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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
DOE OSTI2021

Stochastic microstructural analysis of ceramic matrix composites using a high-fidelity multiscale framework

This paper presents a high-fidelity multiscale framework to simulate the mechanical behavior of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), accounting for the complex micromorphology captured using detailed material characterization. First, high-resolution micrographs are obtained for the specific carbon fiber silicon-carbide-nitride matrix (C/SiNC) CMC to characterize the variability of the architectural features and manufacturing-induced defects at the microscale. An image processing algorithm is then used to precisely estimate the size and distribution of all subscale features and defects from the micrographs. The information is then used to generate a three-dimensional stochastic representative volume element (SRVE) to reconstruct microscale constituents accounting for the variability. As a result, the generated SRVEs are simulated using the high-fidelity generalized method of cells (HFGMC) micromechanics theory to investigate the effects of defects on the elastic properties of C/SiNC CMCs.

Ceramic Matrix Composites↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effect of moderate temperatures on compressive strength of ultra-high-performance concrete: A microstructural analysis

Highlights: • All coarse aggregates and steel fibres were surrounded by the binder. • X-ray diffraction is useful for explaining the increase in compressive strength with increasing temperature. • Rosenhahnite and/or quartz Dauphiné-twinned phases improved the compressive strength. • Polypropylene fibres prevented spalling and preserved the compressive strength. • Concrete with steel and polypropylene fibres did not exhibit spalling at 300 °C. Concrete with two types of steel fibres and a polypropylene fibre prevented spalling and preserved the compressive strength at 300 °C, which makes these concretes suitable for long-term applications up to 300 °C, such as for steam collectors or thermal energy storage systems. The compressive strength behaviour of three types of ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete manufactured with the same matrix was investigated. For this purpose, a complete characterisation of all the raw materials and the three types of fibres used was performed. The morphology of all concrete mixtures at room temperature was analysed using scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. From the results, it was ascertained that the steel fibres and coarse siliceous aggregates were not in contact (being separated by ≥3.41 μm) and were surrounded by the binder (of ≥1 μm in thickness) for all the mixtures studied. Rosenhahnite and/or quartz Dauphiné-twinned phases improved the compressive strength (as determined by X-ray diffraction).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Microstructural Analysis of Cadmium Whiskers on Long-Term-Used Hardware

A survey of cadmium plated field return hardware showed ubiquitous cadmium whisker growth. The most worn and debris-covered hardware showed the densest whisker growth. Whiskers were often found growing in agglomerates of nodules and whiskers. The hardware was rinsed with alcohol to transfer whiskers and debris from the hardware to a flat stub. Fifty whiskers were studied individually by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), including energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Most of the whiskers were single crystal, though three were found to contain grain boundaries at kinks. The whiskers ranged from 5 to 600 μm in length and 80 pct showed a $<\bar{1} 2 \bar{1} 0>$ type growth direction. This growth direction facilitates the development of low energy side faces of the whisker, (0001) and {1010}.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Microstructural Analysis and Texture Evolution of the CVCEDed AZ31 Magnesium Alloy by Hot Rolling

Grain refinement is one of the important methods to improve the performance of magnesium alloy sheets. This paper attempts to prepare the billets of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets by continuous variable cross-section direct extrusion (CVCDE) and then prepare sheets by rolling. The results show that the average grain size of the sheets rolled from extruded products by CVCDE with 2 interim dies reduced by 30% and the tensile strength increased by 12.6% compared with the sheets rolled from extruded products by traditional extrusion (CE), which is related to the dislocation multiplication in the corresponding conditions. The high dislocation density hinders the plastic deformation of the material, which is one of the internal factors that cause the increase in the strength of the material and the decrease in the plasticity. In addition, the basal surface of a lot of grains of the sheets rolled from extruded products by CVCDE with 2 interim dies is parallel to the RD-TD plane and the strength of texture is high. Meanwhile, the value of average Schmid factor of the sheets rolled from extruded products by CVCDE with 2 interim dies along the rolling direction is lowest, which result in lower plasticity. The above research provides a new idea for the development of high-performance magnesium alloy sheets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

A microstructural analysis of isoprenol ether-based polycarboxylates and the impact of structural motifs on the dispersing effectiveness

Generally, polycarboxylate superplasticizers (PCEs) are synthesized via aqueous free radical copolymerization. The conditions during copolymerization such as relative reactivity and feeding mode and ratio of monomers can cause different monomer sequences in the final product. In this study, the sequence of monomers in PCE polymers synthesized from acrylic acid and isoprenyloxy polyethylene glycol (IPEG) macromonomer was characterized by {sup 13}C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Three different triads of monomer sequences (EAE, AAE and AAA; E = ether, A = acid monomer) were detected. It was found that IPEG PCEs predominantly contain the structural motifs of AAE and EAE, and less of AAA. Higher additions of acrylic acid do not incorporate into the structure of PCE, but convert to HMW polyacrylate as by-product instead. A PCE with optimal dispersing effectiveness was achieved at high contents of IPEG macromonomer, a molecular weight (M{sub w}) around 40,000 Da and narrow molecular weight distribution.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microstructural analysis of tristructural isotropic particles in high-temperature steam mixed gas atmospheres

High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) use tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particles embedded in a graphitic matrix material to form the integral fuel element. Potential off-normal reactor conditions for HTGRs include steam ingress with temperatures above 1,000 °C. Fuel element exposure to steam can cause the graphitic matrix material to evolve, forming an atmosphere composed of oxidants and oxidation products and potentially exposing the TRISO particles to these conditions. Investigating the oxidation response of TRISO particles exposed to a mixed gas atmosphere will provide insight into the stability under off-normal conditions. In this study, surrogate TRISO particles were exposed to high temperatures (T = 1,200 °C) in flowing steam (3% < pH 2 O < 21%) and CO (pCO < 1%) to determine the oxidation behavior of the SiC layer when exposed to various mixed gas atmospheres. Scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and focused ion beam milling was used to determine the impact of CO and steam on the oxidation behavior of the SiC layer. Therefore, the data presented demonstrates how the SiC layer showed strong oxidation resistance due to limited SiO 2 growth and maintained its structural integrity under these off-normal conditions.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Microstructural analysis of undoped and moderately Sc-doped TiO2 anatase nanoparticles using Scherrer equation and Debye function analysis

Highlights: • UV light sensitive undoped and moderate Sc-doped anatase nanocrystallites were prepared without post-synthesis annealing. • Elongated nanocrystallites were found by Scherrer equation and Debye Function Analysis applied to XRD data and also HRTEM. • 4 at.% Sc doping reduced the amount of Ti vacancies by half. • Doping showed ~0.3% growth of lattice parameters. - Abstract: UV light sensitive undoped and moderate (4 at.%) Sc-doped anatase nanocrystallites were prepared by an efficient and environmentally benign method based on homogeneous hydrolysis of TiOSO{sub 4} and Sc{sub 2}(C{sub 2}O{sub 4}){sub 3.5}H{sub 2}O aqueous solutions using urea as a precipitation agent, without post-synthesis calcination or annealing. X-ray diffraction study of the obtained powders revealed single phase anatase in both samples. Two different methods were applied to estimate the anatase crystallite size and shape from the X-ray diffraction data. The first one is based on the more conventional Scherrer equation (as implanted in GSAS-II program) while the second one is based on Debye function analysis (as implanted in DUBUSSY suite version 2.2), which is considered to be more adequate for nanocrystallites. Although each program has its own shape models, both methods indicated similar results of elongated nanocrystallite geometry for Sc-doped TiO{sub 2}: (i) GSAS-II confirmed ellipsoid shape with equatorial size of 5.1(0) nm and axial size of 6.8(0), (ii) DEBUSSY suite 2.2 showed cylinder shape with diameter of equivalent circle in the ab-plane, D{sub ab} = 4.9(1.0) nm and crystallite length along the c-axis, L{sub c} = 5.4(3.2) nm. For the undoped TiO{sub 2} sample, equatorial size of 5.5(0) nm and axial size of 7.3(0) nm for the ellipsoid shape was determined according to GSAS-II, while D{sub ab} = 5.5(1.3) nm and L{sub c} = 6.0(2.2) nm for the cylinder shape was determined by DEBUSSY suite 2.2. These outcomes were found to corroborate with HRTEM analysis. Doping with 4 at.% Sc caused ~0.3% growth of lattice parameters from a = 3.7979 [4] Å, c = 9.4995 [9] Å for the undoped sample to a = 3.8110 [7] Å, c = 9.5274 [16] Å for the moderately Sc doped sample, while reduction in the Ti vacancies by half was confirmed by both methods. The introducing of Sc as electronically active secondary species into the crystal lattice of TiO{sub 2} can greatly alter its optical absorption. The incorporation of Sc into the crystal lattice of TiO{sub 2} favors the substitution of Ti, as both have approximately the same ionic size, and generates surface oxygen vacancies which can act as trapping center for the photogenerated electrons and reduce the recombination of electron–hole pairs. We can expect Sc doped TiO{sub 2} nanomaterials to have applications as effective photocatalysts for selective photocatalytic oxidation of various environmental organic pollutants.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Micromechanical and microstructure analysis of strain-induced phenomena in ultrasonic additively-manufactured Al-6061 alloy

This work investigates the anisotropic mechanical behavior (both macro and micro) of Al6061 alloy samples manufactured using ultrasonic additive manufacturing. Samples from both sonotrode travel and vibration directions (TD and VD, respectively) were investigated in the as-built and aged (8 h at 180 °C under Argon gas) conditions. The aged VD-specimens showed appearance and propagation of Luders-like band, which did not exist in the TD-specimens, deformed at the same strain rate. X-ray diffraction, x-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy, laser flash technique and in-situ loading with neutron diffraction were used to characterize the material and its hardening behavior during straining. Furthermore, aging was mainly found to lead to relaxation of stresses, induced by the build process, some decrease in yield stress, and potential secondary phase reprecipitation. Stress partitioning, revealed via in situ neutron diffraction, showed that one of grain families, (110) || tensile axis, revealed strain softening at small strain range. This texture component, (110) || tensile axis, dominated the structure of VD-specimens, and was one of key factors stimulating band appearance and propagation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Microstructural Analysis of Additively Manufactured 304L Stainless Steel Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Alloy

Selective laser melting (SLM) is one of the additive manufacturing (AM) process that utilizes laser for selectively melting and fusing of a thin layer of powder. This technique allows manufacturing a part directly from computer-aided design (CAD) models by dividing the part into a set of two-dimensional slices, which are built sequentially on top of another. Here, SLM technology enables manufacturing of complex geometries, such as parts with inner cooling channels which could be difficult or time consuming to make by conventional manufacturing processes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Microstructural Analysis of the Effects of Thermal Runaway on Li-Ion and Na-Ion Battery Electrodes

Thermal runaway is a phenomenon that occurs due to self-sustaining reactions within batteries at elevated temperatures resulting in catastrophic failure. Here, the thermal runaway process is studied for a Li-ion and Na-ion pouch cells of similar energy density (10.5 Wh, 12 Wh, respectively) using accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC). Both cells were constructed with a z-fold configuration, with a standard shutdown separator in the Li-ion and a low-cost polypropylene (PP) separator in the Na-ion. Even with the shutdown separator, it is shown that the self-heating rate and rate of thermal runaway in Na-ion cells is significantly slower than that observed in Li-ion systems. The thermal runaway event initiates at a higher temperature in Na-ion cells. The effect of thermal runaway on the architecture of the cells is examined using X-ray microcomputed tomography, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used to examine the failed electrodes of both cells. In conclusion, from examination of the respective electrodes, likely due to the carbonate solvent containing electrolyte, it is suggested that thermal runaway in Na-ion batteries (NIBs) occurs via a similar mechanism to that reported for Li-ion cells.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pore2Chip: All-in-one python tool for soil microstructure analysis and micromodel design

The Pore2Chip Python package is designed to create 2D micromodels using extracted data from 3D X-ray computed tomography (XCT) images. This package helps analyze soil structure and function, allowing for the investigation of hydro-biogeochemical processes that impact mineral extraction and reactivity, oxygen concentrations, and nutrient availability in disturbed or managed soils. Key metrics encompass pore size distributions, pore throat size distributions, and connectivity (pore coordination numbers). The final output is a 2D scalable SVG design representing a core or aggregate. Designs can be fabricated with methods such as laser etching, 3D printing, and photolithography.

lab-on-chip↗
DOE OSTI2018

Fabrication and microstructural analysis of ceramic fuel derived from sol-gel and powder routes

Within the Advanced Fuels Campaign the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is looking into the fabrication of enhanced UO 2 fuel candidates. Early in FY18 an open-port glove box line was set up enabling the fabrication and initial characterization of potentially enhanced fuel candidates. The fabrication processes available at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are unique owing to its UO 3 microsphere feedstock compared to commonly used powder feedstocks. The reported activities demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating advanced UO 2 -Molybdenum ceramics with an enhanced thermal conductivity and high densities. Further development of the fabrication routes and a variety of different dopants is expected to result in a matrix of different advanced fuel candidates. Following initial property screening, the in-reactor performance and suitability of these fuel candidates will be probed in the MiniFuel irradiation set-up at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Microstructural Analysis of Iron-Chromium-Aluminum Samples Exposed to Loca-Type Conditions Followed by Quench

The QUENCH-19 experiment was performed to examine the behavior of FeCrAl-alloy B1236Y3 as a potential nuclear fuel cladding and accident conditions. Over the course of the test, a surrogate bundle achieved a temperature of just over 1400°C. Post-test characterization revealed that the FeCrAl formed a thin layer of aluminum oxide that protected most of the underlying cladding and surrogate fuel pin. However, a few pins were heavily corroded and even destroyed primarily by thermocouple-FeCrAl interactions and subsequent steam, FeCrAl, and ZrO 2 interactions. Absent these effects, it is suggested that FeCrAl’s performance may be acceptable under these conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗