (Ti) shift from a nominal 31.5 wt% in the starting powder blend to 24.8 wt% in the printed part due to preferential Ti loss during printing. Elevated-temperature tensile testing demonstrated that LDNb-ODS maintained a superior specific yield strength of 60-85 MPa/(g/cc) up to 800°C, outperforming nickel-based alloys Ni625, Ni230, and GRX-810. Between 870°C and 950°C, its specific strength surpassed both Ni718 and Ni625. In rapid stress-rupture testing at 1093°C and 20.7 MPa, uncoated LDNb-ODS survived 21.4 hours (a tenfold increase over legacy C-103) while an R512E silicide coating extended rupture life to 84.8 hours, confirming that oxidation accelerates low-stress failure. These findings demonstrate that additive manufacturing of LDNb-ODS provides a viable, lightweight alternative to nickel-based superalloys for high-temperature (>850°C) aerospace components.

Low Density Niobium Alloy↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluating Crystallinity in Thermoplastic Composites for Aerospace Applications

Polymer matrix composites (PMCs) offer many benefits for the aerospace industry due to their potential for weight reduction when compared to metal or ceramic based materials. Most PMCs currently in flight use thermoset matrices, however, thermoplastic resins are being explored as alternatives due to their ability to be remelted, which is of particular interest due to the potential for in-situ repair and faster production. Most thermoplastic resins are semicrystalline polymers. The properties of semicrystalline thermoplastics are directly influenced by their crystallinity, which can vary due to many factors including thermal treatments, environmental conditions, and mechanical deformation. Within thermoplastic PMC parts, crystallinity gradients can arise due to variations in part geometry, across part thicknesses, and along bonded joints. Monitoring the crystallinity of thermoplastic composites is key to ensuring these materials meet the high demands required for aerospace. Several different analytical techniques exist that can be used to characterize the bulk crystallinity of thermoplastic materials. However, many existing methods lack the specificity required to identify the subtle variations in crystallinity that may play a significant role in the performance and durability of PMC parts. Because of this, a significant amount of work is still required to fully characterize and understand the crystallinity profiles of thermoplastic PMCs and the resulting impact to material properties. This talk discusses the use of multiple techniques such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Polarized Light Optical Microscopy, and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to characterize the crystallinity in carbon fiber/thermoplastic composites. Samples of different crystallinity profiles were manufactured using various cooling procedures. This work aims to provide the fundamental data necessary to understand the effects of crystallinity on thermoplastic PMCs, which is key to advancing their use in aerospace applications.

Thermoplastics↗