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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

High-Throughput Strategies that Encompass Experiments and Machine Learning to Predict the Mechanical Properties of Additive Manufactured Aerospace Alloys

Small Punch Test (SPT) uses a thin disk of material to predict mechanical properties. While SPT has existed for decades, it has been used largely as a qualitative evaluator of mechanical properties. Recent advances in computational modeling have enabled the extraction of uniaxial stress-strain response from the measured SPT load-displacement data. Due to small sample volumes and unidirectional testing, SPT is conducive to high-throughput automation and ideally suited to extract properties from high-cost materials. Aerospace alloys have been of recent interest to the Additive Manufacturing (AM) community due to AM’s unique ability to fabricate complex designs not possible, or extremely arduous, with conventional manufacturing. In this research, SPT, coupled with Materials Informatics and computational modeling, is used to develop relevant Process-Structure-Property relationships to decrease the cost and time of process optimization for AM aerospace alloys, namely Inconel 718, Inconel 625, and Niobium C103.

High-throughput Testing↗
NASA NTRS1994

The FC-1D: The profitable alternative Flying Circus Commercial Aviation Group

The FC-1D was designed as an advanced solution for a low cost commercial transport meeting or exceeding all of the 1993/1994 AIAA/Lockheed request for proposal requirements. The driving philosophy behind the design of the FC-1D was the reduction of airline direct operating costs. Every effort was made during the design process to have the customer in mind. The Flying Circus Commercial Aviation Group targeted reductions in drag, fuel consumption, manufacturing costs, and maintenance costs. Flying Circus emphasized cost reduction throughout the entire design program. Drag reduction was achieved by implementation of the aft nacelle wing configuration to reduce cruise drag and increase cruise speeds. To reduce induced drag, rather than increasing the wing span of the FC-1D, spiroids were included in the efficient wing design. Profile and friction drag are reduced by using riblets in place of paint around the fuselage and empennage of the FC-1D. Choosing a single aisle configuration enabled the Flying Circus to optimize the fuselage diameter. Thus, reducing fuselage drag while gaining high structural efficiency. To further reduce fuel consumption a weight reduction program was conducted through the use of composite materials. An additional quality of the FC-1D is its design for low cost manufacturing and assembly. As a result of this design attribute, the FC-1D will have fewer parts which reduces weight as well as maintenance and assembly costs. The FC-1D is affordable and effective, the apex of commercial transport design.

Meza, Victor J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

3013 Baseline Inner Container Report: Description, Imaging, and Analysis

This report presents consolidated findings from three microscopy studies of baseline Bagless Transfer Containers (BTCs), which are the inner containers used in DOE Standard 3013-compliant plutonium storage packages. The studies were conducted by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), and DNV, a subcontractor specializing in corrosion science. The baseline BTCs examined had not been exposed to corrosive environments, serving as control samples for comparison with destructively examined (DE) containers. Additionally, the Background section provides an overview of the BTC design, including manufacturing methods, material properties, and container configurations that may influence corrosion behavior. The primary objective of the LANL and SRNL studies was to establish reference characteristics of BTCs to distinguish manufacturing artifacts from corrosion-induced features observed in DE containers. Both laboratories used advanced microscopy techniques, including Wide Area Microscopy (WAMS), Laser Confocal Microscopy (LCM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Focused Ion Beam (FIB), to reveal that most surface anomalies were shallow and attributable to flow-forming processes, not corrosion. Subsurface impurities, identified as non-metallic inclusions, were also observed. DNV’s investigation focused on characterizing the mechanical and chemical properties of the BTC material to support crack growth modeling. Their findings indicate higher hardness and strength but reduced ductility—consistent with flow-formed 304L stainless steel and a higher-than-expected martensite content, in contrast to manufacturer claims. Ongoing and future studies, including Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), aim to further understand the microstructural factors influencing crack initiation and propagation. The combined studies provide a crucial baseline for distinguishing corrosion effects in DE containers, contributing to the safe and reliable long-term storage of plutonium-bearing materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Understanding Geometry and Microstructure Interactions In LPBF By Linking Lab Scale Studies To Real Part Case Examples

The mechanical properties derived from simple tensile tests are uniquely important in the design and qualification of load bearing metallic components. The tensile properties in standards for wrought metallic materials are generally accessible for design and simulation engineers, but this is not the case for additively manufactured metals. This work investigates the influence of tensile specimen geometry on the mechanical properties of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V, particularly in relation to properties measured from specimens excised from an exemplar part. A comprehensive analysis was conducted across various specimen geometries, considering factors such as thermal history, cross-sectional area, shape, and surface roughness. Key findings reveal that sample size, particularly cross-sectional area, significantly affects reported tensile properties, with ASTM E8 flat and round specimens exhibiting differences in elastic modulus (13%), yield strength (17%), ultimate tensile strength (UTS) (14%), and elongation to failure (11%). Additionally, surface roughness was found to have a limited impact on ASTM round geometries, but it becomes critical in thin-walled and small high-throughput samples. The ASTM flat samples closely matched the properties of samples excised from the exemplar part, underscoring the necessity of testing witness samples that accurately represent end-use conditions. Furthermore, mechanical properties of samples built within the stitch zone of the exemplar part demonstrated reduced ductility, highlighting the importance of laser alignment and qualification in multi-laser additive manufacturing processes. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for careful consideration of specimen geometry and testing conditions to ensure accurate reporting of mechanical properties in LPBF Ti-6Al-4V.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1989

Human factors model concerning the man-machine interface of mining crewstations

The U.S. Bureau of Mines is developing a computer model to analyze the human factors aspect of mining machine operator compartments. The model will be used as a research tool and as a design aid. It will have the capability to perform the following: simulated anthropometric or reach assessment, visibility analysis, illumination analysis, structural analysis of the protective canopy, operator fatigue analysis, and computation of an ingress-egress rating. The model will make extensive use of graphics to simplify data input and output. Two dimensional orthographic projections of the machine and its operator compartment are digitized and the data rebuilt into a three dimensional representation of the mining machine. Anthropometric data from either an individual or any size population may be used. The model is intended for use by equipment manufacturers and mining companies during initial design work on new machines. In addition to its use in machine design, the model should prove helpful as an accident investigation tool and for determining the effects of machine modifications made in the field on the critical areas of visibility and control reach ability.

Rider, James P.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Application of Rapid Prototyping and Wire Arc Spray to the Fabrication of Injection Mold Tools (MSFC Center Director's Discretionary Fund)

Rapid prototyping (RP) is a layer-by-layer-based additive manufacturing process for constructing three-dimensional representations of a computer design from a wax, plastic, or similar material. Wire arc spray (WAS) is a metal spray forming technique, which deposits thin layers of metal onto a substrate or pattern. Marshall Space Flight Center currently has both capabilities in-house, and this project proposed merging the two processes into an innovative manufacturing technique, in which intermediate injection molding tool halves were to be fabricated with RP and WAS metal forming.

Cooper, K. G.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Neutron Imaging for Selective Laser Melting Inconel Hardware with Internal Passages

Additive Manufacturing is showing great promise for the development of new innovative designs and large potential life cycle cost reduction for the Aerospace Industry. However, more development work is required to move this technology into space flight hardware production. With selective laser melting (SLM), hardware that once consisted of multiple, carefully machined and inspected pieces, joined together can be made in one part. However standard inspection techniques cannot be used to verify that the internal passages are within dimensional tolerances or surface finish requirements. NASA/MSFC traveled to Oak Ridge National Lab's (ORNL) Spallation Neutron Source to perform some non-destructive, proof of concept imaging measurements to assess the capabilities to understand internal dimensional tolerances and internal passages surface roughness. This presentation will describe 1) the goals of this proof of concept testing, 2) the lessons learned when designing and building these Inconel 718 test specimens to minimize beam time, 3) the neutron imaging test setup and test procedure to get the images, 4) the initial results in images, volume and a video, 4) the assessment of using this imaging technique to gather real data for designing internal flow passages in SLM manufacturing aerospace hardware, and lastly 5) how proper cleaning of the internal passages is critically important. In summary, the initial results are very promising and continued development of a technique to assist in SLM development for aerospace components is desired by both NASA and ORNL. A plan forward that benefits both ORNL and NASA will also be presented, based on the promising initial results. The initial images and volume reconstruction showed that clean, clear images of the internal passages geometry are obtainable. These clear images of the internal passages of simple geometries will be compared to the build model to determine any differences. One surprising result was that a new cleaning process was used on these simply geometric specimens that resulted in what appears to be very smooth internal surfaces, when compared to other aerospace hardware cleaning methods.

Tramel, Terri L.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Breakthrough Materials for Space Applications Workshop

In the course of its 60 year history, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has blazed trails in the development and advancement of aerospace materials and the transition of these advancements to industry. The Agency has overseen the infusion of new high-performance materials into a diverse array of mission applications, including aeronautics, planetary science, and human spaceflight. The next generation of demanding exploration missions, including a return to the lunar surface with humans in the 2020s, will present new and unprecedented material challenges. Selecting or developing materials to survive the environments of launch and the high temperatures present in propulsion systems, operate in a microgravity and/or a vacuum environment (which includes exposure to radiation), and/or survive years on a planetary surface is an immense challenge. In addition to functioning in their intended use environment, materials for space must also possess extremely high-performance characteristics. The anecdotal Von Braun quote “space is weightlifting” reminds us of the need to minimize the mass of a space system while still meeting safety margins. The cost of launching a kg to orbit is estimated currently at $10,000; barring a drastic reduction in launch costs, lightweight and high-strength materials will remain the most sought-after spaceflight materials for the foreseeable future. Other primary considerations for materials in spaceflight applications include affordability, compatibility with other systems and materials, and manufacturability. The emergence of new advanced manufacturing processes such as friction stir welding and additive manufacturing have revolutionized the aerospace industry in recent years. Additive manufacturing in particular allows for rapid fabrication of components and greater design freedom. With the advent of these new processes, however, comes the need to develop new specifications, process control approaches (including material modeling), testing, and nondestructive evaluation techniques to ensure that parts meet the stringent functional requirements for spaceflight.

Prater, T.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Fast Assessment of Metal Performance through Dislocation Physics and Machine Learning

The microstructure of metals is key to their mechanical properties. The types, density, composition and morphology of crystal defects all have pronounced impact on the properties. Changes to the microstructure occurring during processing and use can be very striking. The emerging technology additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential to improve performance by allowing optimized designs, but the process and environments can lead to unusual microscale features whose properties must be understood and characterized to enable higher technological readiness levels and application. Experimentally, an extensive evaluation of mechanical properties of 3D printed metals is a challenge, and anomalous effects related to the AM process add complexity. We present a new machine learning (ML) model predicting mechanical response based on dislocation mediated plasticity simulations. A large set of 3D discrete dislocation dynamics simulations with wide ranges of loading conditions is transformed to preprocessed data ready for training with the ML model. The trained model can predict the mechanical response of Mo30W for a given microstructure evolution, providing key information essential for optimization of AM processing.

Jaehyun Cho↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Fast Assessment of Metal Performance through Dislocation Physics and Machine Learning

The microstructure of metals is key to their mechanical properties. The types, density, composition and morphology of crystal defects all have pronounced impact on the properties. Changes to the microstructure occurring during processing and use can be very striking. The emerging technology additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential to improve performance by allowing optimized designs, but the process and environments can lead to unusual microscale features whose properties must be understood and characterized to enable higher technological readiness levels and application. Experimentally, an extensive evaluation of mechanical properties of 3D printed metals is a challenge, and anomalous effects related to the AM process add complexity. We present a new machine learning (ML) model predicting mechanical response based on dislocation mediated plasticity simulations. A large set of 3D discrete dislocation dynamics simulations with wide ranges of loading conditions is transformed to preprocessed data ready for training with the ML model. The trained model can predict the mechanical response of Mo30W for a given microstructure evolution, providing key information essential for optimization of AM processing.

Jaehyun Cho↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Force Measurement for Wind Tunnel Facilities - Current Practices and Research Investments

This presentation will provide an introduction to strain gage balances (force transducers) used in NASA’s wind tunnel facilities. It will cover the breadth of wind tunnel applications using balances ranging from cryogenic facilities to facilities with aero heating affects. Specific areas of expertise including six-component balance design and calibration will also be discussed. Moreover, research areas including additive manufacturing of wind tunnel balances, the development of topology optimization tools to produce novel force transducer geometries, and dynamic force measurement will also be highlighted.

Wind tunnel balance↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Experimental Characterization of Additively Manufactured Nickel-Titanium Shape Memory Alloy Heat Pipes

Shape memory alloys (SMA) have been identified for use in spacecraft components as replacement for conventional deployment mechanisms. They may be used in thermal management components such as radiators to create self-deploying radiators. One SMA, NiTi, has also been developed for additive manufacturing processes. Heat pipes are a common way to create highly effective and lightweight spaceflight radiators, and heat pipes can also be made from NiTi and related alloys. The wick is the critical element of a functioning heat pipe, and recent progress over the past years has led to the development of additively manufactured heat pipe wicks in various materials. The combination of these efforts is the focus of this project: creating an additively manufactured, shape memory alloy self-deploying heat pipe radiator. This paper will focus on the experimental characterization of these additively manufactured NiTi heat pipes. The heat pipe coupons were additively manufactured by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), with an integral liquid cooled condenser. Heat is input to the heat pipe via a thin film heater. Thermocouples were spot welded to the heat pipes to measure temperature at several axial locations. The heat pipes were tested with two working fluids: water and ethanol. Ethanol is not an ideal working fluid for heat pipes but is useful in characterizing them because it wets well to a wide variety of surfaces. Water is in general a superior working fluid for heat pipes, but its contact angle and therefore wicking performance strongly depends on the surface chemistry of the surface it is in contact with. A particular measurement of interest in this test is the evaporator to condenser thermal conductance, which will be compared in the full paper to recently published correlations for additively manufactured heat pipes. Experimental results for two straight geometry and one bellows geometry heat pipe will be presented. The bellows geometry is of interest for condenser of the self-deploying radiator design.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2024

Application of printed strain gauges in prototypical nuclear reactor conditions

This report discusses the current development and testing of additively manufactured temperature sensors and resistive/ capacitive strain gauges. This has potential to improve the sensor design and manufacturing techniques to meet the requirements of in-pile monitoring of mechanical properties and structural health of materials and specimens in current and advanced nuclear test reactors (i.e., in terms of environment conditions, sample geometry, and materials compatibility). The developmental additively manufactured strain gauges are exposed to separate effects testing (i.e., mechanical strain (up to 1000 µe), high temperature (up to 700 °C)) to determine environmental factors that affect the performance of the strain gauge. The robustness and integrity of a printed strain gauge layer exposed to a molten salt environment for up to 500 hours was evaluated, with the goal of assessing material compatibility of printed strain sensors for instrumented surveillance test articles in molten salt reactors. In addition, sensor qualification methodologies are further developed for determining the reliability and robustness at the interface of the additively manufactured strain gauge materials.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Novel Manufacturing Process of Lightweight Automotive Seats: Integration of Additive Manufacturing and Reinforced Polymer Composite

Lightweight automotive seats offer multiple benefits to original equipment manufacturers in terms of cost savings from various aspects, including less material usage, more integrated processes, and compliance with Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards. Original equipment manufacturers have been focusing on innovative ways to produce light weight automotive seats. The commercially available automotive seats are currently made of multiple metal components combined through welding and fasteners. The use of additive manufacturing and composite structures is particularly useful for light weighting the automotive components. Additive manufacturing (AM) offers multiple advantages over traditional manufacturing processes such as freedom of design thereby enabling complex structural geometries, mass customization and waste minimization, and control over the fiber alignment through deposition in a predetermined pattern. Combining metal inserts with polymer composites through a novel manufacturing process allows design of lightweight and high-performance materials for automotive components.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
NASA NTRS2021

Analysis of Arc Welding Process in Space

This work is motivated by NASA plans to conduct welding experiments on the ISS. It is expected that deployment of welding and additive manufacturing technologies in the space environment has the potential to revolutionise how orbiting platforms are designed, manufactured, and assembled. However, the structure, composition and quality of a weld is extremely dependent on the environment and can be difficult to control in space. Shielding gases would also be tough to manage as gases behave differently in zero gravity and airless environments. Additional points of concern are related to the spatter and sparks dynamics in space. Therefore, there is a need for a more basic understanding of welding processes by computational modelling. To provide such an insight we developed state of art models of the ARC torch, droplet detachment and transfer, and the melt pool build up using magnetohydrodynamics approximation and level set method for two-phase liquid metal/-gas flow modelling. Two finite element models were built using 2D axisymmetric geometry in COMSOL Multiphysics®: (i) stationary model of the ARC torch and (ii) dynamical model of droplet detachment and transfer. Both models demonstrate reasonable agreement with earlier experimental observations and high sensitivity to the temperature dependence of the thermophysical parameters on the system materials. The models were used to provide physical insight into ARC welding in various environments and geometries. It was shown, in particular, that there is a significant probability of gas bubbles trapping in the meltpool and a possibility of unbounded wondering of sparks in the welding chamber in zero gravity. In addition, we estimated metal evaporation rate that may be hazardous in the confined environment of the ISS. These issues raise concern of quality of the weld and safety for ISS applications.

ARC welding↗
NASA NTRS2009

Design and Manufacture of Structurally Efficient Tapered Struts

Composite materials offer the potential of weight savings for numerous spacecraft and aircraft applications. A composite strut is just one integral part of the node-to-node system and the optimization of the shut and node assembly is needed to take full advantage of the benefit of composites materials. Lockheed Martin designed and manufactured a very light weight one piece composite tapered strut that is fully representative of a full scale flight article. In addition, the team designed and built a prototype of the node and end fitting system that will effectively integrate and work with the full scale flight articles.

Brewster, Jebediah W.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Positioning Accuracy in a Concurrent Robot-CNC Hybrid Manufacturing System

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) has gained notoriety for offering advantages over traditional manufacturing methods, such as increased design complexity and flexibility. However, it has not found widespread use beyond rapid prototyping. One hindrance to the acceptance of AM processes in industry is the time and cost of fabrication per component. While metal AM by itself can be inexpensive, extra manufacturing steps in the form of subtractive manufacturing (SM) may need to be performed to reach final part tolerances, leading to hybrid additive-subtractive manufacturing (HASM) of a part, which increases time and cost. A potential area to reduce cost is through increasing the efficiency of the HASM process by conducting additive and subtractive manufacturing simultaneously. Usually, HASM is performed in a process where AM is completed in one machine or cell and transferred to another machine or cell for SM in a sequential assembly line process. This efficiency decreases part cost, but high aspect ratio parts or parts with internal geometry that require interleaved additive deposition and machining cannot be produced. One unexplored solution to simultaneous HASM that allows for interleaved operations is to operate the deposition head and machining spindle concurrently within the same machine envelope, known as concurrent HASM (CHASM). In this type of process, both AM and SM occur simultaneously on a batch of small parts or a single large part, maintaining a high efficiency without sacrificing the full range of complex geometries that AM allows for. A potential approach to the single-machine method could be to combine a robot and mill within the same envelope. A challenge to this approach, however, is control of both systems. Most machine controllers have limited external communication or, if a robot has been integrated, only offer movement of either the robot or mill at any given time. As a result, systems must pause either the AM or SM process to switch between them rather than working simultaneously. The present work investigates the positional accuracy of such a CHASM system comprised of a robotic arm and a 3-axis mill. Open-loop tests with limited communication between machines are performed on the system to verify positional error during concurrent robot-mill movements. Under certain conditions, it is demonstrated that position error can stay within 2 mm for the duration of a single layer; however, these tests show that, generally, the open-loop positioning performance of the system is inadequate for CHASM without part-specific hand-tuning of parameters. Based on these results, a set of requirements for successful robot-CNC CHASM is proposed for future integrations.

Goodwin, Jesse↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Next Generation Durability and Damage Tolerance to Support Certification of Flight Hardware

Durability and Damage Tolerance (D&DT), as currently applied to flight hardware throughout the Agency, is based on continuum and similitude assumptions and does not consider local material properties, environments and responses. These limitations impact our ability to support certification of new component designs, material systems and manufacturing approaches. The primary concern in this Engineering R&A plan is related to the imminent proliferation of parts produced by additive manufacturing (AM). These parts are being advocated by NASA’s suppliers for use on a myriad of flight hardware because of their design flexibility and cost advantages. AM provides opportunities to reduce part counts through complex geometry and reduce manufacturing costs of low volume parts. However, AM materials have some notable metallurgical and microstructural differences compared to traditionally fabricated materials. One of the challenges for the acceptance of AM is the greater tendency for a deleterious defect state, most commonly in the form of porosity, to exist in AM parts. Though this defect state is typically reduced through a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) processing step, the structural performance risks associated with the remaining defects and HIP-healed features is not known. Potential fracture control issues that must be resolved stem from the real possibility that an unhealed defect or a closed defect with less than pristine strength remains at a fracture critical location after HIP. As a result, NASA and the entire aerospace community have been confronted with the need to develop a robust and relevant certification methodology to enable safe implementation of these components. The present work is an important step toward positioning NASA to credibly respond to vendors’ push to implement this new AM materials technology by improving our understanding of AM processing and performance and transitioning that research-based understanding to next-generation engineering capabilities.

Edward H Glaessgen↗