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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 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

A document describing shuttle considerations for the design of large space structures

A Shuttle user guide document to aid designers and analysis associated with large space structures projects is described. The format and contents are a compromise designed to satisfy the needs of several levels of users. Special features include checklists and references to source documents as a convenience to very knowledgeable readers. In addition, general, introductory and explanatory text, and art work are included for the reader less familiar with shuttle systems. Also, there are a subject index, glossary, list of acronyms, and many cross references. Throughout the document, there are suggested implications or references to the importance of the included orbiter interfaces material as it pertains to designing and planning large space structures projects. The content of the document is outlined. Shuttle payload accommodations and constraints, connections for orbiter construction fixtures, packaging, and construction space eometry are addressed.

Roebuck, J. A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Electrostatic membrane antenna concept studies

The development of an electrostatic membrane antenna for large space structure applications is discussed. Problems encountered in fabricating 4.88 m (16 foot) diameter thin film membranes are addressed. The development of a test fixture for evaluating the membranes and the comparison of surface measurement systems are also discussed.

Goslee, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Spacecraft automatic umbilical system

An umbilical system design is described that incorporates all the features specified for a power system to payload interconnect capability. A proof-of-concept prototype of the umbilical system was built to determine experimentally the suitability of the threading characteristics of the ram mechanism and to verify freedom from cross threading. It is concluded that Berthing systems that utilize remote manipulator systems (RMS) can be simplified by using RMS targets, closed circuit TV cameras, tie into the RMS control system, and grapple-fixture and end-effector-like capture and secure mechanisms. To effect a remotely controlled umbilical interconnect in proximity with a manned spacecraft and to provide for extravehicular activity backup and maintenance capabilities, 18 different mechanisms are found to be necessary. The weight impact of proving for maintenance capability in a large multiple connector umbilical system was found to be in the order of +60 percent.

Goldin, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A silicon sheet casting experiment

The casting of silicon blanks for solar cells directly without slicing is an exciting concept. An experiment was performed to investigate the feasibility of developing a machine that casts wafers directly. A Czochralski furnace was modified to accept a graphite ingot-simulating fixture. Silicon was melted in the middle of the ingot simulator in a boron nitride mold. Sample castings showed reasonable crystal size. Solar cells were made from the cast blanks. The performance is reported.

Bickler, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

An improved lamination technique for solar arrays

Encapsulating solar cells by lamination has been plagued with problems such as bubbles, cell shifting, ripples, and cracked cells. A low-cost laminating procedure has been developed using a double vacuum bagging technique and recently improved formulations of ethylene vinyl acetate, successfully minimizing these problems. The lamination fixturing used is described. The causes and cures of various problems are discussed and solutions to these problems presented. The apparent modulus of the face sheet seen by the module being laminated is believed to be the primary variable which must be optimized. Conditions at the module edge are also considered to be important for producing an acceptable product.

Garcia, A., III↗
NASA NTRS1981

NASA gas turbine stator vane ring

Four monolithic stator vane rings from reaction-bonded silicon nitride were produced. This paper describes the various steps involved: wax injection of stator vane patterns, precise fixturing of patterns, mold fabrication, slip preparation, casting, prenitriding, nitriding, and ceramic machining. Each process step is discussed and illustrated, and tables of property measurements are included.

Gersch, H. M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Flexible Seal Accommodates Part Mismatch

Chain of plates embedded in flexible seal enables it to withstand side loading of 2,300 psi (116MPa) while sealing gap of up to 0.5 inch (13 mm) between cylindrical chamber wall and test fixture. Pressure-actuated seal along inner edge forces seal into contact even though cylinder wall becomes eccentric as cylinder pressure increases. Seal has many industrial applications, particularly where heat or pressure causes distortion of chamber being sealed.

Bobb, I.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Shuttle considerations for the design of large space structures

Shuttle related considerations (constraints and guidelines) are compiled for use by designers of a potential class of large space structures which are transported to orbit and, deployed, fabricated or assembled in space using the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Considerations of all phases of shuttle operations from launch to ground turnaround operations are presented. Design of large space structures includes design of special construction fixtures and support equipment, special stowage cradles or pallets, special checkout maintenance, and monitoring equipment, and planning for packaging into the orbiter of all additional provisions and supplies chargeable to payload. Checklists of design issues, Shuttle capabilities constraints and guidelines, as well as general explanatory material and references to source documents are included.

Roebuck, J. A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Development of thin wraparound junction silicon solar cells

The state of the art technologies was applied to fabricate 50 micro thick 2x4 cm, coplanar back contact (CBC) solar cells with AMO efficiency above 12%. A requirement was that the cells have low solar absorptance. A wraparound junction (WAJ) with wraparound metallization was chosen. This WAJ approach avoided the need for very complex fixturing, especially during rotation of the cells for providing adequate contacts over dielectric edge layers. The contact adhesion to silicon was considered better than to an insulator. It is indicated that shunt resistance caused by poor WAJ diode quality, and series resistance from the WAJ contact, give good cell performance. The cells developed reached 14 percent AMO efficiency (at 25 C), with solar absorptance values of 0.73. Space/cell environmental tests were performed on these cells and the thin CSC cells performed well. The optimized design configuration and process sequence were used to make 50 deliverable CBC cells. These cells were all above 12 percent efficiency and had an average efficiency of -13 percent. Results of environmental tests (humidity-temperature, thermal shock, and contact adherence) are also given.

Ho, F.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Composite seal for turbomachinery

A gas path seal suitable for use with a turbine engine or compressor is provided. A shroud wearable or abradable by the abrasion of the rotor blades of the turbine or compressor shrouds the rotor blades. A compliant backing surrounds the shroud. The backing is a yieldingly deformable porous material covered with a thin ductile layer. A mounting fixture surrounds the backing.

Bill, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Design and fabrication of brazed Rene 41 honeycomb sandwich structural panels for advanced space transportation systems

The design and fabrication of two large brazed Rene 41 honeycomb panels, the establishment of a test plan, the design and fabrication of a test fixture to subject the panels to cyclic thermal gradients and mechanical loads equivalent to those imposed on an advanced space transportation vehicle during its boost and entry trajectories are discussed. The panels will be supported at four points, creating three spans. The outer spans are 45.7 cm (18 in.) and the center span 76.2 cm (30 in). Specimen width is 30.5 cm (12 in.). The panels were primarily designed by boost conditions simulated by subjecting the panels to liquid nitrogen, 77K (-320 F) on one side and 455K (360 F) on the other side and by mechanically imposing loads representing vehicle fuel pressure loads. Entry conditions were simulated by radiant heating to 1034K (1400 F). The test program subjected the panels to 500 boost thermal conditions. Results are presented.

Hepler, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Buckling test of a 3-meter-diameter corrugated graphite-epoxy ring-stiffened cylinder

A three m diameter by three m long corrugated cylindrical shell with external stiffening rings was tested to failure by buckling. The corrugation geometry for the graphite epoxy composite cylinder wall was optimized to withstand a compressive load producing an ultimate load intensity of 157.6 kN/m without buckling. The test method used to produce the design load intensity was to mount the specimen as a cantilevered cylinder and apply a pure bending moment to the end. A load introduction problem with the specimen was solved by using the BOSOR 4 shell of revolution computer code to analyze the shell and attached loading fixtures. The cylinder test loading achieved was 101 percent of design ultimate, and the resulting mass per unit of shell wall area was 1.96 kg/sq m.

Davis, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Pyroelectric detector arrays

A pryoelectric detector array and the method for making it are described. A series of holes formed through a silicon dioxide layer on the surface of a silicon substrate forms the mounting fixture for the pyroelectric detector array. A series of nontouching strips of indium are formed around the holes to make contact with the backside electrodes and form the output terminals for individual detectors. A pyroelectric detector strip with front and back electrodes, respectively, is mounted over the strip. Biasing resistors are formed on the surface of the silicon dioxide layer and connected to the strips. A metallized pad formed on the surface of the layer is connected to each of the biasing resistors and to the film to provide the ground for the pyroelectric detector array.

Fripp, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Crystal cleaving machine

A machine is disclosed for cleaving hard crystals. A typical example of which is lithium fluoride, with prcision and uniformity and includes vertical axis positioning control means for an adjustable spring tension guided hammer mechanism employed to strike an anvil. A crystal cleaving shock wave transmitted to a cleaving blade is generated having an angulated cleaving edge in contact with one corner of the crystal. Connection between the anvil and the blade is by means of a pair of vertical shafts held in substantially friction free engagement by two pairs of adjustable linear bearings. An underlying crystal holding fixture with horizontal position control means includes a zero reference stop face for the crystal and opposing spring-loaded clamping and vertical positioning elements which are precisely guided.

Hallberg, F. C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Net shape fabrication of Alpha Silicon Carbide turbine components

Development of Alpha Silicon Carbide components by net shape fabrication techniques has continued in conjunction with several turbine engine programs. Progress in injection molding of simple parts has been extended to much larger components. Turbine rotors fabricated by a one piece molding have been successfully spin tested above design speeds. Static components weighing up to 4.5 kg and 33 cc in diameter have also been produced using this technique. Use of sintering fixtures significantly improves dimensional control. A new Si-SiC composite material has also been developed with average strengths up to 1000 MPa (150 ksi) at 1200 C.

Storm, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1982

A unique flight test facility - Description and results

The Dryden Flight Research Facility has developed a unique research facility for conducting aerodynamic and fluid mechanics experiments in flight. A low aspect ratio fin, referred to as the flight test fixture (FTF), is mounted on the underside of the fuselage of an F-104G aircraft. The F-104/FTF facility is described, and the capabilities are discussed. The capabilities include (1) a large Mach number envelope (0.4 to 2.0), including the region through Mach 1.0; (2) the potential ability to test articles larger than those that can be tested in wind tunnels; (3) the large chord Reynolds number envelope (greater than 40 million); and (4) the ability to define small increments in friction drag between two test surfaces. Data are presented from experiments that demonstrate some of the capabilities of the FTF, including the shuttle thermal protection system airload tests, instrument development, and base drag studies. Proposed skin friction experiments and instrument evaluation studies are also discussed.

Meyer, R. R., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Rotating gravity gradiometer study

Two rotating gravity gradiometer (RGG) sensors, along with all the external electronics needed to operate them, and the fixtures and special test equipment needed to fill and align the bearings, were assembled in a laboratory, and inspected. The thermal noise threshold of the RGG can be lowered by replacing a damping resistor in the first stage electronics by an active artificial resistor that generates less random voltage noise per unit bandwidth than the Johnson noise from the resistor it replaces. The artificial resistor circuit consists of an operational amplifier, three resistors, and a small DC to DC floating power supply. These are small enough to be retrofitted to the present circuit boards inside the RGG rotor in place of the 3 Megohm resistor. Using the artificial resistor, the thermal noise of the RGG-2 sensor can be lowered from 0.3 Eotvos to 0.15 Eotvos for a 10 sec integration time.

Forward, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Multiprism collimator

A special purpose optical collimator system which generates multiple collimated light beams with precisely related angular separation of the beams, is comprised of a stack of relatively flat plate-like refracted prisms in the form of wedges. Each prism has a specified angular deviation, mounted on top of one another in a fixture which holds the wedges so that they are adapted to operate at minimum angular deviation and thus are relatively insensitive to rotational and angular charges. A collimated sources of monochromatic light, generated for example by a helium-neon laser and a collimated beam expander, provides a common incident beam to the wedges whereupon a number equally spaced emergent beams are provided.

Minott, P. O.↗