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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 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Advanced fuel fusion, phase space engineering, and structure-preserving geometric algorithms

Non-thermal advanced fuel fusion trades the requirement of a large amount of recirculating tritium in the system for that of large recirculating power. Phase space engineering technologies utilizing externally injected electromagnetic fields can be applied to meet the challenge of maintaining non-thermal particle distributions at a reasonable cost. The physical processes of the phase space engineering are studied from a theoretical and algorithmic perspective. It is emphasized that the operational space of phase space engineering is limited by the underpinning symplectic dynamics of charged particles. The phase space incompressibility according to the Liouville theorem is just one of many constraints, and Gromov's non-squeezing theorem determines the minimum footprint of the charged particles on every conjugate phase space plane. In this sense and level of sophistication, the mathematical abstraction of phase space engineering is symplectic topology. To simulate the processes of phase space engineering, such as the Maxwell demon and electromagnetic energy extraction, and to accurately calculate the minimum footprints of charged particles, recently developed structure-preserving geometric algorithms can be used. The family of algorithms conserves exactly, on discretized spacetime, symplecticity and thus incompressibility, non-squeezability, and symplectic capacities. The algorithms apply to the dynamics of charged particles under the influence of external electromagnetic fields as well as the charged particle–electromagnetic field system governed by the Vlasov–Maxwell equations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nano-engineering the material structure of preferentially oriented nano-graphitic carbon for making high-performance electrochemical micro-sensors

Direct synthesis of thin-film carbon nanomaterials on oxide-coated silicon substrates provides a viable pathway for building a dense array of miniaturized (micron-scale) electrochemical sensors with high performance. However, material synthesis generally involves many parameters, making material engineering based on trial and error highly inefficient. Here, we report a two-pronged strategy for producing engineered thin-film carbon nanomaterials that have a nano-graphitic structure. First, we introduce a variant of the metal-induced graphitization technique that generates micron-scale islands of nano-graphitic carbon materials directly on oxide-coated silicon substrates. A novel feature of our material synthesis is that, through substrate engineering, the orientation of graphitic planes within the film aligns preferentially with the silicon substrate. This feature allows us to use the Raman spectroscopy for quantifying structural properties of the sensor surface, where the electrochemical processes occur. Second, we find phenomenological models for predicting the amplitudes of the redox current and the sensor capacitance from the material structure, quantified by Raman. Our results indicate that the key to achieving high-performance micro-sensors from nano-graphitic carbon is to increase both the density of point defects and the size of the graphitic crystallites. Our study offers a viable strategy for building planar electrochemical micro-sensors with high-performance.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2004

Metal Foam Analysis: Improving Sandwich Structure Technology for Engine Fan and Propeller Blades

The Life Prediction Branch of the NASA Glenn Research Center is searching for ways to construct aircraft and rotorcraft engine fan and propeller blades that are lighter and less costly. One possible design is to create a sandwich structure composed of two metal faces sheets and a metal foam core. The face sheets would carry the bending loads and the foam core would have to resist the transverse shear loads. Metal foam is ideal because of its low density and energy absorption capabilities, making the structure lighter, yet still stiff. The material chosen for the face sheets and core was 17-4PH stainless steel, which is easy to make and has appealing mechanical properties. This material can be made inexpensively compared to titanium and polymer matrix composites, the two current fan blade alternatives. Initial tests were performed on design models, including vibration and stress analysis. These tests revealed that the design is competitive with existing designs; however, some problems were apparent that must be addressed before it can be implemented in new technology. The foam did not hold up as well as expected under stress. This could be due to a number of issues, but was most likely a result of a large number of pores within the steel that weakened the structure. The brazing between the face sheets and the foam was also identified as a concern. The braze did not hold up well under shear stress causing the foam to break away from the face sheets. My role in this project was to analyze different options for improving the design. I primarily spent my time examining various foam samples, created with different sintering conditions, to see which exhibited the most favorable characteristics for our purpose. Methods of analysis that I employed included examining strut integrity under a microscope, counting the number of cells per inch, measuring the density, testing the microhardness, and testing the strength under compression. Shear testing will also be done to examine the strengths of different types of brazes.

Fedor, Jessica L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Probabilistic structural analysis methods for improving Space Shuttle engine reliability

Probabilistic structural analysis methods are particularly useful in the design and analysis of critical structural components and systems that operate in very severe and uncertain environments. These methods have recently found application in space propulsion systems to improve the structural reliability of Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) components. A computer program, NESSUS, based on a deterministic finite-element program and a method of probabilistic analysis (fast probability integration) provides probabilistic structural analysis for selected SSME components. While computationally efficient, it considers both correlated and nonnormal random variables as well as an implicit functional relationship between independent and dependent variables. The program is used to determine the response of a nickel-based superalloy SSME turbopump blade. Results include blade tip displacement statistics due to the variability in blade thickness, modulus of elasticity, Poisson's ratio or density. Modulus of elasticity significantly contributed to blade tip variability while Poisson's ratio did not. Thus, a rational method for choosing parameters to be modeled as random is provided.

Boyce, L.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Controlling $T_c$ through Band Structure and Correlation Engineering in Collapsed and Uncollapsed Phases of Iron Arsenides

Recent observations of selective emergence (suppression) of superconductivity in the uncollapsed (collapsed) tetragonal phase of LaFe 2 As 2 has rekindled interest in understanding what features of the band structure control the superconducting $T_c$. In this work, we show that the proximity of the narrow Fe-$d_{xy}$ state to the Fermi energy emerges as the primary factor. In the uncollapsed phase this state is at the Fermi energy, and is most strongly correlated and a source of enhanced scattering in both single and two particle channels. The resulting intense and broad low energy spin fluctuations suppress magnetic ordering and simultaneously provide glue for Cooper pair formation. In the collapsed tetragonal phase, the $d_{xy}$ state is driven far below the Fermi energy, which suppresses the low-energy scattering and blocks superconductivity. A similar source of broad spin excitation appears in uncollapsed and collapsed phases of CaFe 2 As 2 . This suggests controlling coherence provides a way to engineer $T_c$ in unconventional superconductors primarily mediated through spin fluctuations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1993

FIBER-TEX 1992: The Sixth Conference on Advanced Engineering Fibers and Textile Structures for Composites

The FIBER-TEX 1992 proceedings contain the papers presented at the conference held on 27-29 Oct. 1992 at Drexel University. The conference was held to create a forum to encourage an interrelationship of the various disciplines involved in the fabrication of materials, the types of equipment, and the processes used in the production of advanced composite structures. Topics discussed were advanced engineering fibers, textile processes and structures, structural fabric production, mechanics and characteristics of woven composites, and the latest requirements for the use of textiles in the production of composite materials and structures as related to global activities focused on textile structural composites.

Buckley, John D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Cabin fuselage structural design with engine installation and control system

Design requirements for the cabin, cabin system, flight controls, engine installation, and wing-fuselage interface that provide adequate interior volume for occupant seating, cabin ingress and egress, and safety are presented. The fuselage structure must be sufficient to meet the loadings specified in the appropriate sections of Federal Aviation Regulation Part 23. The critical structure must provide a safe life of 10(exp 6) load cycles and 10,000 operational mission cycles. The cabin seating and controls must provide adjustment to account for various pilot physiques and to aid in maintenance and operation of the aircraft. Seats and doors shall not bind or lockup under normal operation. Cabin systems such as heating and ventilation, electrical, lighting, intercom, and avionics must be included in the design. The control system will consist of ailerons, elevator, and rudders. The system must provide required deflections with a combination of push rods, bell cranks, pulleys, and linkages. The system will be free from slack and provide smooth operation without binding. Environmental considerations include variations in temperature and atmospheric pressure, protection against sand, dust, rain, humidity, ice, snow, salt/fog atmosphere, wind and gusts, and shock and vibration. The following design goals were set to meet the requirements of the statement of work: safety, performance, manufacturing and cost. To prevent the engine from penetrating the passenger area in the event of a crash was the primary safety concern. Weight and the fuselage aerodynamics were the primary performance concerns. Commonality and ease of manufacturing were major considerations to reduce cost.

Balakrishnan, Tanapaal↗
NASA NTRS1981

Engine isolation for structural-borne interior noise reduction in a general aviation aircraft

Engine vibration isolation for structural-borne interior noise reduction is investigated. A laboratory based test procedure to simulate engine induced structure-borne noise transmission, the testing of a range of candidate isolators for relative performance data, and the development of an analytical model of the transmission phenomena for isolator design evaluation are addressed. The isolator relative performance test data show that the elastomeric isolators do not appear to operate as single degree of freedom systems with respect to noise isolation. Noise isolation beyond 150 Hz levels off and begins to decrease somewhat above 600 Hz. Coupled analytical and empirical models were used to study the structure-borne noise transmission phenomena. Correlation of predicted results with measured data show that (1) the modeling procedures are reasonably accurate for isolator design evaluation, (2) the frequency dependent properties of the isolators must be included in the model if reasonably accurate noise prediction beyond 150 Hz is desired. The experimental and analytical studies were carried out in the frequency range from 10 Hz to 1000 Hz.

Unruh, J. F.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Engineering Polymers as Structural Materials in Spacecraft Water Systems

The novel application of structural materials, surface treatments, and barrier coatings is desired to mitigate the rapid loss of ionic silver (Ag+) biocide observed with passive metal alloys, improve reliability, and reduce system mass. In this work, we provide an initial look at the potential replacement of these heritage alloys in spacecraft water systems with high-performance thermoplastic engineering polymers, including PEEK, PEI, and PVDF. Such materials have found increasing use as structural materials in a broad array of performance-critical applications, including in the aerospace, medical implant, and chemical processing fields. We selected a number of promising materials for investigation, compiled mechanical behavior data, and conducted theoretical performance analyses. We also identified and began to address numerous material suitability concerns as well as design requirements for pressurized components in human-rated spacecraft hardware. These include material flammability, offgassing, leaching, chemical resistance, radiation tolerance, prevention of fracture/yielding, and others. We find that there is significant potential for use of engineering polymers in spacecraft water systems, and suggest some directions for future research.

Lance Dean Delzeit↗
DOE OSTI2020

Structure-based enzyme engineering improves donor-substrate recognition of Arabidopsis thaliana glycosyltransferases

Glycosylation of secondary metabolites involves plant UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs). UGTs have shown promise as catalysts in the synthesis of glycosides for medical treatment. However, limited understanding at the molecular level due to insufficient biochemical and structural information has hindered potential applications of most of these UGTs. In the absence of experimental crystal structures, we employed advanced molecular modeling and simulations in conjunction with biochemical characterization to design a workflow to study five Group H Arabidopsis thaliana (76E1, 76E2, 76E4, 76E5, 76D1) UGTs. Based on our rational structural manipulation and analysis, we identified key amino acids (P129 in 76D1; D374 in 76E2; K275 in 76E4), which when mutated improved donor substrate recognition than wildtype UGTs. Molecular dynamics simulations and deep learning analysis identified structural differences, which drive substrate preferences. The design of these UGTs with broader substrate specificity may play important role in biotechnological and industrial applications. These findings can also serve as basis to study other plant UGTs and thereby advancing UGT enzyme engineering.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1984

Three stage rocket vehicle with parallel staging

A three stage rocket vehicle has a large forward propellant tank and a small aft propellant tank axially aligned. Secured to the rear end of the aft propellant tank is an engine mount structure carrying rocket engines. Offset and secured to the propellant tanks is a payload structure. The propellants from the large forward tank are fed into the aft propellant tank. This arrangement enables the vehicle to parallel stage its use of engines and components and results in significant payload capability. The design and components fully utilize existing space shuttle elements and tooling.

Marshall, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Solar-Thermal Engine Testing

A solar-thermal engine serves as a high-temperature solar-radiation absorber, heat exchanger, and rocket nozzle. collecting concentrated solar radiation into an absorber cavity and transferring this energy to a propellant as heat. Propellant gas can be heated to temperatures approaching 4,500 F and expanded in a rocket nozzle, creating low thrust with a high specific impulse (I(sub sp)). The Shooting Star Experiment (SSE) solar-thermal engine is made of 100 percent chemical vapor deposited (CVD) rhenium. The engine 'module' consists of an engine assembly, propellant feedline, engine support structure, thermal insulation, and instrumentation. Engine thermal performance tests consist of a series of high-temperature thermal cycles intended to characterize the propulsive performance of the engines and the thermal effectiveness of the engine support structure and insulation system. A silicone-carbide electrical resistance heater, placed inside the inner shell, substitutes for solar radiation and heats the engine. Although the preferred propellant is hydrogen, the propellant used in these tests is gaseous nitrogen. Because rhenium oxidizes at elevated temperatures, the tests are performed in a vacuum chamber. Test data will include transient and steady state temperatures on selected engine surfaces, propellant pressures and flow rates, and engine thrust levels. The engine propellant-feed system is designed to Supply GN2 to the engine at a constant inlet pressure of 60 psia, producing a near-constant thrust of 1.0 lb. Gaseous hydrogen will be used in subsequent tests. The propellant flow rate decreases with increasing propellant temperature, while maintaining constant thrust, increasing engine I(sub sp). In conjunction with analytical models of the heat exchanger, the temperature data will provide insight into the effectiveness of the insulation system, the structural support system, and the overall engine performance. These tests also provide experience on operational aspects of the engine and associated subsystems, and will include independent variation of both steady slate heat-exchanger temperature prior to thrust operation and nitrogen inlet pressure (flow rate) during thrust operation. Although the Shooting Star engines were designed as thermal-storage engines to accommodate mission parameters, they are fully capable of operating as scalable, direct-gain engines. Tests are conducted in both operational modes. Engine thrust and propellant flow rate will be measured and thereby I(sub sp). The objective of these tests is to investigate the effectiveness of the solar engine as a heat exchanger and a rocket. Of particular interest is the effectiveness of the support structure as a thermal insulator, the integrity of both the insulation system and the insulation containment system, the overall temperature distribution throughout the engine module, and the thermal power required to sustain steady state fluid temperatures at various flow rates.

Tucker, Stephen↗
DOE OSTI2019

Structure of an engineered multidrug transporter MdfA reveals the molecular basis for substrate recognition

MdfA is a prototypical H + -coupled multidrug transporter that is characterized by extraordinarily broad substrate specificity. The involvement of specific H-bonds in MdfA-drug interactions and the simplicity of altering the substrate specificity of MdfA contradict the promiscuous nature of multidrug recognition, presenting a baffling conundrum. Here we show the X-ray structures of MdfA variant I239T/G354E in complexes with three electrically different ligands, determined at resolutions up to 2.2 Å. Our structures reveal that I239T/G354E interacts with these compounds differently from MdfA and that I239T/G354E possesses two discrete, non-overlapping substrate-binding sites. Our results shed new light on the molecular design of multidrug-binding and protonation sites and highlight the importance of often-neglected, long-range charge-charge interactions in multidrug recognition. Beyond helping to solve the ostensible conundrum of multidrug recognition, our findings suggest the mechanistic difference between substrate and inhibitor for any H + -dependent multidrug transporter, which may open new vistas on curtailing efflux-mediated multidrug resistance.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effect of heterostructure engineering on electronic structure and transport properties of two-dimensional halide perovskites

Organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cells have attracted much attention due to their low-cost fabrication, flexibility, and high-power conversion efficiency. More recent efforts show that the reduction from three- to two-dimensions (2D) of organic–inorganic halide perovskites promises an exciting opportunity to tune their electronic properties. Here, we explore the effect of reduced dimensionality and heterostructure engineering on the intrinsic material properties, such as energy stability, bandgap and transport properties of 2D hybrid organic–inorganic halide perovskites using first-principles density functional theory. We show that the energy stability of engineered perovskite heterostructures is significantly enhanced. The heterostructures with improved stability also show excellent transport properties similar to their bulk counterparts. Furthermore, these layered chemistries demonstrate the advantage of a broad range of tunable bandgaps and high-absorption coefficient in the visible spectrum. The proposed 2D heterostructured material holds potential for nano-optoelectronic devices as well as for effective photovoltaics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

In situ study on medium-range order evolution during the polyamorphous phase transition in a Pd-Ni-P nanostructured glass

Engineering multiscale structural hierarchies in glassy alloys enable a broad spectrum of potential applications. Metallic glasses were born in hierarchical structures from atomic-to-nanometer scales. However, the frozen-in structures in traditional metallic glasses prepared by rapid quenching techniques are challenging to tailor. Here, we show that a Pd 40 Ni 40 P 20 bulk nanostructured glass of polyamorphous interfacial structures was prepared by inert-gas condensation with a laser evaporation source, and its multiscale structures could be engineered. In-situ scattering experiment results reveal polyamorphous phase transitions occurred in the interfacial regions, which are accompanied by the evolution of medium-range order and the nanoscale heterogeneous structures during the condensation process of glassy nanoparticles under high pressure and the following heating process. Moreover, changes in the cluster connectivity resulting from repacking of the local ordering induced by pressure and temperature could be observed. The thermophysical and mechanical properties, including boson peaks, hardness, and elasticity modulus, could be changed as a function of heat-treatment parameters. In conclusion, our findings would shed light on the synthesis of bulk nanostructured glassy alloys with tailorable thermodynamic and dynamical behavior as well as mechanical properties based on the understanding of metastability for polyamorphous interfacial phases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗