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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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NASA NTRS2019

NASA’s In-Space Manufacturing Project: Update on Manufacturing Technologies and Materials to Enable More Sustainable and Safer Exploration

NASA’s In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) project seeks to develop the materials, processes, and manufacturing technologies needed to provide an on-demand manufacturing capability for deep space exploration missions. The ability to manufacture and recycle some parts on demand rather than launch them from earth has the potential to reduce logistics requirements on long duration missions and enhance crew safety. With the launch of the first 3D printer (built and operated by Made in Space through a Small Business Innovative Research – SBIR -- contract) to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014, the ISM project demonstrated the feasibility of operating an on-demand manufacturing system in a microgravity environment. This paper will provide an update on recent advancements in ISM under three key technology areas: manufacturing, recycling, and development of a design database. ISM continues to pursue development of manufacturing technologies for space applications and use the ISS as a critical test bed to prove out these technologies before deploying them on next generation exploration systems. Activities under this focus area include: characterization of materials manufactured using the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), the second generation commercial 3D-printer on ISS, also owned and operated by Made in Space; development of prototype payloads for metal manufacturing through phase II SBIR contracts with Tethers Unlimited, Made in Space, and Ultra Tech Machinery; development of a multi-material fabrication laboratory capable of processing metals and providing inspection of manufactured parts through a Broad Agency Announcement (Techshot, Interlog, and Tethers Unlimited); an in-line sensing system for ISM platforms; and development of higher strength feedstocks for 3D polymer printers. In the area of recycling, the Tethers Unlimited Refabricator payload (an integrated 3D printer and recycler for ULTEM 9085) launched to ISS in November 2018 and began operating in early 2019. This payload represents the first demonstration of on-orbit recycling; down massed specimens will assess material degradation in the polymer over multiple recycling cycles to define limits on material re-use. Other work in the recycling area includes development of common use materials intended to be reused and recycled on space missions (Tethers Unlimited and Cornerstone Research Group) and a sterilization capability for multiple-use materials (ERASMUS from Tethers Unlimited). Concurrent with manufacturing technology and materials development work is creation of a design database, a curated list of parts that can be manufactured using the suite of In-Space Manufacturing capabilities.

Tracie Prater↗
NASA NTRS2019

Enabling Additive Manufacturing Technologies for Advanced Aero Propulsion Materials & Components

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are enabling for advanced high performance, propulsion component designs in electric motors1-2 and turbine engine systems in future electrified aircraft. AM offers significant benefits over conventional manufacturing to fabricate components that are more compact, lighter weight, geometrically complex, innovatively cooled, integrated, multi-material, and multifunctional. For turbine engine applications, silicon carbide (SiC) based composites are being pursued using binder jetting and laminated object manufacturing (LOM) for components such as shrouds, vanes, and recuperators. For electric motor applications, additive processes are being applied toward optimized component designs to include the housing, rotor, and stators with 3-D printing and wire imbedded coils and with direct printed 3-phase coils. The electrical conductivity of silver conductor coils optimized by evaluating alternate sintering methods and additions of graphene and carbon nanostructures will be presented. Potential benefits of new electric motor components in improving temperature capability, efficiency, and power density for reductions in energy consumption and emissions will be discussed.

Halbig, Michael C.↗
NASA NTRS2019

CAMIEM: Compact Additively Manufactured Innovative Electric Motor

New manufacturing methods are needed to obtain innovative electric motor designs that have much higher power densities and/or efficiencies compared to the current state-of-the-art. Additive manufacturing offers the potential to radically change motor designs so that they have compact designs, multi-material components, innovative cooling, and optimally designed and manufactured components. New component designs enabled by additive manufacturing technologies have been designed and were fabricated to include the housing, rotors, stator cooling ring, a direct printed stator, and a wire embedded stator. The new components were integrated into the motor and tested evaluate the performance gains in comparison to the baseline electric motor configuration. Partners on the sub-project include NASA GRC, NASA LaRC, NASA AFRC, LaunchPoint Technologies, and the University of Texas El Paso.

Halbig, Michael C.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Electrical and Thermal Characterization of 3D Printed Thermoplastic Parts with Embedded Wires for High Current-Carrying Applications

Fabrication of parts exhibiting multi-functionality has recently been complemented by hybrid polymer extrusion additive manufacturing in combination with wire embedding technology. While much mechanical characterization has been performed on parts produced with fused deposition modeling, limited characterization has been performed when combined electrical and thermal loads are applied to 3D printed multi-material parts. As such, this work describes the design, fabrication, and testing of 3D printed thermoplastic coupons containing embedded copper wires that carried current. An automated fabrication process was used employing a hybrid additive manufacturing machine that dispensed polycarbonate thermoplastic and embedded bare copper wires. Testing included AC and DC hipot testing as well as thermal testing on as-fabricated and heat treated coupons to determine the effect of porosity in the substrate. The heat-treated parts contained reduced amounts of porosity, as corroborated through scanning electron microscopy, which led to 50 % increased breakdown strength and 30 to 40 % increased heat dissipation capabilities. The results of this research are describing a set of design protocol that can be used as a guideline for 3D printed embedded electronics to predict the electrical and thermal behavior.

Hipot testing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TPSAS-NF1676L-34884-DND

New manufacturing methods are needed to enable innovative electric motor designs that have much higher power densities and/or efficiencies compared to the current state-of-the-art. Additive manufacturing (AM) offers the potential to radically change motor designs so that they have compact designs, multi-material components, innovative cooling, and optimally designed and manufactured components.

Michael Halbig↗
NASA NTRS2021

AIAA Ascend 2021 Conference On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics Panel Abstract

1. Session Proposal o Session Title NASA’s In Space Manufacturing and the On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics o Session Topic Primary -- Space Logistics, Autonomy, and Robotics; Secondary – Transformative Research and Technologies o Session Format: Panel Discussion. o Requested Session Duration: 60 minutes o Short Session Description: The goal of NASA’s On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics project is to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a low-gravity, on-demand manufacturing system for flexible hybrid electronic devices on the International Space Station. This panel will feature several key collaborators and team members from the commercial sector, academia, and internal to NASA, each of which are contributing an unique and vital role to the design and implementation of this new technology system. o Extended Session Description (Please describe in detail the activity proposed, including how you intend to use the requested session duration. This session description will be provided to the reviewers for consideration and will not be displayed in the online agenda.): The session will be moderated by Curtis Hill, the Project Lead for the On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics (ODME), and he will start by giving a brief introduction to the ODME project which is working to produce a demo system for the manufacturing of electronic devices on the International Space Station. Panelists consisting of collaborators and team members to the ODME project will then give a brief (~5 min) introduction highlighting their contributions to the project, followed by time for Q&A from the audience. The panel will consist of: 1. Kenneth Church, nScrypt. nScrypt is a leader in multi-material printing with a modular system that incorporates a direct write thick film print head, a polymer fused filament fabrication print head, a laser sintering attachment, a drill head attachment for milling, and a pick and place. The system can print a layer and scan for accuracy of prints. The combination of multiple print heads and scanning allows for the on-demand production of intricate electronic components. 2. Andy Kurk, TechShot, Inc. Techshot, Inc. has collaborated extensively with NASA on the in space manufacturing of both printed electronics and fused metal materials. They are currently working to develop and integrate a test system for printed electronics, and a flight demonstration on the International Space Station is anticipated in 2024. 3. Ed Hendricks, NextFlex. NextFlex has the goal of advancing the manufacture of flexible hybrid electronics in the U.S. They are working with ODME on the development of AstroSense, an additively manufactured, wireless, flexible, and wearable health sensor. 4. Dr. Pradeep Lall, Auburn University. Professor Lall is the MacFarlane Endowed Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering with a Courtesy Joint Appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Courtesy Joint Appointment in the Department of Finance. He is collaborating with NASA’s ODME project to develop multilayer printable devices and to develop techniques to test the quality of a printed electronic device. 5. Dr. Wei Gao, California Institute of Technology. Professor Gao is an Assistant Professor of Medical Engineering. His group is developing fully printed, flexible, and wearable biosensors for crew health monitoring in collaboration with NASA’s ODME project. In addition, they are working on using sweat to power biofuel cells for wearable, self-powered electronic devices. 6. Beth Paquette, NASA Goddard. The ODME branch at NASA Goddard is spearheading a sounding rocket flight demo to prove the capability of a printed electronic device with multiple sensors. In addition, they focus on thin film and flexible energy storage evaluations. o Session Goal(s)/Outcome(s): Please list the learning objectives and/or tangible outcomes (technical paper or other publication). The goal of this session is to highlight the internal and collaborative efforts of NASA’s On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics project to develop a system for printing electronics that will be tested on the International Space Station in 2024. In addition, the session with facilitate discussion with the community on the state of the art of printable electronics, current challenges, and new avenues for collaboration.

Jennifer McInnis Jones↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Making & Breaking the Rules for DED Design

Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) is widely used to describe design activities and guidelines employed in the creation of Additively Manufactured (AM) parts. Basic design rules for widely adopted processes like Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) are relatively understood including material performance, part size constraints, self-supporting angles, overhangs, wall thicknesses, and feature resolution. Complexity is often inherent with PBF using organically inspired solutions through generative design and topology optimization software to create designs that often cannot be realized via traditional manufacturing processes. The design rules for Directed Energy Deposition (DED) are less well known, and, in some cases, the lack of understanding is likely inhibiting broader application of the various DED processes. This presentation covers key design rules for DED fusion processes and elucidates opportunities like multi-material deposition and build approaches ranging from basic features to complex large-scale parts. Complementary to the opportunistic characteristics of DfAM for DED, Manufacture for AM (MfAM) encompasses the restrictive aspects of the manufacturing lifecycle with limitations due to bead width and wall thickness, self-supporting angles, surface texture, microstructural evolution, and residual stresses. AM enabled part design must always consider the entire value chain starting with incoming feedstock (e.g. plate, wire, or powder) and progressing through the printing process, post-processing (e.g. machining, inspection), and final system assembly. Key considerations, like the tradeoffs between feature resolution and build rate, for process and part selection and economic assessments will be discussed as DED is often traded against other AM processes. After highlighting typical DED design rules, we will also show how some of those rules can be broken via use cases and part designs that span the full spectrum of DED processes with examples of various DED part designs.

Additive Manufacturing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Inflatable Softgoods Testing Capability Development for Habitation

The Habitation Systems Development Office (HP40) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center supports systems engineering, integration, and project management for next generation space habitats. The office is responsible for formulation activities for Lunar Surface Habitat and Mars Transit Habitat. HP40 also manages commercial partnerships for exploration habitat development. The Lunar Surface Habitat is intended to initially support a minimum of two crew on the lunar surface for an approximately 30-day mission, with the ability to accommodate four crew for short durations. The Mars Transit Habitat will transport four crew to and from Mars orbit on a potentially 1,200 day mission. Both concepts are envisioned to leverage inflatable softgoods as the primary structural material for the habitation portion of the architecture. Inflatable softgoods are a complex, multi-material system consisting of multiple layers which perform specific functions. A bladder layer (polymer) contains the habitat’s atmosphere. The bladder is indexed to a woven restraint layer, usually Kevlar or Vectran, which serves as the structural layer. The remaining outer layers are for micro-meteoroid orbital debris (MMOD) shielding, protection from atomic Oxygen (if the material system is to be deployed in low earth orbit), and thermal insulation. The primary advantage of inflatable softgoods is that they can offer a larger volume per unit mass relative to a rigid metal structure. Inflatable softgoods have a strong development heritage within NASA, beginning with work in the 1960s in partnership with Goodyear Aerospace and continuing with Johnson Space Center’s TransHab project in the 1990s . Some development efforts subsequently transitioned into the private sector to mature the material technology for flight applications, including human habitation. In August 2022, NASA published its guidelines for certification of crewed inflatable softgoods structures (JSC-67721). This document outlines a series of tests which will be needed to certify inflatable softgoods material systems for use in crewed mission applications. It includes burst testing at the subscale and full-scale to determine the ultimate burst pressure of the softgoods architecture. Creep (long term deformation of the material under stress) is a key failure mode which must be characterized. Creep testing at the component and module levels is also recommended to generate time to failure curves and verify that the inflatable system has a predicted operational life which exceeds mission parameters. ET (Test Engineering) at MSFC and HP40 have worked together to establish softgoods testing capabilities for the center. This includes the ability to conduct module level burst tests and creep tests. The poster will highlight these capabilities and provide examples of testing which has been performed to date by ET. NASA MSFC anticipates that these test capabilities will continue to offer critical support for companies pursuing inflatable softgoods for exploration applications (lunar surface habitation, Mars transit) as well as commercial low earth orbit platforms.

habitation↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Repair Maintenance and Fabrication Facility in the Common Habitat Architecture

The Common Habitat Architecture seeks to increase the habitability of long-duration human spaceflight systems. A key aspect of this is vehicle survivability. Missions beyond low Earth orbit need onboard capabilities for Repair, Maintenance, And Fabrication (RMAF) to overcome potential contingency scenarios. Strategies employed in historic human spaceflight such as redundancy management, reliability, sparing, orbital replacement units, and aborts may be insufficient by themselves. Based on subject matter input, a list of 53 critical failures defining a set of incidents that can render a key spacecraft subsystem inoperable were generated. A subsequent analysis found that a robust in-space RMAF system capable of performing 14 key functions can potentially repair a subsystem plagued by any of these failures. An ancillary benefit is this capability may provide psychological benefits to the crew, by enabling greater self-sufficiency in earth-independent problem solving. A basic RMAF facility has been defined for the Common Habitat, consisting of five workstations. A work bench and computer workstation provide a multipurpose horizontal work surface, computing interface, and tools storage. A CNC machining center provides a subtractive manufacturing capability for metals and plastics. A multi-material 3D printing facility provides additive manufacturing capabilities for plastic, metals, and printed electronics. A welding facility is used for joining metal components where a higher strength is needed than can be achieved with fasteners or adhesives. A glovebox facility is used to perform work that is too hazardous for any of the other workstations. This may include hardware brought in from outside the spacecraft that could potentially contaminate the cabin environment. Forward work includes considering the accommodation of additional manufacturing processes not modeled in the current system, assessing the ability of systems to operate in partial gravity and microgravity environments, incorporation of the system into the Common Habitat Computer Aided Design (CAD) model, bottoms-up mass estimating, and a crew time analysis.

Habitat↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Moving Discontinuous Galerkin Method with Interface Condition Enforcement for Reacting Hypersonic Flows

The necessity of enforcing conservation in computational elements or cells (element conservation) for discontinuous solutions is well understood and respected for solving conservation laws in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In contrast, interface conservation, where the conservation across cell interfaces is enforced, is long ignored, and yet is also ruled and required by the underlying physics just like element conservation. Violation of the interface conservation across discontinuities is the root cause why an exact discontinuous solution can never be achieved in shock capturing methods. The interface conservation is examined and explored in this talk. Moving discontinuous Galerkin (MDG) finite element method with interface conservation enforcement (MDG-ICE) [1],[2] are then presented for solving compressible flow problems with discontinuities based on the observation that the interface conservation can only be satisfied, only when mesh interfaces are aligned with discontinuities. In the MDG-ICE formulation, both conservative quantities and grid geometry are considered as independent variables. A space-time DG formulation is used to solve the multi-material compressible Euler equations in the standard discontinuous solution space and the discrete grid geometry is solved using a variational formulation in a continuous space. A self-adaptive Levenberg-Marquardt method is utilized to solve the resulting over-determined system of nonlinear equations arising from the MDG-ICE formulation. A number of numerical experiments for a variety of flow problems are conducted to assess the accuracy and performance of the MDG-ICE method. Numerical results obtained indicate that the MDG-ICE method is able to deliver the designed order of both h- and p-convergence even for discontinuous solutions, and detect all types of interfaces, via interface condition enforcement and satisfy, via grid movement, the compressible Euler equations and the associated interface condition.

Discontinuous Galekin↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Full-Scale Burst Testing for Inflatable Softgoods

Inflatable softgoods are complex, multi-material system in which each layer performs a specific function. NASA is supporting the private sector in development and testing of inflatable softgoods architectures through public-private partnerships. Inflatable softgoods represent one structural material option for future habitation platforms.

habitation↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Additive Manufacturing: Disrupting Global Supply Chains and Enabling Sustainable Development

The integration of new materials and innovative manufacturing technologies into product supply chains are critically needed to address human and societal needs and to promote sustainable development and economic competitiveness. Recently, there has been tremendous growth in the additive manufacturing (AM) landscape with the introduction of high- end machines suitable for industrial applications. In addition, availability of desktop 3-D printers as well as open source printers and platforms have also facilitated the large scale growth of distributed manufacturing. The paradigm shift in thinking, where one can turn their design into product on demand, is leading to new business models and challenging traditional models of product development and distribution. In this presentation, an overview of different AM technologies will be provided along with technical challenges and opportunities. Various examples of materials (polymers, ceramics, metals, hybrids, and multi material systems) and structures achieved from utilizing a wide variety of additive manufacturing approaches will be provided. Technical challenges and opportunities for the utilization of additive manufacturing as a powerful enabler for sustainable development and disruptive technological threat to global supply chains for different materials and systems will be presented.

Additive Manufacturing↗