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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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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Crystal growth from the vapor phase. Experiment MA-085

The positive effects of microgravity on crystal quality and the fundamental properties of the vapor transport reaction were established by analyzing the results of three transport experiments on multicomponent systems performed during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission. The systems employed were GeSe0.99Te0.01-GeI4(A), GeS0.98Se0.02-GeCl4(B), and GeS-GeCl4-Ar (C). The crystallographic analysis is based on a direct comparison of space and ground-based (prototype) crystals employing X-ray diffraction, microprobe, microscopic, and chemical etching techniques. The results demonstrate a considerable improvement of the space-grown crystals in terms of chemical and crystalline homogeneity, surface morphology, and bulk perfection relative to ground specimens.

Wiedemeier, H.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Laser Ablation Surface Preparation of Ti-6A1-4V for Adhesive Bonding

Adhesive bonding offers many advantages over mechanical fastening, but requires certification before it can be incorporated in primary structures for commercial aviation without disbond-arrestment features or redundant load paths. Surface preparation is widely recognized as the key step to producing robust and predictable bonds. Laser ablation imparts both topographical and chemical changes to a surface which can lead to increased bond durability. A laser based process provides an alternative to chemical-dip, manual abrasion and grit blast treatments which are expensive, hazardous, polluting, and less precise. This report documents preliminary testing of a surface preparation technique using laser ablation as a replacement for the chemical etch and abrasive processes currently applied to Ti-6Al-4V alloy adherends. Failure mode, surface roughness, and chemical makeup were analyzed using fluorescence enhanced visualization, microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Single lap shear tests were conducted on bonded and aged specimens to observe bond strength retention and failure mode. Some promising results showed increasing strength and durability of lap shear specimens as laser ablation coverage area and beam intensity increased. Chemical analyses showed trends for surface chemical species which correlated with improved bond strength and durability. Combined, these results suggest that laser ablation is a viable process for inclusion with or/and replacement of one or more currently used titanium surface treatments. On-going work will focus on additional mechanical tests to further demonstrate improved bond durability.

Palmieri, Frank L.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Further Investigation Into the Use of Laser Surface Preparation of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy for Adhesive Bonding

Adhesive bonding offers many advantages over mechanical fastening, but requires robust materials and processing methodologies before it can be incorporated in primary structures for aerospace applications. Surface preparation is widely recognized as one of the key steps to producing robust and predictable bonds. This report documents an ongoing investigation of a surface preparation technique based on Nd:YAG laser ablation as a replacement for the chemical etch and/or abrasive processes currently applied to Ti-6Al-4V alloys. Laser ablation imparts both topographical and chemical changes to a surface that can lead to increased bond durability. A laser based process provides an alternative to chemical-immersion, manual abrasion, and grit blast process steps which are expensive, hazardous, environmentally unfriendly, and less precise. In addition, laser ablation is amenable to process automation, which can improve reproducibility to meet quality standards for surface preparation. An update on work involving adhesive property testing, surface characterization, surface stability, and the effect of laser surface treatment on fatigue behavior is presented. Based on the tests conducted, laser surface treatment is a viable replacement for the immersion chemical surface treatment processes. Testing also showed that the fatigue behavior of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy is comparable for surfaces treated with either laser ablation or chemical surface treatment.

Palmieri, Frank L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The automated array assembly task of the low-cost silicon solar array project, phase 2

Several specific processing steps as part of a total process sequence for manufacturing silicon solar cells were studied. Ion implantation was identified as the preferred process step for impurity doping. Unanalyzed beam ion implantation was shown to have major cost advantages over analyzed beam implantation. Further, high quality cells were fabricated using a high current unanalyzed beam. Mechanically masked plasma patterning of silicon nitride was shown to be capable of forming fine lines on silicon surfaces with spacings between mask and substrate as great as 250 micrometers. Extensive work was performed on advances in plated metallization. The need for the thick electroless palladium layer was eliminated. Further, copper was successfully utilized as a conductor layer utilizing nickel as a barrier to copper diffusion into the silicon. Plasma etching of silicon for texturing and saw damage removal was shown technically feasible but not cost effective compared to wet chemical etching techniques.

Coleman, M. G.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Seal Materials Compatible with the Electroplating Solvent Used in Constellation-X Mirrors

The existing gasket seals used in electroplating of the Constellation-X mirrors are difficult to assemble, and the current seal material is hydrophobic and too thick. The combination of the above problems result in: 1) non-uniform plating; 2) defect sites such as pits on the mirror edges; 3) "bear claws" on the edges of the mandrels and mirrors causing difficulties in shell-mirror separations; and 4) leakage of the plating solution past the seals into the mandrel causing chemical etching of the mandrel interior. This paper reports the results of this summer study in searching for alternate seal materials chemically compatible with the electroplating solvent. Fifteen common elastomeric rubber seal materials made-by Parker Seals were investigated including butyl, ethylene propylene, fluorosilicone, nitrile, Viton fluorocarbon, and silicone. Test results showed that Viton fluorocarbon compounds as a group were superior to the other tested compounds for chemical compatibility with the plating bath.

Pei, Xiong-Skiba↗
NASA NTRS1981

AlGaAs/GaAs transverse junction stripe lasers with distributed feedback

Transverse junction stripe (TJS) lasers with periodic feedback were fabricated in two geometries. An interferometric and wet chemical etching technique was used to create a feedback grating across the entire pumping region for the distributed feedback (DFB) TJS laser and to create the separate distributed Bragg reflectors/DBR) for the TJS/DBR laser. The TJS/DFB laser was a double heterostructure device grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) and had a third order grating etched in the top ALO.2GaO.8As layer. The grating was buried by growing an ALO.35GaO.65As layer on the grating by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD). The TJS/DBR laser was also fabricated in an LPE double heterostructure. The top AlGaAs layer was thinned to 0.1 micron over more than half of the laser so that the grating would be close to the GaAs active layer and optical field. Single mode operation in both configurations was obtained. The thermal shift of the laser wavelength in both cases was less than 1 Angstrom/deg K, compared to the 3 Angstrom/deg K shift of the spontaneous emission peak.

Hafich, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The use of analytical surface tools in the fundamental study of wear

Various techniques and surface tools available for the study of the atomic nature of the wear of materials are reviewed These include chemical etching, x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, Auger emission spectroscopy analysis, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, field ion microscopy, and the atom probe. Properties of the surface and wear surface regions which affect wear, such as surface energy, crystal structure, crystallographic orientation, mode of dislocation behavior, and cohesive binding, are discussed. A number of mechanisms involved in the generation of wear particles are identified with the aid of the aforementioned tools.

Buckley, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The use of analytical surface tools in the fundamental study of wear

This paper reviews the various techniques and surface tools available for the study of the atomic nature of the wear of materials. These include chemical etching, X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, Auger emission spectroscopy analysis, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, field ion microscopy, and the atom probe. Properties of the surface and wear surface regions which effect wear such as surface energy, crystal structure, crystallographic orientation, mode of dislocation behavior, and cohesive binding are discussed. A number of mechanisms involved in the generation of wear particles are identified with the aid of the aforementioned tools.

Buckley, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Microchemical analysis of the SCS-6 silicon carbide fiber

A detailed quantitative study of the microstructural variation of chemical composition of chemically vapor-deposited commercial SiC SCS-6 fiber is presented. Chemical etching and various electron-optical techniques including SEM, TEM, scanning Auger microscopy, AES, and parallel electron energy loss spectroscopy are used to analyze the chemical composition of the as-received fiber. In addition, some results on stereology of the high-temperature annealed fiber are presented. The results show that the carbon-to-silicon atom ratio in the SiC layers decreases in a stepwise fashion from about 3:2 to about 1:1 in going from the innermost layer to the outermost layer.

Ning, Xian-Jie↗
NASA NTRS1980

Ion-beam etching enhances adhesive bonding

Metals and fluoropolymers exposed to 0.5 to 1.0 keV argon ions at current densities of 0.2 to 1.5 mA/sq cm develop surface texturing that increases tensile and shear strength of epoxy bonds. Bonds are 46 to 100 percent stronger than those of chemically etched surfaces. Metals require 3 to 4 hours of bombardment to become properly textured. Fluoropolymers require 5 seconds to 30 minutes. Ion beam will not texture nickel. Unlike chemical treatments, bonding of fluoropolymers can be done days or months after ion treatment.

Banks, B. A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

A Novel Surface Treatment for Titanium Alloys

High-speed commercial aircraft require a surface treatment for titanium (Ti) alloy that is both environmentally safe and durable under the conditions of supersonic flight. A number of pretreatment procedures for Ti alloy requiring multi-stages have been developed to produce a stable surface. Among the stages are, degreasing, mechanical abrasion, chemical etching, and electrochemical anodizing. These treatments exhibit significant variations in their long-term stability, and the benefits of each step in these processes still remain unclear. In addition, chromium compounds are often used in many chemical treatments and these materials are detrimental to the environment. Recently, a chromium-free surface treatment for Ti alloy has been reported, though not designed for high temperature applications. In the present study, a simple surface treatment process developed at NASA/LaRC is reported, offering a high performance surface for a variety of applications. This novel surface treatment for Ti alloy is conventionally achieved by forming oxides on the surface with a two-step chemical process without mechanical abrasion. This acid-followed-by-base treatment was designed to be cost effective and relatively safe to use in a commercial application. In addition, it is chromium-free, and has been successfully used with a sol-gel coating to afford a strong adhesive bond after exposure to hot-wet environments. Phenylethynyl containing adhesives were used to evaluate this surface treatment with sol-gel solutions made of novel imide silanes developed at NASA/LaRC. Oxide layers developed by this process were controlled by immersion time and temperature and solution concentration. The morphology and chemical composition of the oxide layers were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Bond strengths made with this new treatment were evaluated using single lap shear tests.

Lowther, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Plasma variables and tribological properties of coatings in low pressure (0.1 - 10.0 torr) plasma systems

A detailed treatment is presented of the dialog known as plasma surface interactions (PSI) with respect to the coating process and its tribological behavior. Adsorption, morphological changes, defect formation, sputtering, chemical etching, and secondary electron emission are all discussed as promoting and enhancing the surface chemistry, thus influencing the tribological properties of the deposited flux. Phenomenological correlations of rate of deposition, flux composition, microhardness, and wear with the plasma layer variables give an insight to the formation of chemical bonding between the deposited flux and the substrate surface.

Avni, R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Restoration Process

In the accompanying photos, a laboratory technician is restoring the once-obliterated serial number of a revolver. The four-photo sequence shows the gradual progression from total invisibility to clear readability. The technician is using a new process developed in an applications engineering project conducted by NASA's Lewis Research Center in conjunction with Chicago State University. Serial numbers and other markings are frequently eliminated from metal objects to prevent tracing ownership of guns, motor vehicles, bicycles, cameras, appliances and jewelry. To restore obliterated numbers, crime laboratory investigators most often employ a chemical etching technique. It is effective, but it may cause metal corrosion and it requires extensive preparatory grinding and polishing. The NASA-Chicago State process is advantageous because it can be applied without variation to any kind of metal, it needs no preparatory work and number recovery can be accomplished without corrosive chemicals; the liquid used is water.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1978

Adhesive bonding of ion beam textured metals and fluoropolymers

An electron-bombardment argon ion source was used to ion-etch various metals and fluoropolymers. The metal and fluoropolymers were exposed to (0.5 to 1.0)-keV Ar ions at ion current densities of 0.2 to 1.5 mA/sq cm for various exposure times. The resulting surface texture is in the form of needles or spires whose vertical dimensions may range from tenths to hundreds of micrometers, depending on the selection of beam energy, ion current density, and etch time. The bonding of textured surfaces is accomplished by ion-beam texturing mating pieces of either metals or fluoropolymers and applying a bonding agent which wets in and around the microscopic conelike structures. After bonding, both tensile and shear strength measurements were made on the samples. Also tested, for comparison's sake, were untextured and chemically etched fluoropolymers. The results of these measurements are presented in this paper.

Mirtich, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Adhesive bonding of ion beam textured metals and fluoropolymers

An electron bombardment argon ion source was used to ion etch various metals and fluoropolymers. The metal and fluoropolymers were exposed to (0.5 to 1.0) keV Ar ions at ion current densities of (0.2 to 1.5) mA/sq cm for various exposure times. The resulting surface texture is in the form of needles or spires whose vertical dimensions may range from tenths to hundreds of micrometers, depending on the selection of beam energy, ion current density, and etch time. The bonding of textured surfaces is accomplished by ion beam texturing mating pieces of either metals or fluoropolymers and applying a bonding agent which wets in and around the microscopic cone-like structures. After bonding, both tensile and shear strength measurements were made on the samples. Also tested, for comparison's sake, were untextured and chemically etched fluoropolymers. The results of these measurements are presented.

Mirtich, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Assessing Habitability: Lessons from the Phoenix Mission

The Phoenix mission's key objective was to search for a habitable zone. The Phoenix lander carried a robotic arm with digging scoop to collect soil and icy material for analysis with an instrument payload that included volatile mineral and organic analysis(3) and soil ionic chemistry analysis (4). Results from Phoenix along with theoretical modeling and other previous mission results were used to evaluate the habitability of the landing site by considering four factors that characterize the environments ability to support life as we know it: the presence of liquid water, the presence of an energy source to support metabolism, the presence of nutrients containing the fundamental building blocks of life, and the absence of environmental conditions that are toxic to or preclude life. Phoenix observational evidence for the presence of liquid water (past or present) includes clean segregated ice, chemical etching of soil grains, calcite minerals in the soil and variable concentrations of soluble salts5. The maximum surface temperature measured was 260K so unfrozen water can form only in adsorbed films or saline brines but warmer climates occur cyclically on geologically short time scales due to variations in orbital parameters. During high obliquity periods, temperatures allowing metabolism extend nearly a meter into the subsurface. Phoenix discovered ~1%w/w perchlorate salt in the soil, a chemical energy source utilized by a wide range of microbes. Nutrient sources including C, H, N, O, P and S compounds are supplied by known atmospheric sources or global dust. Environmental conditions are within growth tolerance for terrestrial microbes. Summer daytime temperatures are sufficient for metabolic activity, the pH is 7.8 and is well buffered and the projected water activity of a wet soil will allow growth. In summary, martian permafrost in the north polar region is a viable location for modern life. Stoker et al. presented a formalism for comparing the habitability of various regions visited to date on Mars that involved computing a habitability probability, defined as the product of probabilities for the presence of liquid water (P(sub lw)), energy (P(sub e)), nutrients (P(sub ch)), and a benign environment (P(sub b)). Using this formalism, they argued that the Phoenix site was the most habitable of any site visited to date by landed missions and warranted a follow up mission to search for modern evidence of life. This paper will review that conclusion in view of more recent information from the Mars Exploration Rovers and Mars Science Lander missions.

Stoker, Carol R.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Micro-Slit Collimators for X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Imaging

A hybrid photochemical-machining process is coupled with precision stack lamination to allow for the fabrication of multiple ultra-high-resolution grids on a single array substrate. In addition, special fixturing and etching techniques have been developed that allow higher-resolution multi-grid collimators to be fabricated. Building on past work of developing a manufacturing technique for fabricating multi-grid, high-resolution coating modulation collimators for arcsecond and subarcsecond x-ray and gamma-ray imaging, the current work reduces the grid pitch by almost a factor of two, down to 22 microns. Additionally, a process was developed for reducing thin, high-Z (tungsten or molybdenum) from the thinnest commercially available foil (25 microns thick) down to approximately equal to 10 microns thick using precisely controlled chemical etching

Appleby, Michael↗