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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 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of Deoxidation Process on Inclusion and Fatigue Performance of Spring Steel for Automobile Suspension

55SiCrA spring steel was smelted in a vacuum induction levitation furnace. The liquid steel was treated by Si deoxidation, Al modification with Ca treatment and Al modification, and the steel samples were obtained with deformable Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -CaO-MgO inclusions closely contacted with steel matrix, Al 2 O 3 -CaO-CaS-SiO 2 -MgO inclusions surrounded by small voids or Al 2 O 3 (> 80 pct)-SiO 2 -CaO-MgO inclusions surrounded by big voids, respectively. Effect of three types of inclusions on steel fatigue cracks was studied. The perpendicular and transverse fatigue cracks around the three types of inclusions leading to fracture were found to vary in behavior. Under the applied stress amplitude of 775 MPa, the fatigue lives of the three spring steels decreased from 4.0 × 10 7 to 3.8 × 10 7 , and to 3.1 × 10 7 cycles. For the applied stress amplitude of 750 MPa, the fatigue lives of the three spring steels decreased from 5.2 × 10 7 to 4.1 × 10 7 , and to 3.4 × 10 7 cycles. Based on the voids around inclusions, the equivalent size of initial fatigue crack has been newly defined as √(((area inclusion )/((1-CC)))), where the contraction coefficient CC of inclusion was introduced. A reliable forecast model of the critical size of inclusion leading to fracture was established by the incorporation of actual width b inclusion or diameter d inclusion of internal inclusion; the model prediction was found to be in agreement with experimental results.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effects of Undercooling and Cooling Rate on Peritectic Phase Crystallization Within Ni-Zr Alloy Melt

The liquid Ni-16.75 at. pct Zr peritectic alloy was substantially undercooled and containerlessly solidified by an electromagnetic levitator and a drop tube. The dependence of the peritectic solidification mode on undercooling was established based on the results of the solidified microstructures, crystal growth velocity, as well as X-ray diffraction patterns. Below a critical undercooling of 124 K, the primary Ni{sub 7}Zr{sub 2} phase preferentially nucleates and grows from the undercooled liquid, which is followed by a peritectic reaction of Ni{sub 7}Zr{sub 2}+L → Ni{sub 5}Zr. The corresponding microstructure is composed of the Ni{sub 7}Zr{sub 2} dendrites, peritectic Ni{sub 5}Zr phase, and inter-dendritic eutectic. Nevertheless, once the liquid undercooling exceeds the critical undercooling, the peritectic Ni{sub 5}Zr phase directly precipitates from this undercooled liquid. However, a negligible amount of residual Ni{sub 7}Zr{sub 2} phase still appears in the microstructure, indicating that nucleation and growth of the Ni{sub 7}Zr{sub 2} phase are not completely suppressed. The micromechanical property of the peritectic Ni{sub 5}Zr phase in terms of the Vickers microhardness is enhanced, which is ascribed to the transition of the peritectic solidification mode. To suppress the formation of the primary phase completely, this alloy was also containerlessly solidified in free fall experiments. Typical peritectic solidified microstructure forms in large droplets, while only the peritectic Ni{sub 5}Zr phase appears in smaller droplets, which gives an indication that the peritectic Ni{sub 5}Zr phase directly precipitates from the undercooled liquid by completely suppressing the growth of the primary Ni{sub 7}Zr{sub 2} phase and the peritectic reaction due to the combined effects of the large undercooling and high cooling rate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Splat Quenching as a High Throughput Rapid Solidification Testing Method for Developing Additive Manufacturing Alloys

Splat quenching as a high throughput rapid solidification screening tool is evaluated. Samples were made using known alloys (SS316, IN625, Ti-5553) to evaluate and establish the microstructures for a variety of alloy systems as well as the predicted cooling rates. The samples are inductively heated and levitated prior to being struck between two platens that produce a high contact pressure and a thin sample resulting in cooling rates on the order of 10 6 to 10 7 K/s. Process parameters were evaluated with analytical models in addition to numerical simulations to provide an effect of process variables such as substrate material, melt superheat, and platen velocity on the resulting solidification. The splat thickness was found to be controlled by platen velocity, melt superheat, as well as the feedstock volume. The sample thickness is the key controlling factor for varying the average cooling rate experienced by the splat quenched sample. The splat quenching techniques can reach regions of rapid solidification space that meet and exceed laser and electron beam techniques across the sample. In conclusion, the results of the study provide a useful foundation in understanding the splat quenching technique and its potential as a low effort tool to explore rapid solidification effects on alloys.

Alloy Design↗
DOE OSTI2019

Processing and Thermoelectric Properties of TiNiSn Materials: A Review

The half-Heusler alloy TiNiSn is a promising material for high-temperature thermoelectric applications due to its good thermal stability and semiconductor-like electrical properties. Numerous synthesis techniques have been utilized to make TiNiSn, but a comparative study on its thermoelectric properties with respect to processing parameters has not been reported. Based on published experimental data, primary melting methods, such as arc melting or induction levitation melting, do not have a noticeable effect on the final thermoelectric properties, although choice of densification technique and annealing parameters correlate with each thermoelectric property. Thermal conductivity (2.47-6.08 W/m K), governed by lattice scattering effects, was maximized with high density from the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique as well with low inclusions of metallic impurities and interstitial Ni defects from low-temperature, non-densified processes. Electrical resistivity (4.75-30 µΩ m), inversely related to thermal conductivity, is minimized when density is maximized and chemical defects are favorable from using SPS. All reported TiNiSn alloys contain intermetallic impurities, imparting a global trend of lowered electrical resistivity. Seebeck coefficient (− 273.20 to − 50.71 µV/K), proportional to electrical resistivity, is maximized when charge carrier concentration is minimized by eliminating phase impurities and Ni defects. Porosity has been observed to scatter low-energy electrons, which can increase Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity, although no statistical significance is found. An ideal TiNiSn alloy should have intermediate values of all interconnected thermoelectric properties to maximize ZT. Future research work should strive to include quantitative phase analysis to better characterize the contributions of Ni defects and impurity phases toward thermoelectric properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tuning the melting point and phase stability of rare-earth oxides to facilitate their crystal growth from the melt

The challenge of growing rare-earth (RE) sesquioxide crystals can be overcome by tailoring their structural stability and melting point via composition engineering. This work contributes to the advancement of the field of crystal growth of high-entropy oxides. A compound with only small REs (Lu,Y,Ho,Yb,Er) 2 O 3 maintains a cubic C-type structure upon cooling from the melt, as observed via in-situ high-temperature neutron diffraction on aerodynamically levitated samples. On the other hand, a compound with a mixture of small and large REs (Lu,Y,Ho,Nd,La) 2 O 3 crystallizes as a mixture of a primary C-type phase with an unstable secondary phase. Crystals of compositions (Lu,Y,Ho,Nd,La) 2 O 3 and (Lu,Y,Gd,Nd,La) 2 O 3 were grown by the micro-pulling-down (mPD) method with a single monoclinic B-type phase, while a powder of (Lu,Y,Ho,Yb,Er) 2 O 3 did not melt at the maximum operating temperature of an iridium-rhenium crucible. The minimization of the melting point of the two grown crystals is attributed to the mismatch in cation sizes. The electron probe microanalysis reveals that the general element segregation behavior in the crystals depends on the composition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Anomalous structural evolution and liquid fragility signatures in Cu-Zr and Cu-Hf liquids and glasses

The results of high energy X-ray scattering studies of equilibrium and supercooled Cu 100-x Zr x (x = 46 and 54) and Cu x Hf 100-x (x = 55 and 60.8) liquids and the corresponding glasses are presented. The liquid data were obtained in a containerless environment using the beamline electrostatic levitation (BESL) technique. The total structure factor and total pair correlation functions were measured as a function of temperature for the liquids, and for the glasses at room temperature. A developing asymmetry in the peak of the first coordination shell in the total pair correlation function suggests chemical ordering in the liquids with cooling. This asymmetry takes the form of two prominent peaks, suggesting two prominent ordering length scales. When the magnitudes of these peaks are extrapolated to the glass transition temperature a discontinuity is observed, indicating that an abrupt increase in the magnitude is required to match the observed peak heights in the glass. This suggests that the structure of the supercooled liquid orders more rapidly near the glass transition temperature, a conclusion that is supported by molecular dynamics simulations. This observed structural evolution of the liquid indicates that the concept of fragility, typically defined from the behavior of viscosity with temperature, has a measurable structural signature as well, which can be observed in X-ray diffraction studies.

Mauro, N. A.↗
DOE OSTI2018

In-situ investigation of Hf 6 Ta 2 O 17 anisotropic thermal expansion and topotactic, peritectic transformation

The anisotropic coefficients of thermal expansion and the peritectic transformation of orthorhombic-Hf 6 Ta 2 O 12 to tetragonal-HfO 2 plus liquid at 2250 °C have been studied by in-situ X-ray powder diffraction from room temperature to complete melting (~2450 °C) in air, using a quadrupole lamp furnace (QLF) and a conical nozzle levitator (CNL) equipped with a CO 2 laser. The topotactic, peritectic transformation has been fully described by extracting the orientation relationship, lattice variant deformation and a motif (grouping) of cations that relates the two structures at the transformation temperature. The calculation of these two important parameters as well as identification of the motif is facilitated by a knowledge of the anisotropic coefficients of thermal expansion as a function of temperature. In conclusion, symmetry decomposition has been performed to show that the orthorhombic-Hf 6 Ta 2 O 12 and tetragonal-HfO 2 structures are simply related by polyhedral rotations and loss of 1 mol of oxygen.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental and computational studies of melting of the spinel phase in the Fe–Al–O ternary system

The melting behavior of spinel in the Fe–Al–O system at high temperatures (1500–1800 °C) was studied by a combination of experimental and computational investigations. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) at ultra-high temperatures coupled with cooling traces on CO 2 laser-heated levitated samples provided melting temperatures and the heats of fusion of (Fe,Al) 3 O 4 spinel phases. The experimental results are in fair agreement with the predictions using a published CALPHAD description and areas for modeling improvement are identified. New insights into the melting of defect spinel are provided.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Measurement of the vapor layer under a dynamic Leidenfrost drop

To understand the Leidenfrost phenomenon, which is the results of formation of a thin vapor layer, the progression of the vapor should be analyzed. However, due to the limitation of measuring techniques, the empirical measurement of the vapor layer under a dynamic Leidenfrost drop as a function of time has not been reported because the vapor is only tens of micrometers thick and forms within a tenth of a millisecond. Therefore, this paper presents a synchrotron X-ray imaging with the precise resolution to overcome the limitation of previous measurement technique. The liquid-vapor interfacial behavior of a drop of ethanol that is being levitated above a flat SiO 2 surface by the Leidenfrost phenomenon is analyzed depending on surface temperature. Measurements suggest that a thin (< 2 μm) vapor layer develops between the surface and the drop; i.e. that the liquid does not contact the solid. The measured thickness of this vapor layer under a dynamic Leidenfrost drop was less than the thickness of the vapor layer estimated by analytical solution of a model of vapor layer thickness for a static Leidenfrost drop. As a result, the new technique presented in this study will support transient numerical simulations or an analytical solution of the vapor layer under a dynamic Leidenfrost drop, and may have applications in research on the effects of artificial surface structure on the Leidenfrost phenomenon.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

A Ghost Fluid/Level Set Method for boiling flows and liquid evaporation: Application to the Leidenfrost effect

The development of numerical methods for the direct numerical simulation of two-phase flows with phase change, in the framework of interface capturing or interface tracking methods, is the main topic of this study. We propose a novel numerical method, which allows dealing with both evaporation and boiling at the interface between a liquid and a gas. Indeed, in some specific situations involving very heterogeneous thermodynamic conditions at the interface, the distinction between boiling and evaporation is not always possible. For instance, it can occur for a Leidenfrost droplet; a water drop levitating above a hot plate whose temperature is much higher than the boiling temperature. In this case, boiling occurs in the film of saturated vapor which is entrapped between the bottom of the drop and the plate, whereas the top of the water droplet evaporates in contact of ambient air. The situation can also be ambiguous for a superheated droplet or at the contact line between a liquid and a hot wall whose temperature is higher than the saturation temperature of the liquid. In these situations, the interface temperature can locally reach the saturation temperature (boiling point), for instance near a contact line, and be cooler in other places. Thus, boiling and evaporation can occur simultaneously on different regions of the same liquid interface or occur successively at different times of the history of an evaporating droplet. Standard numerical methods are not able to perform computations in these transient regimes, therefore, we propose in this paper a novel numerical method to achieve this challenging task. Finally, we present several accuracy validations against theoretical solutions and experimental results to strengthen the relevance of this new method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Structural evolution in Ni-Nb and Ni-Nb-Ta liquids and glasses - A measure of liquid fragility?

The structures of Ni 59.5 Nb 40.5 , Ni 62 Nb 38 , and Ni 60 Nb 30 Ta 10 liquids and glasses were studied using synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction. To avoid reactions between the liquids and their containers and to deeply supercool them below their equilibrium liquidus temperatures, the liquids were processed without a container using the beamline electrostatic levitation (BESL) technique. The total static structure factor, S(q), and the total pair-correlation function, g(r), were obtained for all liquid compositions over a temperature range of approximately 250 °C; S(q) and g(r) were measured for the corresponding glasses at room temperature. All of the S(q)s have a shoulder on the high-q side of the second peak; this becomes more pronounced as the liquid is supercooled, and is most prominent in the glass. Based on a Honeycutt–Andersen analysis of the atomic configurations obtained from Reverse Monte Carlo fits to the total structure factors obtained from the scattering data, icosahedral short-range order (ISRO) is dominant in all liquids and becomes particularly pronounced in the glasses. No correlation is noted, however, between the amount of ISRO and easy glass formability. Structural features show evidence for an acceleration of ordering in the supercooled liquid above the glass transition temperature, consistent with the behavior expected for fragile liquids. This suggests that scattering data can provide a new method to assess liquid fragility, which is typically obtained from the temperature behavior of the viscosity near the glass transition temperature.

Mauro, N. A.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Measurements of liquid and glass structures using in-situ high energy x-ray and neutron scattering

Investigation of high temperature molten materials and their evolution to the amorphous state is often hampered by unwanted reactions with container surfaces. This work used aerodynamic levitation in combination with laser beam heating to study high melting point materials that can form supercooled liquids or glasses. Details of the instruments that are being used at the Advanced Photon Source and the Spallation Neutron Source to study molten oxides with high energy x-ray scattering and neutron diffraction with isotope substitution are presented. Examples of measurements are used to illustrate the use of the instruments. Plans for further development and application of the capabilities are presented.

Weber, Richard↗
DOE OSTI2017

Structure and thermal expansion of Lu 2 O 3 and Yb 2 O 3 up to the melting points

Knowledge of thermal expansion and high temperature phase transformations is essential for prediction and interpretation of materials behavior under the extreme conditions of high temperature and intense radiation encountered in nuclear reactors. We studied the structure and thermal expansion of Lu 2 O 3 and Yb 2 O 3 were studied in oxygen and argon atmospheres up to their melting temperatures using synchrotron X-ray diffraction on laser heated levitated samples. Both oxides retained the cubic bixbyite C-type structure in oxygen and argon to melting. In contrast to fluorite-type structures, the increase in the unit cell parameter of Yb 2 O 3 and Lu 2 O 3 3 with temperature is linear within experimental error from room temperature to the melting point, with mean thermal expansion coefficients (8.5 ± 0.6) · 10 -6 K - 1 and (7.7 ± 0.6) · 10 -6 K -1 , respectively. There is no indication of a superionic (Bredig) transition in the C-type structure or of a previously suggested Yb 2 O 3 phase transformation to hexagonal phase prior to melting.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Structure and magnetic properties of SiO{sub 2}/PCL novel sol–gel organic–inorganic hybrid materials

Organic–inorganic nanocomposite materials have been synthesized via sol–gel. They consist of an inorganic SiO{sub 2} matrix, in which different percentages of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) have been incorporated. The formation of H-bonds among the carbonyl groups of the polymer chains and Si–OH group of the inorganic matrix has been proved by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis and has been confirmed by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis highlighted the amorphous nature of the synthesized materials. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrograph and atomic force microscope (AFM) topography showed their homogeneous morphology and nanostructure nature. Considering the opportunity to synthesize these hybrid materials under microgravity conditions by means of magnetic levitation, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry has been used to quantify their magnetic susceptibility. This measure has shown that the SiO{sub 2}/PCL hybrid materials are diamagnetic and that their diamagnetic susceptibility is independent of temperature and increases with the PCL amount. - Graphical abstract: Characterization and magnetic properties of SiO{sub 2}/PCL organic–inorganic hybrid materials synthesized via sol–gel. FT-IR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; solid-state NMR: solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance; SQUID: superconducting quantum interference device. - Highlights: • Sol–gel synthesis of SiO{sub 2}/PCL amorphous class I organic–inorganic hybrid materials. • FT-IR and NMR analyses show the hydrogen bonds formation between SiO{sub 2} and PCL. • AFM and SEM analyses confirm that the SiO{sub 2}/PCL are homogenous hybrid materials. • The SQUID measures show that the simples are diamagnetic. • Diamagnetic susceptibility of SiO{sub 2}/PCL materials increases with the PCL amount.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Transmission electron microscopy study of the microstructure of a Ti–Fe–Zr alloy

A Ti–35Fe–30Zr (at.%) alloy was prepared by cold crucible levitation melting, and its microstructure was characterized. Electron microscope observations revealed a microstructure with a bi-modal phase size distribution. One phase was identified as a monoclinic TiFeZr compound with lattice parameters a = 0.895 nm, b = 0.502 nm, c = 0.969 nm, and α = 119.4° in C2 (space group). A bcc β-TiZr phase with lattice parameter a = 0.341 nm coexisted with the monoclinic phase. The mechanisms of phase formation are discussed. - Highlights: • Monoclinic TiFeZr phase was observed in as-cast Ti–35Fe–30Zr (at.%) alloy. • The space group of monoclinic TiFeZr phase is C2. • The β-TiZr phase formed in as-cast Ti–35Fe–30Zr alloy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Microstructure and mechanical properties of an ultrafine Ti–Si–Nb alloy

In this study, Nb-modified ultrafine Ti–Si eutectic alloy was made by cold crucible levitation melting, tested in compression at room temperature, and characterized by electron microscopy. Compression tests of (Ti 86.5 Si 13.5 ) 97 Nb 3 specimens measured an ultimate compressive strength of 1180 MPa and a compressive plastic strain of 12%, both of which are higher than in eutectic Ti 86.5 Si 13.5 alloy. Electron microscopy showed that the Ti–Si–Nb alloy had a bimodal microstructure with micrometer-scale primary α-Ti dendrites distributed in an ultrafine eutectic (α-Ti + Ti 5 Si 3 ) matrix. The enhanced ductility is attributed to the morphology of the phase constituents and to the larger lattice mismatches between α-Ti and Ti 5 Si 3 phases caused by the Nb addition. The crystallographic orientation relationship of Ti 5 Si 3 with α-Ti is ($1\bar{1}00$)[$\overline{11}$26]Ti 5 Si 3 ∥($01\bar{1}1$)[5$\overline{143}$] α–Τi.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Metal fuel relocation experiments with pressure injection

A pool-type sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) using metal fuels has a number of inherent safety features that can support benign consequences for design basis accidents (DBAs). Even in postulated severe accident conditions, the core is designed to remain under sub-critical condition in a passive coolable geometry. In case of the postulated severe accidents in SFRs, fuel relocation in the core region along the coolant channel is an important negative reactivity feedback factor that lowers the reactor power level and consequently eliminates the possibility of recriticality. Therefore, understanding the relocation behavior of fuels and the coolability of the relocated fuels in the postulated severe accident is one of the most important factors in the safety assessment of SFRs. In the present study, the relocation behavior of the metal fuel in a pin bundle geometry was investigated by injecting the metal fuels into the coolant channels with pressure. The first metal fuel relocation with pressure injection (RPI-1) experiment showed that many of the metal fuels levitated to upper plenum. In case of RPI-2 experiment, the Real Time X-ray Video System (RTXVS) was constructed and used to obtain a real time X-ray video of the experiment. This real time X-ray video clearly showed the relocation behavior of the pressure injected metallic uranium in the sodium coolant channel. Through this video, it was confirmed that part of the fuel was dispersed downward and part of the fuel was dispersed upward, and the relocation behavior of the injected fuel proceeded simultaneously in the downward and upward directions. So, it can be concluded that in case of pressure injection of the metallic fuel, there is a possibility that the metallic fuel can be quickly removed from the core region, resulting in a negative reactivity feedback effect.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗