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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 901 records · Page 50
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Weight Saving Technology

The airplane shown below is the Beech Super King Air, an executive transport built by Beech Aircraft corporation, Wichita, Kansas. Its development was aided by the NASA computer program known as NASTRAN(Registered TradeMark) (NASA Structural Analysis), which electronically analyzes a computerized design and predicts how it will react to many different conditions of stress and strain. In this instance the program was employed in analysis of the airplane's structure and engine mounts. NASTRAN was similarly used in development of other Beech planes, such as the T-34C military trainer and the new single-engine Skipper light-plane, which is making its debut this year. At its Boulder, Colorado facility, Beech has used NASTRAN in analysis of fuel tanks for space vehicles. The company reports it has achieved cost savings and improved its design/analysis capabilities through use of the NASA program. NASTRAN and other government-generated computer programs are made available to industry through NASA's Computer Software Management and Information Center (COSMIC)(Registered TradeMark) at the University of Georgia.

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NASA NTRS1989

Elevated temperature aluminum alloys

Three aluminum-lithium alloys are provided for high performance aircraft structures and engines. All three alloys contain 3 wt % copper, 2 wt % lithium, 1 wt % magnesium, and 0.2 wt % zirconium. Alloy 1 has no further alloying elements. Alloy 2 has the addition of 1 wt % iron and 1 wt % nickel. Alloy 3 has the addition of 1.6 wt % chromium to the shared alloy composition of the three alloys. The balance of the three alloys, except for incidentql impurities, is aluminum. These alloys have low densities and improved strengths at temperatures up to 260.degree. C. for long periods of time.

Meschter, Peter↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Development of the Ares I-X Flight Test

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Constellation Program (CxP) has identified a series of tests to provide insight into the design and development of the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) and the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Ares I-X was created as the first suborbital development flight test to help meet CxP objectives. The Ares I-X flight vehicle is an early operational model of Ares, with specific emphasis on Ares I and ground operation characteristics necessary to meet Ares I-X flight test objectives. Ares I-X will encompass the design and construction of an entire system that includes the Flight Test Vehicle (FTV) and associated operations. The FTV will be a test model based on the Ares I design. Select design features will be incorporated in the FTV design to emulate the operation of the CLV in order to meet the flight test objectives. The operations infrastructure and processes will be customized for Ares I-X, while still providing data to inform the developers of the launch processing system for Ares/Orion. The FTV is comprised of multiple elements and components that will be developed at different locations. The components will be delivered to the launch/assembly site, Kennedy Space Center (KSC), for assembly of the elements and components into an integrated, flight-ready, launch vehicle. The FTV will fly a prescribed trajectory in order to obtain the necessary data to meet the objectives. Ares I-X will not be commanded or controlled from the ground during flight, but the FTV will be equipped with telemetry systems, a data recording capability and a flight termination system (FTS). The in-flight part of the test includes a trajectory to simulate maximum dynamic pressure during flight and perform a stage separation representative of the CLV. The in-flight test also includes separation of the Upper Stage Simulator (USS) from the First Stage and recovery of the First Stage. The data retrieved from the flight test will be analyzed and used in the design and development of the Ares I vehicle. This paper will discuss the challenges in developing a new launch vehicle in a very short timeframe. The duration from formal Authority to Proceed to launch is 32 months with launch scheduled for April, 2009. The discussion will include changes to organizational structure, system engineering approaches, and early lessons learned for a fast tracked and highly visible project.

Ess, Robert H.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Outboard Motor Maximizes Power and Dependability

Developed by Jonathan Lee, a structural materials engineer at Marshall Space Flight Center, and PoShou Chen, a scientist with Huntsville, Alabama-based Morgan Research Corporation, MSFC-398 is a high-strength aluminum alloy able to operate at high temperatures. MSFC-398 was licensed for marine applications by Bombardier Recreational Products Inc., and is now found in the complete line of Evinrude E-TEC outboard motors, a line of two-stroke motors that maintain the power and dependability of a two-stroke with the refinement of a four-stroke.

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NASA NTRS2011

NASA Tech Briefs, February 2011

Topics covered include: Multi-Segment Radius Measurement Using an Absolute Distance Meter Through a Null Assembly; Fiber-Optic Magnetic-Field-Strength Measurement System for Lightning Detection; Photocatalytic Active Radiation Measurements and Use; Computer Generated Hologram System for Wavefront Measurement System Calibration; Non-Contact Thermal Properties Measurement with Low-Power Laser and IR Camera System; SpaceCube 2.0: An Advanced Hybrid Onboard Data Processor; CMOS Imager Has Better Cross-Talk and Full-Well Performance; High-Performance Wireless Telemetry; Telemetry-Based Ranging; JWST Wavefront Control Toolbox; Java Image I/O for VICAR, PDS, and ISIS; X-Band Acquisition Aid Software; Antimicrobial-Coated Granules for Disinfecting Water; Range 7 Scanner Integration with PaR Robot Scanning System; Methods of Antimicrobial Coating of Diverse Materials; High-Operating-Temperature Barrier Infrared Detector with Tailorable Cutoff Wavelength; A Model of Reduced Kinetics for Alkane Oxidation Using Constituents and Species for N-Heptane; Thermally Conductive Tape Based on Carbon Nanotube Arrays; Two Catalysts for Selective Oxidation of Contaminant Gases; Nanoscale Metal Oxide Semiconductors for Gas Sensing; Lightweight, Ultra-High-Temperature, CMC-Lined Carbon/Carbon Structures; Sample Acquisition and Handling System from a Remote Platform; Improved Rare-Earth Emitter Hollow Cathode; High-Temperature Smart Structures for Engine Noise Reduction and Performance Enhancement; Cryogenic Scan Mechanism for Fourier Transform Spectrometer; Piezoelectric Rotary Tube Motor; Thermoelectric Energy Conversion Technology for High-Altitude Airships; Combustor Computations for CO2-Neutral Aviation; Use of Dynamic Distortion to Predict and Alleviate Loss of Control; Cycle Time Reduction in Trapped Mercury Ion Atomic Frequency Standards; and A (201)Hg+ Comagnetometer for (199)Hg+ Trapped Ion Space Atomic Clocks.

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NASA NTRS2013

Polymers Advance Heat Management Materials for Vehicles

For 6 years prior to the retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, the shuttles carried an onboard repair kit with a tool for emergency use: two tubes of NOAX, or "good goo," as some people called it. NOAX flew on all 22 flights following the Columbia accident, and was designed to repair damage that occurred on the exterior of the shuttle. Bill McMahon, a structural materials engineer at Marshall Space Flight Center says NASA needed a solution for the widest range of possible damage to the shuttle s exterior thermal protection system. "NASA looked at several options in early 2004 and decided on a sealant. Ultimately, NOAX performed the best and was selected," he says. To prove NOAX would work effectively required hundreds of samples manufactured at Marshall and Johnson, and a concerted effort from various NASA field centers. Johnson Space Center provided programmatic leadership, testing, tools, and crew training; Glenn Research Center provided materials analysis; Langley Research Center provided test support and led an effort to perform large patch repairs; Ames Research Center provided additional testing; and Marshall provided further testing and the site of NOAX manufacturing. Although the sealant never had to be used in an emergency situation, it was tested by astronauts on samples of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) during two shuttle missions. (RCC is the thermal material on areas of the shuttle that experience the most heat, such as the nose cone and wing leading edges.) The material handled well on orbit, and tests showed the NOAX patch held up well on RCC.

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NASA NTRS2013

Lunar Regolith Particle Shape Analysis

Future engineering of structures and equipment on the lunar surface requires significant understanding of particle characteristics of the lunar regolith. Nearly all sediment characteristics are influenced by particle shape; therefore a method of quantifying particle shape is useful both in lunar and terrestrial applications. We have created a method to quantify particle shape, specifically for lunar regolith, using image processing. Photomicrographs of thin sections of lunar core material were obtained under reflected light. Three photomicrographs were analyzed using ImageJ and MATLAB. From the image analysis measurements for area, perimeter, Feret diameter, orthogonal Feret diameter, Heywood factor, aspect ratio, sieve diameter, and sieve number were recorded. Probability distribution functions were created from the measurements of Heywood factor and aspect ratio.

Kiekhaefer, Rebecca↗
NASA NTRS2014

Some Interesting Applications of Probabilistic Techiques in Structural Dynamic Analysis of Rocket Engines

Numerical and Analytical methods developed to determine damage accumulation in specific engine components when speed variation included. Dither Life Ratio shown to be well over factor of 2 for specific example. Steady‐State assumption shown to be accurate for most turbopump cases, allowing rapid calculation of DLR. If hot‐fire speed data unknown, Monte Carlo method developed that uses speed statistics for similar engines. Application of techniques allow analyst to reduce both uncertainty and excess conservatism. High values of DLR could allow previously unacceptable part to pass HCF criteria without redesign. Given benefit and ease of implementation, recommend that any finite life turbomachine component analysis adopt these techniques. Probability Values calculated, compared, and evaluated for several industry‐proposed methods for combining random and harmonic loads. Two new excel macros written to calculate combined load for any specific probability level. Closed form Curve fits generated for widely used 3(sigma) and 2(sigma) probability levels. For design of lightweight aerospace components, obtaining accurate, reproducible, statistically meaningful answer critical.

Brown, Andrew M.↗
NASA NTRS2016

A Structured, Model-Based Systems Engineering Methodology for Operations System Design

Two widely accepted techniques for lowering the cost and risk of developing systems are (1) the use of a defined systems engineering (SE) process or methodology and (2) the reuse of existing (previously built) system components. The first technique is represented, for example, in materials published by NASA (e.g., NASA Systems Engineering Handbook) or by professional societies such as INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering). Well-formed SE techniques provide value by establishing the proper scope of the system (e.g., requirements), and by identifying and resolving problems relatively early in project lifecycles, when fixes are less expensive. The second technique (reuse) is applied most commonly to hardware and software; it seeks to avoid replicating design and implementation costs while also reducing risk by placing proven capabilities into operational use. In this paper, we outline a methodology combining these two techniques and extending reuse beyond hardware and software to foundational aspects of a Mission Operation System’s (MOS) design. We describe the system design artifacts that result (e.g., requirements, design documentation), as well as the reusable patterns and elements of the design, and their interrelationships. This approach is enabled by model-based systems engineering (MBSE) techniques and tools and is currently available in SysML form as a plug-in to MagicDraw. Additionally, usage of a rigorous MBSE approach allows for training materials and tutorials to be packaged within the overall model itself. The results of such an approach include decreased cost and risk during the design phase, improved ability of the MOS development team to investigate trade spaces and identify impacts to important flight-ground trade studies. Such results extend into decreased costs and risk in later phases due to improved design, decreased need for late fixes or development of "glue-ware" or scripts to fill unanticipated gaps in functionality, and improved ability to identify and plan testing and other validation activities. Finally, lower operational costs can be expected, both due to improved quality of the MOS, increased ease of maintaining updated knowledge of system configuration, and the fact that training and procedural materials are also updated at the same time as accepted system changes.

Bindschadler, Duane L.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Innovative nanopore sequencing technology including a self-assembled porous membrane

Methods and apparatus for long read, label-free, optical nanopore long chain molecule sequencing. In general, the present disclosure describes a novel sequencing technology based on the integration of nanochannels to deliver single long-chain molecules with widely spaced (>wavelength), ˜1-nm aperture “tortuous” nanopores that slow translocation sufficiently to provide massively parallel, single base resolution using optical techniques. A novel, directed self-assembly nanofabrication scheme using simple colloidal nanoparticles is used to form the nanopore arrays atop nanochannels that unfold the long chain molecules. At the surface of the nanoparticle array, strongly localized electromagnetic fields in engineered plasmonic/polaritonic structures allow for single base resolution using optical techniques.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Innovative nanopore sequencing technology including a self-assembled porous membrane

Methods and apparatus for long read, label-free, optical nanopore long chain molecule sequencing. In general, the present disclosure describes a novel sequencing technology based on the integration of nanochannels to deliver single long-chain molecules with widely spaced (>wavelength), ˜1-nm aperture “tortuous” nanopores that slow translocation sufficiently to provide massively parallel, single base resolution using optical techniques. A novel, directed self-assembly nanofabrication scheme using simple colloidal nanoparticles is used to form the nanopore arrays atop nanochannels that unfold the long chain molecules. At the surface of the nanoparticle array, strongly localized electromagnetic fields in engineered plasmonic/polaritonic structures allow for single base resolution using optical techniques.

Brueck, Steven R. J.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Controlled synthesis of hierarchically-structured hybrid materials through peptoid engineering

This disclosure concerns a method for making a hybrid organic/inorganic material having an architecture. The method includes combining a peptoid comprising a sequence of N-substituted glycine residues and an inorganic material or inorganic material precursor to form a hybrid organic/inorganic material comprising the peptoid and the inorganic material, the hybrid organic/inorganic material having an architecture based at least in part on the peptoid sequence. The hybrid organic/inorganic materials include a cluster of nanoparticles of an inorganic material and peptoids, the cluster formed by random attachment of nanoparticles to one another by peptoid-peptoid and peptoid-nanoparticle surface interactions, wherein the hybrid material has an architecture based at least in part on the peptoid sequence.

Chen, Chun-Long↗
DOE OSTI2023

Chapter 14: Surface plasmon resonance enhanced artificial photosynthesis of chemical fuels for energy storage

Nanostructured noble metals such as Au, Ag, and Cu have interesting optical properties because of the oscillation motions of their surface electrons upon strong coupling with light under resonance conditions. This resonant oscillation motion of conduction electrons refers to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and localized SPR (LSPR) when localized near the surface of a nanoparticle. The extinction spectrum of a solution of plasmonic nanoparticles has tunable wavelength responses from UV to NIR due to strong light scattering and absorption which are highly sensitive to the permittivity of the nanoparticles, their sizes and shapes, and chemical environment. Strong light scattering due to the LSPR of plasmonic nanoparticles creates a strong localized and far-field intensity capable of enhancing light absorption characteristics of a chromophore near a plasmonic surface. Engineering the chromophores’ radiative decay dynamics can be done by 1) increasing its radiative decay rate to increase its photoluminescence intensity and 2) increasing its nonradiative decay rates associated to direct charge transfer to the metal surface. Such interesting photophysical properties of a chromophore can be extended to other light-absorbing materials such as semiconductor thin films and nanostructures. This plasmonic effect on the photophysics of a light-absorbing material can be theoretically and experimentally validated. The phenomenon has also been applied to advanced optoelectronic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLED)1 and organic photovoltaics (OPV).2-4 The local field created by the SPR can provide an intense EM field to enhance photoluminescence emission of an organic chromophore5-8 and Raman scattering of an organic molecule, and single-molecule Raman9-10 can be detected on specially designed LSPR substrate. (Figure 1 on SPR for energy) Recent studies suggest that LSPR can be incorporated in light-harvesting and conversion systems to increase energy conversion in a solar cell and photoelectrochemical cell and chemical transformations of CO2 to chemical fuels.11-12 Plasmonic active metals naturally exhibit catalytic activities for electrochemical fuel conversion that can be enhanced by engineering their structures to form unique catalytic structures such as symmetry-broken Au-Cu Janus nanocrystals.13 These studies are critical to addressing the global challenges of energy14-15 and CO2 emission from nonrenewable sources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas.16-17 Electrochemical systems comprised of unique photonic structures and functions that enable efficient and affordable energy harvesting/conversion/storage are highly desired for providing safe and environment-friendly energy sources. This chapter reviews our recent work of LSPR enabled photoelectrochemical water splitting and recent advances in LSPR-enabled CO2 reduction and photochemical reactions reported in the literature. Scientific and technical challenges of applying LSPR to enhance these energy conversion and storage systems are discussed at the conclusion of this chapter.

Pan, Shanlin↗
DOE OSTI2024

Systems and methods for periodic nodal surface based reactors, distributors, contactors and heat exchangers

The present disclosure relates to a transport mechanism apparatus for transporting at least one of a gas or a fluid. The transport mechanism may have an inlet, an outlet and an engineered cellular structure forming a periodic nodal surface, which may include a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure. The structure is formed in a layer-by-layer three dimensional (3D) printing operation to include cells propagating in three dimensions, where the cells include non-intersecting, continuously curving wall portions having openings, and where the opening in the cells form a plurality of flow paths throughout the transport mechanism from the inlet to the outlet, and where portions of the cells form the inlet and the outlet.

Iyer, Jaisree Kannan↗