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NASA NTRS2003

The Evaluation of High Temperature Adhesive Bonding Processes for Rocket Engine Combustion Chamber Applications

NASA Glenn Research Center is currently evaluating the possibility of using high- temperature polymer matrix composites to reinforce the combustion chamber of a rocket engine. One potential design utilizes a honeycomb structure composed of a PMR-II- 50/M40J 4HS composite facesheet and titanium honeycomb core to reinforce a stainless steel shell. In order to properly fabricate this structure, adhesive bond PMR-II-50 composite. Proper prebond surface preparation is critical in order to obtain an acceptable adhesive bond. Improperly treated surfaces will exhibit decreased bond strength and durability, especially in metallic bonds where interface are susceptible to degradation due to heat and moisture. Most treatments for titanium and stainless steel alloys require the use of strong chemicals to etch and clean the surface. This processes are difficult to perform due to limited processing facilities as well as safety and environmental risks and they do not consistently yield optimum bond durability. Boeing Phantom Works previously developed sol-gel surface preparations for titanium alloys using a PETI-5 based polyimide adhesive. In support of part of NASA Glenn Research Center, UDRI and Boeing Phantom Works evaluated variations of this high temperature sol-gel surface preparation, primer type, and primer cure conditions on the adhesion performance of titanium and stainless steel using Cytec FM 680-1 polyimide adhesive. It was also found that a modified cure cycle of the FM 680-1 adhesive, i.e., 4 hrs at 370 F in vacuum + post cure, significantly increased the adhesion strength compared to the manufacturer's suggested cure cycle. In addition, the surface preparation of the PMR-II-50 composite was evaluated in terms of surface cleanness and roughness. This presentation will discuss the results of strength and durability testing conducted on titanium, stainless steel, and PMR-II-50 composite adherends to evaluate possible bonding processes.

McCray, Daniel↗

NASA NTRS2024

Hypergol Maintenance Facility North, SWMU 090, Year 3 Air Sparge System Performance Monitoring Report, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) presents Year 3 Air Sparge (AS) System operation, maintenance, and monitoring (OM&M) activities and performance monitoring results for the AS Interim Measure (IM) at the Hypergol Maintenance Facility North (HMFN) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. HMFN has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 090 under the KSC Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program. The timeframe for activities included in this report extends from September 2022 to August 2023. The HMFN AS IM was implemented in 2019-2020 to treat a chlorinated solvent groundwater plume that resulted from historical operations supporting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Program. The system includes 213 AS wells, with screen depths ranging from 25 feet to 45 feet below land surface (bls) and treats approximately 1.62 acres of contaminated groundwater. The objective of the AS IM is to actively reduce groundwater concentrations exceeding Florida Department of Environmental Protection Natural Attenuation Default Concentrations (NADCs) (identified as the High Concentration Plume [HCP]) to levels that facilitate transition into a Long-Term Monitoring program. The AS IM targets all of the HCP, except for a source zone area within the HCP where trichloroethene (TCE) concentrations exceed 11,000 micrograms per liter (μg/L) at depths greater than 45 feet bls. This is because site lithology was found to not be conducive to the AS treatment technology at these deeper depths. NASA will re-visit plans for potentially utilizing another remedial technology for residual deeper contamination following completion of the AS IM. OM&M activities and results from Year 3 indicate that the AS system at HMFN is operating as designed and is meeting performance criteria. Groundwater performance monitoring results indicate that following the third year of AS system operation, TCE concentrations in wells across all treated depth intervals have been reduced by an average of more than 99 percent. Overall, the areal extent of the plume showed a reduction following Year 3 of AS operations; however, continued operation of the AS system is required to meet the IM objective.

VOCs↗

NASA NTRS2001

Facility Monitoring: A Qualitative Theory for Sensor Fusion

Data fusion and sensor management approaches have largely been implemented with centralized and hierarchical architectures. Numerical and statistical methods are the most common data fusion methods found in these systems. Given the proliferation and low cost of processing power, there is now an emphasis on designing distributed and decentralized systems. These systems use analytical/quantitative techniques or qualitative reasoning methods for date fusion.Based on other work by the author, a sensor may be treated as a highly autonomous (decentralized) unit. Each highly autonomous sensor (HAS) is capable of extracting qualitative behaviours from its data. For example, it detects spikes, disturbances, noise levels, off-limit excursions, step changes, drift, and other typical measured trends. In this context, this paper describes a distributed sensor fusion paradigm and theory where each sensor in the system is a HAS. Hence, given the reach qualitative information from each HAS, a paradigm and formal definitions are given so that sensors and processes can reason and make decisions at the qualitative level. This approach to sensor fusion makes it possible the implementation of intuitive (effective) methods to monitor, diagnose, and compensate processes/systems and their sensors. This paradigm facilitates a balanced distribution of intelligence (code and/or hardware) to the sensor level, the process/system level, and a higher controller level. The primary application of interest is in intelligent health management of rocket engine test stands.

Figueroa, Fernando↗

NASA NTRS1987

Two-phase reduced gravity experiments for a space reactor design

Future space missions researchers envision using large nuclear reactors with either a single or a two-phase alkali-metal working fluid. The design and analysis of such reactors require state-of-the-art computer codes that can properly treat alkali-metal flow and heat transfer in a reduced-gravity environment. New flow regime maps, models, and correlations are required if the codes are to be successfully applied to reduced-gravity flow and heat transfer. General plans are put forth for the reduced-gravity experiments which will have to be performed, at NASA facilities, with benign fluids. Data from the reduced-gravity experiments with innocuous fluids are to be combined with normal gravity data from two-phase alkali-metal experiments. Because these reduced-gravity experiments will be very basic, and will employ small test loops of simple geometry, a large measure of commonality exists between them and experiments planned by other organizations. It is recommended that a committee be formed to coordinate all ongoing and planned reduced gravity flow experiments.

Antoniak, Zenen I.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of the Acoustic Improvement Program for the 9- by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel

This report gives an overview of a recent improvement project to reduce the background noise in the NASA Glenn Research Center 9-by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel. Noise surveys of the original tunnel configuration indicated that flow surface noise in the test section and noise propagating from other tunnel regions were the primary background noise contributors. Several novel features were incorporated in the design of the upgraded tunnel, including a low noise flow surface and serpentine baffles for noise reduction, along with acoustically treated turning vanes and a new diffuser. Three companion papers present implementation details including the acoustic design and the aerodynamic quality/design CFD. The upgrades reduced background noise in the test section by about 10dBA over a wide range of flow speeds and frequencies. It is hoped this will be a useful summary to aid future users of the facility and wind tunnel engineers everywhere.

Wind Tunnel↗

NASA NTRS1972

Hot-salt stress-corrosion of titanium alloys as related to turbine operation

In an effort to simulate typical compressor operating conditions of current turbine engines, special test facilities were designed. Air velocity, air pressure, air dewpoint, salt deposition temperature, salt concentration, and specimen surface condition were systematically controlled and their influence on hot-salt stress-corrosion evaluated. The influence of both continuous and cyclic stress-temperature exposures was determined. The relative susceptibility of a variety of titanium alloys in commonly used heat-treated conditions was determined. The effects of both environmental and material variables were used to interpret the behavior of titanium alloys under hot-salt stress-corrosion conditions found in jet engines and to appraise their future potential under such conditions.

Gray, H. R.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Study of information transfer optimization for communication satellites

The results are presented of a study of source coding, modulation/channel coding, and systems techniques for application to teleconferencing over high data rate digital communication satellite links. Simultaneous transmission of video, voice, data, and/or graphics is possible in various teleconferencing modes and one-way, two-way, and broadcast modes are considered. A satellite channel model including filters, limiter, a TWT, detectors, and an optimized equalizer is treated in detail. A complete analysis is presented for one set of system assumptions which exclude nonlinear gain and phase distortion in the TWT. Modulation, demodulation, and channel coding are considered, based on an additive white Gaussian noise channel model which is an idealization of an equalized channel. Source coding with emphasis on video data compression is reviewed, and the experimental facility utilized to test promising techniques is fully described.

Odenwalder, J. P.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Compiling a Comprehensive EVA Training Dataset for NASA Astronauts

Training for a spacewalk or extravehicular activity (EVA) is considered a hazardous duty for NASA astronauts. This places astronauts at risk for decompression sickness as well as various musculoskeletal disorders from working in the spacesuit. As a result, the operational and research communities over the years have requested access to EVA training data to supplement their studies. The purpose of this paper is to document the comprehensive EVA training data set that was compiled from multiple sources by the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH) epidemiologists to investigate musculoskeletal injuries. The EVA training dataset does not contain any medical data, rather it only documents when EVA training was performed, by whom and other details about the session. The first activities practicing EVA maneuvers in water were performed at the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) at the Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This facility opened in 1967 and was used for EVA training until the early Space Shuttle program days. Although several photographs show astronauts performing EVA training in the NBS, records detailing who performed the training and the frequency of training are unavailable. Paper training records were stored within the NBS after it was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1985 and closed in 1997, but significant resources would be needed to identify and secure these records, and at this time LSAH has not pursued acquisition of these early training records. Training in the NBS decreased when the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, opened the Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) in 1980. Early training records from the WETF consist of 11 hand-written dive logbooks compiled by individual workers that were digitized at the request of LSAH. The WETF was integral in the training for Space Shuttle EVAs until its closure in 1998. The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Sonny Carter Training Facility near JSC opened in March 1997 and is the current site for US EVA training. Other space agencies also have used water to simulate weightlessness and train for EVAs. Russia has a training facility similar to the NBL named the Hydro Lab. The Hydro Lab began operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in 1980 and has been used extensively to the present. Although a majority of training in the Hydro Lab uses the Russian Orlan suit, a small number of sessions have been conducted using a NASA suit. The Japanese Weightlessness Environment Test System (WETS) went into service at the Tsukuba Space Center in 1997 but was closed in 2011 due to extensive earthquake damage. Several sessions were performed using a NASA suit, but these sessions were short and considered "development" runs. LSAH has assembled records from the WETF, NBL and Hydro Lab. Recording of the EVA training data has changed considerably from 1967 to present. The goal of early record keeping was to track use of hardware components, and the person involved was treated as a suited operator, not as a focus of interest. Records from the past two decades are fairly precise with the person, date, suit type and size noted. On occasion the length of the session was listed, but this data is not included on all records. Records were merged from data sources and extensive cleaning of the records was required since the multiple sources frequently overlapped and duplicated records. To date the LSAH EVA training dataset includes over 12,500 EVA training sessions performed by NASA astronauts since 1981. The following variables are included for most records: Name, Sex, Event date, Event name, HUT type, HUT size, Facility, and Estimated run time. For a smaller subset of records, the following variables are available: Actual run time, Time inverted, and the suit components Waist bearing type, Shoulder harness, Shoulder pads, and Teflon inserts. The LSAH dataset is currently the most complete resource for data regarding EVA training sessions performed by NASA astronauts. However, it is not 100 percent complete since the WETS (Japan) and NBS (Marshall) training facility data were not included. This dataset has been compiled by LSAH to study the relationship of EVA training to musculoskeletal injuries but has many other non-medical applications. This dataset can be provided to other groups in order to respond to program and research questions with appropriate board approvals.

Laughlin, M. S.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Space Shuttle SRM metal case component fabrication

The 146 in. diam metal case components of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) being developed have been successfully static-tested. The limitations placed on the program included current practice and facilities at the steel mills, forging suppliers, heat treaters, and machining operations. In addition, Thiokol had not previously fabricated metal components of this size with a minimum fracture toughness of 90 ksi-in. to 1/2 power. To insure that the SRM was producible within the established guidelines, it was necessary to coordinate all data heat by heat, forging by forging, and heat treat run by heat treat run. The basic fabrication sequences are outlined, and the data from the heat treat programs are presented.

Krummel, C. H.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Guidance and trajectory considerations in lunar mass transportation

Flight-mechanics problems associated with large-scale transport of lunar mass to a space colony or manufacturing facility are discussed. The proposed transport method involves launch of payloads from a mass-driver on the lunar surface, onto ballistic trajectories to a passive mass-catcher located near the L2 libration point, with the caught mass subsequently being transported to the colony. Arrival velocities at L2, sensitivities in arrival dispersion due to launch errors, and effects of launch site location are treated, via numerically integrated orbits in the restricted three-body problem. From any launch site it is possible to define a target point reached with zero dispersion due to errors in a selected component of launch velocity. Effects of lunar geometrical librations and of obliquity, as well as the conditions for biasing a trajectory away from L2 so as to reduce stationkeeping costs, are dealt with along with transfer orbits from L2 to the colony. The theory of capture and the theory of resonance lead to a colony orbit, with period approximately two weeks, reached from L2 with velocity increment as low as 9.02 m/sec.

Heppenheimer, T. A.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Nanoelectric Materials Laboratory Development

The Ultracapacitor Research and Development project is a collaborative effort between the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) ES43 Parts, Packaging, and Fabrication Branch and the EM41 Nonmetallic Materials Branch. NASA's Ultracapacitor Research is an effort to develop solid-state energy storage devices through processing of ceramic materials into printable dielectric inks, which can be formed and treated to produce solid state ultracapacitor cells capable of exceeding lithium-ion battery energy density at a fraction of the weight. Research and development efforts into solid state ultracapacitors have highlighted a series of technical challenges such as understanding as-received nature of ceramic powders, treatment and optimization of ceramic powders, dielectric and conductor ink formulation, and firing of printed (green) ultracapacitor cells. Two facilities have been continually developed since project inception: the Additive Electronics Lab in Bldg. 4487 and the Nanoelectric Materials Lab in Bldg. 4602. The Nanoelectric Materials Lab has become a unique facility at MSFC, capable of custom processing a wide range of media for additive electronics. As research has progressed, it was discovered that additional in-house processing was necessary to achieve smaller, more uniform particle diameters. A vibratory mill was obtained that can agitate powder and media in three directions, which has shown to be much more effective than ball milling. However, in order to understand the effects of milling, a particle size analysis system has been installed to characterize as-received and milled materials Continued research into the ultracapacitor technology included advanced milling and optimization of ceramic nanoparticles, fluidized bed treatment of atomic-layer deposition- (ALD-) coated ceramic particles, custom development of dielectric and conductor inks, as well as custom ink precursors such as polyvinylidene diflouride- (PVDF-) loaded vehicles. Experiments with graphene-based inks were also conducted.

Allen, Lee↗

NASA NTRS1981

Forward velocity effects on fan noise and the suppression characteristics of advanced inlets as measured in the NASA Ames 40 by 80 foot wind tunnel: Acoustic data report

Forward velocity effects on the forward radiated fan noise and on the suppression characteristics of three advanced inlets relative to a baseline cylindrical inlet were measured in a wind tunnel. A modified JT15D turbofan engine in a quiet nacelle was the source of fan noise; the advanced inlets were a CTOL hybrid inlet, an STOL hybrid inlet, and a treated deflector inlet. Also measured were the static to flight effects on the baseline inlet noise and the effects on the fan noise of canting the baseline inlet 4 deg downward to simulate typical wing mounted turbofan engines. The 1/3 octave band noise data from these tests are given along with selected plots of 1/3 octave band spectra and directivity and full scale PNL directivities. The test facilities and data reduction techniques used are also described.

Moore, M. T.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Composting on Mars or the Moon: I. Comparative evaluation of process design alternatives

As a candidate technology for treating solid wastes and recovering resources in bioregenerative Advanced Life Support, composting potentially offers such advantages as compactness, low mass, near ambient reactor temperatures and pressures, reliability, flexibility, simplicity, and forgiveness of operational error or neglect. Importantly, the interactions among the physical, chemical, and biological factors that govern composting system behavior are well understood. This article comparatively evaluates five Generic Systems that describe the basic alternatives to composting facility design and control. These are: 1) passive aeration; 2) passive aeration abetted by mechanical agitation; 3) forced aeration--O2 feedback control; 4) forced aeration--temperature feedback control; 5) forced aeration--integrated O2 and temperature feedback control. Each of the five has a distinctive pattern of behavior and process performance characteristics. Only Systems 4 and 5 are judged to be viable candidates for ALS on alien worlds, though which is better suited in this application is yet to be determined.

Review↗

NASA NTRS1981

To Produce Nutrients for Plant Growth

On July 1, 1979 a new research program entitled "Development of a Prototype Experiment for Treating CELSS and PCELSS Wastes to Produce Nutrients for Plant Growth" was undertaken by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Georgia Institute of Technology under grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center. The program was designed to be completed over a five-year period, with the work divided into two phases. Phase I covers approximately two years and involves the development of necessary facilities, chemical methodologies and models to allow meaningful experiments during Phase II, which will involve interfacing waste oxidation with plant growth. Homogeneous samples of freeze-dried human feces and urine have been prepared to assure comparability of results among various CELSS waste treatment research groups. A model of food processing wastes within a PCELSS was developed, and an initial batch of waste was prepared. An automated gas chromatographic system to analyze oxidizer effluents was designed and is operational. A state-of-the-art quantitative elemental analysis capability, built around inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy using electrothermal atomization, has been demonstrated. A continuous flow wet oxidation system was constructed and is now operational.

Michael Modell↗

NASA NTRS1986

Two-phase flow

An experimental program to characterize the spray from candidate nozzles for icing-cloud simulation is discussed. One canidate nozzle, which is currently used for icing research, has been characterized for flow and drop size. The median-volume diameter (MVD) from this air-assist nozzle is compared with correlations in the literature. The new experimental spray facility is discussed, and the drop-size instruments are discussed in detail. Since there is no absolute standard for drop-size measurements and there are other limitations, such as drop -size range and velocity range, several instruments are used and results are compared. A two-phase model was developed at Pennsylvania State University. The model uses the k-epsilon model of turbulence in the continous phase. Three methods for treating the discrete phase are used: (1) a locally homogeneous flow (LHF) model, (2) a deterministic separated flow (DSF) model, and (3) a stochastic separated flow (SSF) model. In the LHF model both phases have the same velocity and temperature at each point. The DSF model provides interphase transport but ignores the effects of turbulent fluctuations. In the SSF model the drops interact with turbulent eddies whose properties are determined by the k-epsilon turbulence model. The two-phase flow model has been extended to include the effects of evaporation and combustion.

Tacina, Robert R.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Evaluation of aerodynamic derivatives from a magnetic balance system

The dynamic testing of a model in the University of Virginia cold magnetic balance wind-tunnel facility is expected to consist of measurements of the balance forces and moments, and the observation of the essentially six degree of freedom motion of the model. The aerodynamic derivatives of the model are to be evaluated from these observations. The basic feasibility of extracting aerodynamic information from the observation of a model which is executing transient, complex, multi-degree of freedom motion is demonstrated. It is considered significant that, though the problem treated here involves only linear aerodynamics, the methods used are capable of handling a very large class of aerodynamic nonlinearities. The basic considerations include the effect of noise in the data on the accuracy of the extracted information. Relationships between noise level and the accuracy of the evaluated aerodynamic derivatives are presented.

Raghunath, B. S.↗

NASA NTRS1962

PYROLYTIC GRAPHITE ROCKET THRUST CHAMBER INVESTIGATION PROJECT. MONTHLY LETTER

This is the Monthly Letter Progress Report for the eighth month of a twelve month technical study directed toward the following objectives: A. Determining analytically and experimentally the feasibility and attractiveness of using free-standing pyrolytic graphite for a radiation cooled liquid rocket thrust chamber and exit nozzle for space application. B. Establishing through analysis and experimental demonstration, a set of design principles to facilitate the design of a reliable pyrolytic graphite thrust chamber assembly for a specific range of operating conditions. C. Demonstrate by means of test firings of complete thrust chamber assemblies, the validity of the design data and principles developed during the program. Preparations have been completed for test firing the two 100 lb. thrust Boron Pyralloy chambers at Marquardt during the first week in March 1962. These two chambers will first be static pressure checked with water to a pressure of 135 psig. The chambers will then be test fired with N204/N2H4-MMH propellants . Test samples of eleven different pyrolytic carbide and nitride materials have been ordered for high temperature oxidation tests and should be delivered by the end of March for evaluation in the plasma torch facility. The specific materials ordered in free- standing condition in thicknesses from 0.030 inch to 0.065 inch were as follows: (a) Pyrolytic graphite (on hand) (b) Pyrolytic graphite-boron alloy (on hand) (c) Pyrolytic graphite-tungsten alloy (d)Boron nitride (e) Titanium nitride (f) Silicon carbide (g) Titanium carbide (h) Zirconium carbide (i) Hafnium carbide (j) Niobium carbide (k) Tantalum carbide (l) High density (1 1-90) graphite (m) High density graphite (heat treated) These materials were ordered from Raytheon, HTM, and American Meta 1 Products . A summary of the available data on the oxidation rates of pyrolytic materials under slow air and rocket motor conditions is shown in Figure 1. High Temperature Materials, Inc. has been contacted relative to providing Pyrographite thrust chambers with extra-thick walls . They believe they can deliver chambers with substantially thicker walls than were possible a short time ago. Such a configuration, with acceptable residual stresses, would provide a longer firing life since it is ultimately limited by the oxidation rate of the chamber wall material. Stress and structural studies have continued. The analytical stress studies point out some of the problems associated with the experimental determination of the elastic constants of this highly anisotropic material. Further analysis may shed light on improved techniques for making these experimental determinations. The large potential weight saving available with the use of pyrolytic graphite as a thrust chamber wall material in a radiation cooled rocket motor has been calculated and is shown graphically in Figure 2. Figure A presents the program progress schedule and the actual expenditures as of 7 February 1962.

ROCKET ENGINE↗

NASA NTRS1989

The computation of thermo-chemical nonequilibrium hypersonic flows

Several conceptual designs for vehicles that would fly in the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds have been developed recently. For the proposed flight conditions the air in the shock layer that envelops the body is at a sufficiently high temperature to cause chemical reaction, vibrational excitation, and ionization. However, these processes occur at finite rates which, when coupled with large convection speeds, cause the gas to be removed from thermo-chemical equilibrium. This non-ideal behavior affects the aerothermal loading on the vehicle and has ramifications in its design. A numerical method to solve the equations that describe these types of flows in 2-D was developed. The state of the gas is represented with seven chemical species, a separate vibrational temperature for each diatomic species, an electron translational temperature, and a mass-average translational-rotational temperature for the heavy particles. The equations for this gas model are solved numerically in a fully coupled fashion using an implicit finite volume time-marching technique. Gauss-Seidel line-relaxation is used to reduce the cost of the solution and flux-dependent differencing is employed to maintain stability. The numerical method was tested against several experiments. The calculated bow shock wave detachment on a sphere and two cones was compared to those measured in ground testing facilities. The computed peak electron number density on a sphere-cone was compared to that measured in a flight test. In each case the results from the numerical method were in excellent agreement with experiment. The technique was used to predict the aerothermal loads on an Aeroassisted Orbital Transfer Vehicle including radiative heating. These results indicate that the current physical model of high temperature air is appropriate and that the numerical algorithm is capable of treating this class of flows.

Candler, Graham↗