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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 91 records · Page 5

Assessment of Erosion Resistance of Coated Polymer Matrix Composites for Propulsion Applications

The erosion behavior of tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) coated and uncoated polymer matrix composites (PMCs) was examined with solid particle impingement using air jets. Erosion tests were conducted with Arizona road dust impinging at 20 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees angles at a velocity of 229 meters per second at both 294 and 366 K. Noncontact optical profilometry was used to measure the wear volume loss. Results indicate that the WC-Co coating enhanced erosion resistance and reduced erosion wear volume loss by a factor of nearly 2. This should contribute to longer wear lives, reduced related breakdowns, decreased maintenance costs, and increased product reliability.

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗

High Temperature Characteristics of Pt/TaSi2/Pt/W and Pt/Ti/W Diffusion Barrier Systems for Ohmic Contacts to 4H-SiC

The degradation of ohmic contacts to 4H-SiC pressure sensors over time at high temperature is primarily due to two failure mechanisms: migrating bond pad Au and atmospheric O toward the ohmic contact SiC interface and the inter-metallic mixing between diffusion barrier systems (DBS) and the underlying ohmic contact metallization. We investigated the effectiveness of Pt/TaSi2/Pt/W (DBS-A) and Pt/Ti/W (DBS-B) in preventing Au and O diffusion through the underlying binary Ti/W or alloyed W50:Ni50 ohmic contacts to 4H-SiC and the DBS ohmic contact intermixing at temperature up to 700 C.

Platinum↗

Molecular Simulations of Ultrafast Radiation Induced Melting at Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces

Understanding radiation induced ultrafast melting at material interfaces is essential in designing robust electronic devices for aviation/space applications and in laser machining. While it is difficult to achieve the spatial and temporal resolution required to quantify the phenomenon experimentally, simulations can provide the detailed mechanisms of the structural changes that happen during phase transition. In this work, we use molecular simulations to study the effect of radiation damage on silicon carbide (SiC) - tungsten (W) interfaces which is of interest in high power electronics. A multi-scale approach is involved wherein the reactions at the interfaces are quantified using ab-initio molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and classical MD simulations are employed to understand the structural and diffusional changes across the material interface. Finally, coarse-grained Lennard-Jones type models are used to study the larger scale mechanisms and structures obtained due to the induced damages. We show that the response of the material to radiation damage depends on factors such as energy of the incident radiation, thermal properties, and molecular structure of the material.

Ravichandran, Ashwin↗

Metal carbide-graphite composites

Tungsten used in NbC-C composites as low melting densification additive to improve composite properties and lower fabrication temperatures

Harada, Y.↗

Application of diffusion barriers to the refractory fibers of tungsten, columbium, carbon and aluminum oxide

A radio frequency powered ion-plating system was used to plate protective layers of refractory oxides and carbide onto high strength fiber substrates. Subsequent overplating of these combinations with nickel and titanium was made to determine the effectiveness of such barrier layers in preventing diffusion of the overcoat metal into the fibers with consequent loss of fiber strength. Four substrates, five coatings, and two metal matrix materials were employed for a total of forty material combinations. The substrates were tungsten, niobium, NASA-Hough carbon, and Tyco sapphire. The diffusion-barrier coatings were aluminum oxide, yttrium oxide, titanium carbide, tungsten carbide with 14% cobalt addition, and zirconium carbide. The metal matrix materials were IN 600 nickel and Ti 6/4 titanium. Adhesion of the coatings to all substrates was good except for the NASA-Hough carbon, where flaking off of the oxide coatings in particular was observed.

Douglas, F. C.↗

Tests of highly loaded skids on a concrete runway

Skids have been used at various times for aircraft landing gear ever since the Wright Flyer appeared in the early 1900's. Typically, skids have been employed as aircraft landing gear either at low speeds or at low bearing pressures. Tests were conducted to examine the friction and wear characteristics of various metals sliding on a rough, grooved concrete runway. The metals represented potential materials for an overload protection skid for the Space Shuttle orbiter. Data from tests of six skid specimens conducted at higher speeds and bearing pressures than those of previous tests in the open literature are presented. Skids constructed of tungsten with embedded carbide chips exhibited the lowest wear, whereas a skid constructed of Inconel 718 exhibited high wear rates. Friction coefficients for all the skid specimens were moderate and would provide adequate stopping performance on a long runway. Because of its low wear rate, a skid constructed of tungsten with embedded carbide chips is considered to be a likely candidate for an aircraft skid or overload protection skid.

Stubbs, Sandy M.↗

CALPHAD Models to Guide Refractory Alloys Additive Manufacturing: In-Situ Compounds Formation, Nanoparticles, and Impurities Considerations

This technical memorandum (TM) seeks to model and discuss aspects of nanoparticle and micrometer-scale particle or ‘microparticle’ inclusions in refractory metal alloy manufacturing, via a currently used additive manufacturing (AM) method that results in equivalent wt.% addition of dissolved elements in the melt pool composition and subsequent formation of nanometer-scale MC and MO inclusions. Additionally, the authors begin to consider the effects of oxygen (O), a ubiquitous impurity, in AM; and seek to understand a combined optimization of alloying, nano- and micro strengthening and refinement, elemental additions, and even in-situ compounds and alloys species formation. To gain insights, this TM focuses on a pair of refractory alloys currently of interest to NASA: tungsten-rhenium-tantalum carbide (with O impurities) (W-Re-TaC(-O)) and tungsten-rhenium-tantalum-carbon (with O impurities) (W-Re-Ta-C(-O)), which are processed via powder bed fusion (PBF)-SLM.

ICME integrated computational materials engineerin↗

Carbide fuel pin and capsule design for irradiations at thermionic temperatures

The design of a capsule assembly to evaluate tungsten-emitter - carbide-fuel combinations for thermionic fuel elements is presented. An inpile fuel pin evaluation program concerned with clad temperture, neutron spectrum, carbide fuel composition, fuel geometry,fuel density, and clad thickness is discussed. The capsule design was a compromise involving considerations between heat transfer, instrumentation, materials compatibility, and test location. Heat-transfer calculations were instrumental in determining the method of support of the fuel pin to minimize axial temperature variations. The capsule design was easily fabricable and utilized existing state-of-the-art experience from previous programs.

Siegel, B. L.↗

Stability of Titanium Nitride and Titanium Carbide When Exposed to Hydrogen Atoms from 298 to 1950 K

Titanium nitride and titanium carbide deposited on tungsten wires were exposed to hydrogen atoms (10(exp -4) atm pressure) produced by the action of microwave radiation on molecular hydrogen. The results of these experiments in the temperature range 298 to 1950 K indicate that no appreciable reaction takes place between atomic hydrogen and TiN or TiC. The formation of reaction products (NH3, CH4, C2H2) should be favored at lower temperatures. However, because of the high catalytic activity of Ti for H atom recombination, the rate of such reactions with H atoms is controlled by the rate of evaporation of Ti from the surface, this rate being low at temperatures below 1200 K. In order to interpret the stability of TiN and TiC in H atoms more fully, the stability of TiN and TiC in vacuum and H2 gas was also studied. The thermodynamic computations conform in order of magnitude to the experimentally found rates of decomposition of TiN and TiC in vacuum and are also consistent with the fact that no appreciable reaction is found with these compounds in molecular H2 at a pressure of 10(exp -3) atmosphere in the temperature range 2980 to 2060 K. When TiN or TiC was heated in atomic H or molecular H2, no reaction products other than those obtained from the simple decomposition of the nitride and carbide were observed. The gaseous products were analyzed in a mass spectrometer.

Philipp, Warren H.↗

Material development for thermionic fuel-cladding systems.

Fuel-cladding systems capable of maintaining stable dimension and electron emission characteristics at high temperatures under irradiation are essential to the successful operation of nuclear thermionic power sources. Studies regarding two possible systems, involving tungsten clad uranium carbide and uranium oxide, are considered. Out-of-pile developmental efforts and the in-pile evaluation results for the two systems are described. Prototypical emitters have been tested for 8000 hours for the carbide system and 4000 hours for the oxide system.

Yang, L.↗

Protective coating for ceramic materials

A protective coating for ceramic materials such as those made of silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminoborosilicate and silicon dioxide, and a thermal control structure comprising a ceramic material having coated thereon the protective coating. The protective coating contains, in admixture, silicon dioxide powder, colloidal silicon dioxide, water, and one or more emittance agents selected from silicon tetraboride, silicon hexaboride, silicon carbide, molybdenum disilicide, tungsten disilicide and zirconium diboride. In another aspect, the protective coating is coated on a flexible ceramic fabric which is the outer cover of a composite insulation. In yet another aspect, a metallic foil is bonded to the outer surface of a ceramic fabric outer cover of a composite insulation via the protective coating. A primary application of this invention is as a protective coating for ceramic materials used in a heat shield for space vehicles subjected to very high aero-convective heating environments.

Kourtides, Demetrius A.↗

Ultrafast Melting at Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Quantifying the thermodynamics of interfacial melting is important for several applications such as laser machining and designing radiation hardened electronic devices. Due to the short time and length scales that are involved in the process, molecular simulations provide an ideal path for understating the interfacial melting phenomena. In this work we investigate tungsten (W) – silicon carbide (SiC) interfaces which are relevant in modern high-power electronic devices. Classical molecular dynamics simulations along with the two-temperature model (TTM) were used to study the radiation induced melting of the interface while a neural network-based machine learning framework was used to track the transient re-crystallization process. The damage endured by the semiconductor at the interface following the radiation event is discussed in detail while the re-crystallization of the metal is described in terms of the classical nucleation theory.

Ashwin Ravichandran↗

Friction and metal transfer for single-crystal silicon carbide in contact with various metals in vacuum

Sliding friction experiments were conducted with single-crystal silicon carbide in contact with transition metals (tungsten, iron, rhodium, nickel, titanium, and cobalt), copper, and aluminum. Results indicate the coefficient of friction for a silicon carbide-metal system is related to the d bond character and relative chemical activity of the metal. The more active the metal, the higher the coefficient of friction. All the metals examined transferred to the surface of silicon carbide in sliding. The chemical activity of metal to silicon and carbon and shear modulus of the metal may play important roles in metal transfer and the form of the wear debris. The less active and greater resistance to shear the metal has, with the exception of rhodium and tungsten, the less transfer to silicon carbide.

Miyoshi, K.↗

Development of an Extreme High Temperature n-type Ohmic Contact to Silicon Carbide

We report on the initial demonstration of a tungsten-nickel (75:25 at. %) ohmic contact to silicon carbide (SiC) that performed for up to fifteen hours of heat treatment in argon at 1000 C. The transfer length method (TLM) test structure was used to evaluate the contacts. Samples showed consistent ohmic behavior with specific contact resistance values averaging 5 x 10-4 -cm2. The development of this contact metallization should allow silicon carbide devices to operate more reliably at the present maximum operating temperature of 600 C while potentially extending operations to 1000 C. Introduction Silicon Carbide (SiC) is widely recognized as one of the materials of choice for high temperature, harsh environment sensors and electronics due to its ability to survive and continue normal operation in such environments [1]. Sensors and electronics in SiC have been developed that are capable of operating at temperatures of 600 oC. However operating these devices at the upper reliability temperature threshold increases the potential for early degradation. Therefore, it is important to raise the reliability temperature ceiling higher, which would assure increased device reliability when operated at nominal temperature. There are also instances that require devices to operate and survive for prolonged periods of time above 600 oC [2, 3]. This is specifically needed in the area of hypersonic flight where robust sensors are needed to monitor vehicle performance at temperature greater than 1000 C, as well as for use in the thermomechanical characterization of high temperature materials (e.g. ceramic matrix composites). While SiC alone can withstand these temperatures, a major challenge is to develop reliable electrical contacts to the device itself in order to facilitate signal extraction

Evans, Laura J.↗

Investigation to develop a method to apply diffusion barrier to high strength fibers

A radio frequency powered ion plating process was used to apply the diffusion barriers of aluminum oxide, yttrium oxide, hafnium oxide and titanium carbide to a substrate tungsten fiber. Each of the coatings was examined as to its effect on both room temperature strength and tensile strength of the base tungsten fiber. The coated fibers were then overcoated with a nickel alloy to become single cell diffusion couples. These diffusion couples were exposed to 1093 C for 24 hours, cycled between room temperature and 1093 C, and given a thermal anneal for 100 hours at 1200 C. Tensile testing and metallographic examinations determined that the hafnium oxide coating produced the best high temperature diffusion barrier for tungsten of the four coatings.

Veltri, R. D.↗