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At least 793 records · Page 44

Scratch-Resistant Lenses

Lewis Research Center developed a process for achieving diamond- hard coatings for aerospace systems. The technique involves coating the material with a film of diamond-like carbon (DLC) using direct ion deposition. An ion generator creates a stream of ions from a hydrocarbon gas source; the carbon ions impinge directly on the target substrate and 'grow' into a thin DLC film. In 1988, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. received a license to the NASA patent. Diamonex, an Air Products spinoff company, further developed the NASA process to create the DiamondHard technology used on the Bausch & Lomb Ray- Ban Survivors sunglasses. The sunglasses are scratch-resistant and shed water more easily, thus reducing spotting.

Source record↗

An investigation of enhanced capability thermal barrier coating systems for diesel engine components

Material systems and processes for the development of effective and durable thermal barriers for heavy duty diesel engines were investigated. Seven coating systems were evaluated for thermal conductivity, erosion resistance, corrosion/oxidation resistance, and thermal shock resistance. An advanced coating system based on plasma sprayed particle yttria stabilized zirconia (PS/HYSZ) was judged superior in these tests. The measured thermal conductivity of the selected coating was 0.893 W/m C at 371 C. The PS/HYSZ coating system was applied to the piston crown, fire deck and valves of a single cylinder low heat rejection diesel engine. The coated engine components were tested for 24 hr at power levels from 0.83 MPa to 1.17 MPa brake mean effective pressure. The component coatings survived the engine tests with a minimum of distress. The measured fire deck temperatures decreased 86 C (155 F) on the intake side and 42 C (75 F) on the exhaust side with the coating applied.

Holtzman, R. L.↗

AGR-2 Irradiation Experiment Fission Product Mass Balance

The Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program is in the process of qualifying tristructural isotropic (TRISO)-coated uranium carbide/uranium oxide (UCO) fuel for use in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) in the United States. The second AGR irradiation (AGR-2) started in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) in June 2010 and was completed in October 2013. The first AGR irradiation (AGR-1) tested fuel produced on laboratory scale equipment, but the AGR-2 TRISO-coated fuel particles were produced on an industrial scale and then overcoated and compacted into cylindrical compacts using laboratory-scale processes. Both UCO and UO2 fuels were irradiated in AGR-2 so that their performance could be compared. The UCO fuel was in Capsules 2, 5, and 6, and the UO2 fuel was in Capsule 3. (Capsules 1 and 4 were French and South African fuel, respectively. These fuels will not be discussed.) UCO burnups ranged from 7.3 to 13.2 % fissions per initial metal atom (FIMA), and compact time-averaged, volume-averaged (TAVA) irradiation temperatures ranged from about 1000°C to 1300°C. UO2 compact burnups ranged from 9.0 to 10.7 % FIMA, and compact TAVA temperatures ranged from about 1000 to 1060°C.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

AGR-5/6/7 Fuel Fabrication Report

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE NE) and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification program (referred to as AGR Fuel program hereafter) are pursuing qualification of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel for use in high temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGRs). The AGR Fuel program was established to provide a fuel qualification data set in support of the licensing and operation of an HTGR. BWX Technologies Nuclear Operations Group (BWXT-NOG) was subcontracted to fabricate the fuel for the AGR program. Several investments and innovations were realized in preparation to fabricate fuel for the AGR-5/6/7 irradiation experiments that brought fuel fabrication fully out of the laboratory and into engineering-scale operations. These included: • Increased the kernel fabrication line capacity and uniformity • Upgraded ancillary support equipment and processes for the tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coating furnace • Demonstrated efficient production of the matrix precursor powder by dry jet milling of co mingled components • Demonstrated an engineering-scale method for quick and efficient overcoating TRISO particles with the matrix precursor • Demonstrated an automated, multi cavity compacting system with a volumetric feed system • Demonstrated a combined-cycle thermal treatment furnace These changes increased production rates of some of these processes by an order of magnitude or more while eliminating the use of flammable solvents, multiple grinding and sorting operations, and the weighing out of individual die charges. Three fuel kernel lots were fabricated for production of the fuel for AGR-5/6/7. The initial lot (J52R-16-39316) was certified to fuel specifications but was not used because the kernels had a high fraction of internal fissures that caused an unacceptable fraction of the kernels to fragment when charged to the coating furnace where the TRISO coating would be deposited. Fragmented kernels increased the dispersed uranium in the particles and produced a worrisome fraction of dimpled particles with an elevated probability of in-pile failure. After some efforts to identify the cause of the fissure formation, two additional lots were produced with much lower fissure fractions, J52R-16-69317 and 69318. The latter kernel lot was a backup to the first and was not needed. Multiple kernel batches were composited to form each of the lots so as to simulate a commercial-scale operation where kernel batches would also be composited. Multiple TRISO coating runs were performed and the product characterized so that several could be composited into a TRISO lot. TRISO lot J52R-16-98005 conformed to all fuel specifications except the mean outer pyrocarbon (OPyC) layer thickness was thinner than specified. Furthermore, it was determined that the TRISO lot had a dispersed uranium fraction (DUF) that might result in the compacts not meeting the DUF specification. A review of the role of the OPyC layer and consequences of the DUF by the Technical Coordination Team and INL concluded that the fuel was acceptable for use in the AGR-5/6/7 irradiation experiment. The TRISO particles were overcoated with the matrix precursor that had been produced in a jet-milling operation. The overcoating was performed in equipment originally designed to coat pharmaceuticals. The overcoating process performed well; producing highly spherical and uniform overcoats requiring little upgrading and no recycle or rework. TRISO particles were overcoated with the matrix precursor to achieve nominal volumetric packing fractions (PFs) of TRISO particles of 25% and 40% for the irradiation experiments. The 40% PF compacts occupy the first and fifth test capsule in the test train while the inner three capsules are loaded with 25% PF compacts. The resinated graphite matrix precursor powder was a derivative of the German A3-27 matrix formulation, which differs from previous AGR irradiation campaigns that used an A3-3 formulation. Jet milling of the matrix powder precursor produced a finer mean graphite particle size than the milling operations used for the A3-3 matrix powder precursor. Changes made in the matrix formula and equipment yielded compacts with significantly higher matrix density than was attained in previous AGR irradiation campaigns. The changes in the matrix formulation and the means of milling the powders also complicated resolution of the three fuel compact defect fractions, DUF, exposed kernel fraction (EKF), and the silicon carbide defect fraction (SDF). Characterization data from BWXT-NOG had some anomalous results, so samples of the fuel compacts and overcoated TRISO particles were also analyzed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to ensure that the defect fractions were accurately characterized.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Research on High Temperature Ceramic Insulation for Electrical Conductors

Three methods for applying ceramic coatings to wires were examined in depth and a fourth (chemical vapor deposition) was studied briefly. CVD coatings were not reported in the thesis because it was realized early in the study that the deposition rate of the coatings was too slow to be used in a commercial process. Of the methods reported in the thesis, slurry coating was the most promising. This method consists of slowly drawing a platinum wire through a thixotropic slurry of alumina in a vehicle composed of polyvinyl butyral, methyl ethyl ketone, and toluene. The coatings produced by this method were continuous and free of cracks after sintering. The sintered coatings crack when the wire is bent around sharp corners, but most of the coating remains in place and still provides electrical insulation between the wire and any metallic structure to which the wire may be attached. The coating thickness was 0.61 mm (16 micrometers). The electrical resistivity of the intact coating was 340 M-Ohm-cm at 800 C and 23 M-Ohm-cm at 1050 C. Therefore, these coatings more than meet the electrical requirements for use in turbine engines. Although adherence of the coating to the wire was generally excellent, a problem was noted in localized areas where the coating flaked off. Further work will be needed to obtain good coating adherence along the entire length of the wire. The next most promising coatings were made by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of Al2O3 onto platinum wires, using mixtures of ethanol and acetone as the suspending liquid. These EPD coatings were made only on short lengths of wire because the coating is too fragile to allow spooling of the wire. The worst coatings were those made by electrophoretic deposition from aqueous suspensions. Continuous slurry coating of wire was achieved, but due to lack of suitable equipment, the wire had to be cut into short lengths for sintering.

Kreidler, Eric R.↗

Metallized coatings for corrosion control of Naval ship structures and components

In attempting to improve corrosion control, the U.S. Navy has undertaken a program of coating corrosion-susceptible shipboard components with thermally sprayed aluminum. In this report the program is reviewed in depth, including examination of processes, process controls, the nature and properties of the coatings, nondestructive examination, and possible hazards to personnel. The performance of alternative metallic coating materials is also discussed. It is concluded that thermally sprayed aluminum can provide effective long-term protection against corrosion, thereby obviating the need for chipping of rust and repainting by ship personnel. Such coatings are providing excellent protection to below-deck components such as steam valves, but improvements are needed to realize the full potential of coatings for above-deck service. Several recommendations are made regarding processes, materials, and research and development aimed at upgrading further the performance of these coatings.

Source record↗

Repair of Electronics for Long Duration Spaceflight

To reduce mission risk, long duration spaceflight and exploration activities will require greater degrees of self-sufficiency with regards to repair capability than have ever been employed before in space exploration. The current repair paradigm of replacing Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) of malfunctioning avionics and electronic hardware will be impractical, since carrying all of the spares that could possibly be needed for a long duration mission would require upmass and volume at unprecedented and unacceptable levels. A strategy of component-level repair for electronics, however, could significantly reduce the mass and volume necessary for spares and enhance mission safety via a generic contingency capability. This approach is already used to varying degrees by the U.S. Navy, where vessels at sea experience some similar constraints such as the need for self sufficiency for moderately long time periods, and restrictions on volume of repair spares and infrastructure. The concept of conducting component-level repairs of electronics in spacecraft requires the development of design guidelines for future avionics (to enable repair), development of diagnostic techniques to allow an astronaut to pinpoint the faulty component aboard a vastly complex vehicle, and development of tools and methodologies for dealing with the physical processes of replacing the component. This physical process includes tasks such as conformal coating removal and replacement, component removal, replacement, and alignment--all in the difficulty of a reduced gravity environment. Further, the gravitational effects on the soldering process must be characterized and accounted for to ensure reliability of the newly repaired components. The Component-Level Electronics-Assembly Repair (CLEAR) project under the NASA Supportability program was established to develop and demonstrate the practicality of this repair approach. CLEAR involves collaborative efforts between NASA s Glenn Research Center, Langley Research Center, Johnson Space Center, the National Center for Space Exploration Research, and the U.S. Navy. The project goals are 1) develop and demonstrate a manually-operated electronics repair capability to be conducted in a spacecraft environment; and 2) develop guidelines for designs of electronics that facilitates component-level repair for future space exploration efforts. This multi-faceted program utilizes a cross-disciplinary approach to examine pre- and post-repair diagnostics, conformal coating removal and replacement, component soldering, and electronics design for supportability. These areas are investigated by a combination of trade studies, ground based testing, reduced gravity aircraft testing, and actual spaceflight testing on the International Space Station (ISS) in multiple experiments. This paper details the efforts of this program, with emphasis on early trade study results, ground-based efforts, and two upcoming ISS experiments.

Pettegrew, Richard D.↗

Effects of processing temperature on the corrosion and tribocorrosion resistance of perhydropolysilazane-derived coatings on AISI 304 steel

Ensuring a highly corrosion and erosion resistant surface is critical to the reliability and structural integrity of steel canisters for long-term nuclear waste storage in corrosive environments. In this work, perhydropolysilazane (PHPS)-derived coating has been successfully applied to enhance the pitting and tribocorrosion resistance of 304 stainless steels in 0.6 M NaCl solution. Two types of coatings were synthesized on the stainless steel substrate by crosslinking PHPS at room temperature or 600 °C, resulting in different mechanical and corrosion performance. Further, Raman spectra revealed that Si-O bonds were generated in the coating crosslinked at room temperature after corrosion, while absent in that pyrolyzed at 600 °C. In tribocorrosion tests, both coatings were protective to the steel substrate, with the protective effect being more pronounced in the 600 °C pyrolyzed coating. Overall, the PHPS-derived coating synthesized at 600 °C exhibited better protection for steel in wear and corrosion coexisting environments than those synthesized at room temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Effects of Substrate Material and Thermal Processing Atmosphere on the Strength of PS304: A High Temperature Solid Lubricant Coating

PS304, a plasma spray deposited solid lubricant coating developed for high temperature sliding contacts was deposited on nine different substrate metals, heat treated at 650C in either air or argon and subsequently tested for strength using a commercially available pull-off adhesion test. Some samples were examined metallographically to help elucidate and explain the results. As deposited coatings exhibit pull-off strengths typically between 16 and 20 MPa with failure occuring (cohesively) within the coating. Heat treatment in argon at 650 C results in a slight increase in coating (cohesive) strength of about 30 percent to 21 to 27 MPa. Heat treatment in air at 650 C results in a dramatic increase in strength to over 30 MPa, exceeding the strength of the epoxy used in the pull test. Cross section metallographic analyses show that no microstructural coating changes occur following the argon heat treatments, however, exposure to air at 650C gives rise to the formation of a second chromium-rich phase precipitate within the PS304 NiCr constituent which provides a strengthening effect and a slight (approximately 5 percent) coating thickness increase. Subsequent heat treatments do not result in any further coating changes. Based upon these studies, PS304 is a suitable coating for use on a wide variety of high temperature substrates and must be heat treated following deposition to enhance strength and ensure dimensional stability.

DellaCorte, Christopher↗

In situ spin coater for multimodal grazing incidence x-ray scattering studies

We present herein a custom-made, in situ, multimodal spin coater system with an integrated heating stage that can be programmed with spinning and heating recipes and that is coupled with synchrotron-based, grazing-incidence wide- and small-angle x-ray scattering. The spin coating system features an adaptable experimental chamber, with the ability to house multiple ancillary probes such as photoluminescence and visible optical cameras, to allow for true multimodal characterization and correlated data analysis. This system enables monitoring of structural evolutions such as perovskite crystallization and polymer self-assembly across a broad length scale (2 Å–150 nm) with millisecond temporal resolution throughout a complete thin film fabrication process. The use of this spin coating system allows scientists to gain a deeper understanding of temporal processes of a material system, to develop ideal conditions for thin film manufacturing.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

High-Resolution X-ray Spectromicroscopy Reveals Process-Structure Correlations in sub-5-μm Diameter Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composite Dry-Spun Yarns

A persistent lack of detailed and quantitative structural analysis of these hierarchical carbon nanotube (CNT) ensembles precludes establishing processing-structure-property relationships that are essential to enhance macroscale performance (e.g., in mechanical, electrical, thermal applications). Here, in this work, we use scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) to analyze the hierarchical, twisted morphology of dry-spun CNT yarns and their composites, quantifying key structural characteristics such as density, porosity, alignment, and polymer loading. As the yarn twist density increases (15,000 to 150,000 turns per meter), the yarn diameter decreased (4.4–1.4 μm) and density increased (0.55–1.26 g·cm –3 ), as intuitively expected. Yarn density, ρ, ubiquitously scaled with diameter d according to ρ ~ d –2 for all parameters studied here. Spectromicroscopy probes with 30 nm resolution and elemental specificity were employed to analyze the radial and longitudinal distribution of the oxygen-containing polymer content (~30% weight fraction), demonstrating nearly perfect filling of the voids between CNTs with a vapor-phase polymer coating and cross-linking process. These quantitative correlations highlight the intimate connections between processing conditions and yarn structure with important implications for translating the nanoscale properties of CNTs to the macroscale.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Comparison of the Mineralogy of Comet Wild 2 Coma Grains to Other Astromaterials

We propose that Kuiper Belt samples (in this case comet coma grains from the Jupiter family comet Wild 2) are recognizably different from the bulk of materials in outer belt asteroids, because of their different formation positions and times in the early solar system. We believe this despite similarities found between some Wild 2 grains and components of carbonaceous chondrites (i.e. some CAI and chondrules). Kuiper Belt samples must preserve measurable mineralogical and compositional evidence of formation at unique positions and times in the early solar nebula, and these formational differences must have imparted recognizable special characteristics. We hypothesize that these characteristics include: (1) Unique major element compositional ranges of common astromaterial minerals, especially olivine and pyroxene; (2) Unique minor element compositions of major silicate phases, especially olivine and low-Ca pyroxene; (3) Degree and effects of radiation processing -- including amorphous rims, metal coatings, and Glass with Embedded Metal and Sulfides (GEMS); (4) Presence of abundant presolar silicate grains as recognized by anomalous oxygen in silicates; (5) Oxidation state of the mineral assemblage. We are working our way through all available Wild 2 samples, selecting 1-2 non-consecutive viable TEM grids from each possible extracted Wild 2 grain. We especially prefer TEM grids from grains for which complete mineralogical details have not been published (which is to say the majority of the extracted grains). We are performing a basic mineralogic survey by E-beam techniques, to establish the essential features of the extracted Wild 2 grains. We are making a particular effort to carefully and accurately measure minor elements of olivine and pyroxene, as these minerals are widespread in astromaterials, and comparisons of their compositions will serve to place the Wild 2 silicates in contact with asteroids, meteorites and chondritic interplanetary dust particles processing. We are also making a special effort to search for mineralogical products of aqueous alteration, since their presence would reveal that Wild 2 was once internally heated, a result with dramatic implications for models of early solar system primitive bodies. Thus far carbonates are the only potential evidence for aqueous alteration for Wild 2.

Frank, David↗

Controlling Solvate Intermediate Growth for Phase-Pure Organic Lead Iodide Ruddlesden–Popper (C 4 H 9 NH 3 ) 2 (CH 3 NH 3 ) n -1 Pb n I 3 n +1 Perovskite Thin Films

The growth of Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite thin films is complicated by the existence of multiple crystallization pathways available to precursors in solution. During conventional thin film growth processes, such as spin-coating or blade-coating, solvents can evaporate too quickly to clearly resolve different reaction intermediates and products that form during crystallization. Here, we resolve multiple reaction products and intermediates that form during Ruddlesden-Popper phase growth by studying drop-cast precursor solutions in situ through the evolution of X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and optical micrographs over long timescales in a thin film geometry. We found that methylammonium-rich solvate intermediates play a crucial role in directing the bulk optical properties of the films, and form simultaneously with smaller regions of Ruddlesden-Popper phases during growth. The microstructure and optical properties of these sub-phases were characterized during growth and after annealing, revealing that discrepancies between thin film and single-crystal optical properties originate from solvate intermediates. These lower band-gap solvate-mediated minority phases dominate the optical emission spectrum by means of rapid energy migration, and contribute to sub-band-gap electronic states in photovoltaic devices. Processing routes to yield thin films with optical properties similar to single crystals of Ruddlesden-Popper phases were developed by tuning the precursor stoichiometry and deposition kinetics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Materials Development for Auxiliary Components for Large Compact Mo/Au TES Arrays

We describe our current fabrication process for arrays of superconducting transition edge sensor microcalorimeters, which incorporates superconducting Mo/Au bilayers and micromachined silicon structures. We focus on materials and integration methods for array heatsinking with our bilayer and micromachining processes. The thin superconducting molybdenum bottom layer strongly influences the superconducting behavior and overall film characteristics of our molybdenum/gold transition-edge sensors (TES). Concurrent with our successful TES microcalorimeter array development, we have started to investigate the thin film properties of molybdenum monolayers within a given phase space of several important process parameters. The monolayers are sputtered or electron-beam deposited exclusively on LPCVD silicon nitride coated silicon wafers. In our current bilayer process, molybdenum is electron-beam deposited at high wafer temperatures in excess of 500 degrees C. Identifying process parameters that yield high quality bilayers at a significantly lower temperature will increase options for incorporating process-sensitive auxiliary array components (AAC) such as array heat sinking and electrical interconnects into our overall device process. We are currently developing two competing technical approaches for heat sinking large compact TES microcalorimeter arrays. Our efforts to improve array heat sinking and mitigate thermal cross-talk between pixels include copper backside deposition on completed device chips and copper-filled micro-trenches surface-machined into wafers. In addition, we fabricated prototypes of copper through-wafer microvias as a potential way to read out the arrays. We present an overview on the results of our molybdenum monolayer study and its implications concerning our device fabrication. We discuss the design, fabrication process, and recent test results of our AAC development.

Finkbeiner, F. m.↗

A semi-empirical power-law model for the dip-coating of a substrate into a particle-containing, non-Newtonian, complex fluid system

The apparent viscosity of a particle suspension of ZrSi 2 particles, polyhydromethylsiloxane (PHMS) preceramic polymer and n-Octane solvent, used to process polymer-derived ceramic composite coatings, is shown by viscometric experiments to be shear-thinning. The suspension is dip-coated onto substrates and the measured entrained coating thickness, h 0 , is observed to be a power-law function of U, the substrate extraction speed, as h 0 = 0.5051U 0.5 . The experimentally observed semi-empirical model is directly compared to the results of a variety of theoretically derived Landau-Levich scaling laws and other models that have similar liquids and that include other effects. None of these cases predicts the scaling observed in these experiments. A correction factor is introduced to quantify the difference between the semi-empirical model with existing theoretical models. Possible explanations for the observed scaling behavior are presented.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Avalanches in strong imbibition

Slow injection of non-wetting fluids (drainage) and strongly wetting fluids (strong imbibition) into porous media are two contrasting processes in many respects: the former must be forced into the pore space, while the latter imbibe spontaneously; the former occupy pore bodies, while the latter coat crevices and corners. These two processes also produce distinctly different displacement patterns. However, both processes evolve via a series of avalanche-like invasion events punctuated by quiescent periods. Here, we show that, despite their mechanistic differences, avalanches in strong imbibition exhibit all the features of self-organized criticality previously documented for drainage, including the correlation scaling describing the space-time statistics of invasion at the pore scale.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Factors Influencing Residual Stresses in Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Thermal Barrier Coatings

To improve gas turbine and diesel engine performance using thermal barrier coatings (TBC's) requires an understanding of the factors that influence the in-service behavior of thermal barrier coatings. One of the many factors related to coating performance is the state of stress in the coating. The total stress state is composed of the stresses due to the in-service loading history and the residual stresses. Residual stresses have been shown to affect TBC life, the bond strength of thermal spray coatings, and the fatigue life of tungsten carbide coatings. Residual stresses are first introduced in TBC's by the spraying process due to elevated temperatures during processing and the difference in coefficients of thermal expansion of the top coat, bond coat, and substrate. Later, the residual stresses can be changed by the in-service temperature history due to a number of time and temperature dependent mechanisms, such as oxidation, creep, and sintering. Silica content has also been shown to affect sintering and the cyclic life of thermal barrier coatings. Thus, it is important to understand how the spraying process, the in-service thermal cycles, and the silica content can create and alter residual stresses in thermal barrier coatings.

McGrann, Roy T. R.↗

Functionally graded coatings and claddings

A shear assisted extrusion process for producing cladded materials wherein a cladding material and a material to be cladded are placed in sequence with the cladded material positioned to contact a rotating scroll face first and the material to be cladded second. The two materials are fed through a shear assisted extrusion device at a preselected feed rate and impacted by a rotating scroll face to generate a cladded extrusion product. This process allows for increased through wall strength and decreases the brittleness in formed structures as compared to the prior art.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗