Nondestructive tests of regenerative chambers, appendix
Results are presented of nondestructive tests conducted on electroformed, brazed, and diffusion welds in regenerative chambers.
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Results are presented of nondestructive tests conducted on electroformed, brazed, and diffusion welds in regenerative chambers.
New method of canning specimens made of composites of arc-sprayed and plasma-sprayed tape reduces outgassing and warping during hot isostatic pressing. Produces can having reliable, crack-free seal and thereby helps to ensure pressed product of high quality. Specimen placed in ring of refractory metal between two face sheets, also of refractory metal. Assembly placed in die in vacuum hot press, where simultaneously heated and pressed until plates become diffusion-welded to ring, forming sealed can around specimen. Specimen becomes partially densified, and fits snugly within can. Ready for further densification by hot isostatic pressing.
Explosive forming, wax filling, and any one of welding, diffusion bonding, or brazing used in method of manufacturing large, complicated shell-and-liner vessels or structures. Method conceived for manufacture of film-cooled rocket nozzles but applicable to joining large coaxial shells and liners in general.
An electrode having higher power output is formed of an open mesh current collector such as expanded nickel covering an electrode film applied to a tube of beta-alumina solid electrolyte (BASE). A plurality of cross-members such as spaced, parallel loops of molybdenum metal wire surround the BASE tube. The loops are electrically connected by a bus wire. As the AMTEC cell is heated, the grid of expanded nickel expands more than the BASE tube and the surrounding loop of wire and become diffusion welded to the electrode film and to the wire loops.
Inert-gas diffuser provides protective gas cover for weld bead as it cools. Follows welding torch, maintaining continuous flow of argon over newly formed joint and prevents it from oxidizing. Helps to ensure welds of consistently high quality. Devised for plasma arc keyhole welding of plates of 0.25-in. or greater thickness, also used in tungsten/inert-gas and other plasma or arc welding processes.
Modified flow diffusers built for inert-gas purging of welds made with 5-kW CO(2) lasers operating with line-focus optics in conduction mode instead of with point-focus optics in customary keyhole mode. Diffusers made of copper components brazed together, robust enough to withstand strong reflections of line-focused laser energy.
Foil or thin wire at weld root is used to verify weld penetration. When weld is adequate, material mixes with weld and traces of it diffuse to weld crown. Spectroscopic analysis of samples identifies foreign material and verifies root has fused. Weld roots are usually inaccessible to visual inspection, and X-ray and ultrasonic inspection techniques are not always reliable. Good results are obtained with use of gold/nickel alloy.
Arc-light reflector for through-the-torch welding vision system designed expressly for use in welding ducts of small diameter. Cylindrical reflector positioned to reflect light diffusely from welding arc onto nearby surface of workpiece for most advantageous viewing along axis of welding torch.
Various solid-solid diffusion couples were assembled from thoriated and nonthoriated nickel-base alloys, welded, and diffusion annealed at 1260 C. Concentration profiles indicated that a thoria dispersion does not affect diffusion in Cr(alloy):Ni and Ni-4.8Al:Ni types of couples unless a fine grain structure is retained by the thoria particles. Metallography revealed the presence of thoria-free bands in the thoriated-Ni side of the diffusion zone. The bands contained grain boundaries and, in some cases, non-Kirkendall porosity. A mechanism based on the operation of vacancy sources is proposed to explain the thoria-free bands. In addition, a particular DS-NiCr:Ni couple had negligible Kirkendall porosity. This behavior was related to the grain structure of the particular lot of DS-NiCr.
Bladder failure analysis, diffuser tube weld examination, and failure mode reproduction tests of propulsion systems
Omega seal, diffusion bonded, pressure welded, and high temperature separable connector designs and environmental tests
A new solution for building high power, solid state lasers for space flight is to fabricate the whole laser resonator in a single (monolithic) structure or alternatively to build a contiguous diffusion bonded or welded structure. Monolithic lasers provide numerous advantages for space flight solid state lasers by minimizing misalignment concerns. The closed cavity is immune to contamination. The number of components is minimized thus increasing reliability. Bragg mirrors serve as the high reflector and output coupler thus minimizing optical coatings and coating damage. The Bragg mirrors also provide spectral and spatial mode selection for high fidelity. The monolithic structure allows short cavities resulting in short pulses. Passive saturable absorber Q-switches provide soft aerturing fro spatial mode filtering and improved pointing stability. We will review our recent commercial and in-house developments toward fully monolithic solid state lasers.
State-of-the-art of dissimilar metal joining by solid state diffusion bonding and roll and press welding, emphasizing stainless steel and aluminum alloy
Knowledge of thermal diffusivity data for high-temperature materials (solids and liquids) is very important in analyzing a number of processes, among them solidification, crystal growth, and welding. However, reliable thermal diffusivity versus temperature data, particularly those for high-temperature liquids, are still far from complete. The main measurement difficulties are due to the presence of convection and the requirement for a container. Fortunately, the availability of levitation techniques has made it possible to solve the containment problem. Based on the feasibility of the levitation technology, a new laser flash technique which is applicable to both levitated liquid and solid samples is being developed. At this point, the analysis for solid samples is near completion and highlights of the technique are presented here. The levitated solid sample which is assumed to be a sphere is subjected to a very short burst of high power radiant energy. The temperature of the irradiated surface area is elevated and a transient heat transfer process takes place within the sample. This containerless process is a two-dimensional unsteady heat conduction problem. Due to the nonlinearity of the radiative plus convective boundary condition, an analytic solution cannot be obtained. Two options are available at this point. Firstly, the radiation boundary condition can be linearized, which then accommodates a closed-form analytic solution. Comparison of the analytic curves for the temperature rise at different points to the experimentally-measured values will then provide the thermal diffusivity values. Secondly, one may set up an inverse conduction problem whereby experimentally obtained surface temperature history is used as the boundary conditions. The thermal diffusivity can then be elevated by minimizing the difference between the real heat flux boundary condition (radiation plus convection) and the measurements. Status of an experimental study directed at measuring the thermal diffusivity of high-temperature solid samples of pure Nickel and Inconel 718 superalloys are presented. Preliminary measurements showing surface temperature histories are discussed.
The feasibility of fabricating and processing moderate temperature range vapor chamber type heat pipes in a low mass honeycomb panel configuration for highly efficient radiator fins for potential use on the space station was investigated. A variety of honeycomb panel facesheet and core-ribbon wick concepts were evaluated within constraints dictated by existing manufacturing technology and equipment. Concepts evaluated include type of material, material and panel thickness, wick type and manufacturability, liquid and vapor communication among honeycomb cells, and liquid flow return from condenser to evaporator facesheet areas. A thin-wall all-welded stainless steel design with methanol as the working fluid was the initial prototype unit. It was found that an aluminum panel could not be fabricated in the same manner as a stainless steel panel due to diffusion bonding and resistance welding considerations. Therefore, a formed and welded design was developed. The prototype consists of ten panels welded together into a large panel 122 by 24 by 0.15 in., with a heat rejection capability of 1000 watts and a fin efficiency of essentially 1.0.
The effects of bonding temperature and contact time on autohesive strength development in thermoplastic polysulfone resin and graphite-polysulfone composites were investigated. Two test methods were examined to measure autohesion in the neat resin samples. These included an interfacial tension test and a compact tension fracture toughness test. Autohesive strength development in fiber-reinforced composites was measured using a double cantilever beam interlaminar fracture toughness test. The results of the tests were compared with current diffusion theories explaining crack healing and welding of glassy polymers. Discrepancies between the results of the present investigation and the diffusion theories are discussed.
Advanced fabrication techniques applicable to Thermal Skin structures were investigated, including: (1) chemical machining; (2) braze bonding; (3) diffusion bonding; and (4) electron beam welding. Materials investigated were nickel and nickel alloys. Sample Thermal Skin panels were manufactured using the advanced fabrication techniques studied and were structurally tested. Results of the program included: (1) development of improved chemical machining processes for nickel and several nickel alloys; (2) identification of design geometry limits; (3) identification of diffusion bonding requirements; (4) development of a unique diffusion bonding tool; (5) identification of electron beam welding limits; and (6) identification of structural properties of Thermal Skin material.
Air cooled turbine blades activated diffusion brazing and gas pressure welding, using composite finned configuration model