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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Techniques for Analysis of DSN 64-meter Antenna Azimuth Bearing Film Height Records

The DSN 64-m antennas use oil pad azimuth thrust bearings. Instrumentation on the bearing pads measures the height of the oil film between the pad and the bearing runner. Techniques to analyze the film height record are developed and discussed. The analysis techniques present the unwieldy data in a compact form for assessment of bearing condition. The techniques are illustrated by analysis of a small sample of film height records from each of the three 64-m antennas. The results show the general condition of the bearings of DSS 43 and DSS 63 as good to excellent, and a DSS 14 as marginal.

Stevens, R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Wave Fluid Film Bearing Tests for an Aviation Gearbox

An oil-lubricated wave journal-thrust bearing assembly was successfully tested at conditions found in general aviation engine gearboxes. The bearing performed well at both steady state conditions and in start-stop tests. It ran stably under all loading conditions, including zero load, at all speeds up to 16 000 rpm. The bearing carried 25 percent more load than required for the gearbox application, supporting 8900 N (94 bars average pressure), and showed very good thermal stability. 450 start-stop cycles were also performed, including 350 cycles without oil supply during starting and stopping. Test results and numerical predictions were in good agreement.

Dimofte, Florin↗
NASA NTRS1973

Development of a high speed parallel hybrid boost bearing

The analysis, design, and testing of the hybrid boost bearing are discussed. The hybrid boost bearing consists of a fluid film bearing coupled in parallel with a rolling element bearing. This coupling arrangement makes use of the inherent advantages of both the fluid film and rolling element bearing and at the same time minimizes their disadvantages and limitations. The analytical optimization studies that lead to the final fluid film bearing design are reported. The bearing consisted of a centrifugally-pressurized planar fluid film thrust bearing with oil feed through the shaft center. An analysis of the test ball bearing is also presented. The experimental determination of the hybrid bearing characteristics obtained on the basis of individual bearing component tests and a combined hybrid bearing assembly is discussed and compared to the analytically determined performance characteristics.

Winn, L. W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

NASA's HITEMP program for UHBR engines

NASA's High Temperature Engine Materials Program (HITEMP) is concerned with the laboratory-scale technology development and feasibility demonstration of high-temperature composite materials, in conjunction with the requisite structural analysis models and test methods for their validation. HITEMP encompasses research on metallic/intermetallic, ceramic, and polymer matrix composites, and is giving attention to high-temperature component composites applicable to future widebody commercial aircraft ultrahigh bypass ratio (UHBR) engines. The UHBR components for which advanced composites are envisioned are fan, compressor, and turbine rotor blades, stator vanes, disks, and shafts, thrust bearings, gearbox bearings and linings, combustor cases and linings, nacelles, and thrust-reversers.

Stephens, Joseph R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Conical Magnetic Bearing Development and Magnetic Bearing Testing for Extreme Temperature Environments

The main proposed research of this grant were: to design a high-temperature, conical magnetic bearing facility, to test the high-temperature, radial magnetic bearing facility to higher speeds, to investigate different backup bearing designs and materials, to retrofit the high-temperature test facility with a magnetic thrust bearing, to evaluate test bearings at various conditions, and test several lubricants using a spiral orbit tribometer. A high-temperature, conical magnetic bearing facility has been fully developed using Solidworks. The facility can reuse many of the parts of the current high-temperature, radial magnetic bearing, helping to reduce overall build costs. The facility has the ability to measure bearing force capacity in the X, Y, and Z directions through a novel bearing mounting design. The high temperature coils and laminations, a main component of the facility, are based upon the current radial design and can be fabricated at Texas A&M University. The coil design was highly successful in the radial magnetic bearing. Vendors were contacted about fabrication of the high temperature lamination stack. Stress analysis was done on the laminations. Some of the components were procured, but due to budget cuts, the facility build up was stopped.

Keith, Theo G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Development and Testing of an Axial Halbach Magnetic Bearing

The NASA Glenn Research Center has developed and tested a revolutionary Axial Halbach Magnetic Bearing. The objective of this work is to develop a viable non-contact magnetic thrust bearing utilizing Halbach arrays for all-electric flight, and many other applications. This concept will help to reduce harmful emissions, reduce the Nation s dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate many of the concerns and limitations encountered in conventional axial bearings such as bearing wear, leaks, seals and friction loss. The Axial Halbach Magnetic Bearing is inherently stable and requires no active feedback control system or superconductivity as required in many magnetic bearing designs. The Axial Halbach Magnetic Bearing is useful for very high speed applications including turbines, instrumentation, medical systems, computer memory systems, and space power systems such as flywheels. Magnetic fields suspend and support a rotor assembly within a stator. Advanced technologies developed for particle accelerators, and currently under development for maglev trains and rocket launchers, served as the basis for this application. Experimental hardware was successfully designed and developed to validate the basic principles and analyses. The report concludes that the implementation of Axial Halbach Magnetic Bearings can provide significant improvements in rotational system performance and reliability.

Eichenberg, Dennis J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Gas-lubricated foil bearings for high speed turboalternator - Construction and performance

Foil bearings were designed and fabricated to replace pivoted-shoe journal bearings in a Brayton cycle turboalternator, within space limitations and constraints imposed by the existing machine. The foil bearings were integrated into a unified assembly with the rotor, housing, seals, and gimbal-mounted thrust bearing, without changes and modifications of machine components other than the journal bearings. The gas-lubricated foil bearings, which require no external pressure-source, furnished a stable support for a 21.9 pound rotor in the vertical attitude at speeds to 43,200 rpm. Excellent wipe-wear characteristics permitted well over 1000 start-stop cycles, without deterioration of performance in the entire speed range. The paper reviews salient aspects of design, fabrication, and performance. An account is given of rotor dynamics during starting, stopping, and traversing the region of resonances. The state of journal and foil surfaces is examined following intensive start-stop cycling and high-speed runs over extended periods of time.

Licht, L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Gas Foil Bearing Misalignment and Unbalance Effects

The effects of misalignment and unbalance on gas foil bearings are presented. The future of U.S. space exploration includes plans to conduct science missions aboard space vehicles, return humans to the Moon, and place humans on Mars. All of these endeavors are of long duration, and require high amounts of electrical power for propulsion, life support, mission operations, etc. One potential source of electrical power of sufficient magnitude and duration is a nuclear-fission-based system. The system architecture would consist of a nuclear reactor heat source with the resulting thermal energy converted to electrical energy through a dynamic power conversion and heat rejection system. Various types of power conversion systems can be utilized, but the Closed Brayton Cycle (CBC) turboalternator is one of the leading candidates. In the CBC, an inert gas heated by the reactor drives a turboalternator, rejects excess heat to space through a heat exchanger, and returns to the reactor in a closed loop configuration. The use of the CBC for space power and propulsion is described in more detail in the literature (Mason, 2003). In the CBC system just described, the process fluid is a high pressure inert gas such as argon, krypton, or a helium-xenon mixture. Due to the closed loop nature of the system and the associated potential for damage to components in the system, contamination of the working fluid is intolerable. Since a potential source of contamination is the lubricant used in conventional turbomachinery bearings, Gas Foil Bearings (GFB) have high potential for the rotor support system. GFBs are compliant, hydrodynamic journal and thrust bearings that use a gas, such as the CBC working fluid, as their lubricant. Thus, GFBs eliminate the possibility of contamination due to lubricant leaks into the closed loop system. Gas foil bearings are currently used in many commercial applications, both terrestrial and aerospace. Aircraft Air Cycle Machines (ACMs) and ground-based microturbines have demonstrated histories of successful long-term operation using GFBs (Heshmat et al., 2000). Small aircraft propulsion engines, helicopter gas turbines, and high-speed electric motors are potential future applications.

Howard, Samuel A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Design, fabrication, and performance of foil journal bearing for the brayton rotating unit

Foil bearings were designed and manufactured to replace pivoted-shoe journal bearings in an existing Brayton Cycle turbo-alternator-compressor. The design of this unconventional rotor support was accomplished within the constraints and space limitations imposed by the present machine, and the substitution of foil bearings was effected without changes or modification other machine components. A housing and a test rig were constructed to incorporate the new foil-bearing support into a unified assemble with an air-driven rotor and the gimbal-mounted thrust bearing, seals, and shrouds of an actual Brayton Rotating Unit. The foil bearing required no external pressure source, and stable self-acting rotation was achieved at all speeds up to 43,200 rpm. Excellent wipe-wear characteristics of the foil bearing permitted well over 1000 start-stop cycles with no deterioriation of performance in the entire speed range.

Licht, L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Transfer film evaluation for shuttle engine turbopump bearing

A series of low speed experiments to evaluate the possible occurrence of transfer film lubrication and the effectiveness of burnished films in the shuttle spacecraft main engine thrust bearings were conducted. No evidence of transfer film lubrication was evident, although this could have been the result of the (used) condition of the bearing. Burnished films of either Teflon or Rulon were found to greatly enhance the performance of the bearing. Crush load experiments indicated that the bearing ultimate load capability is on the order of 489,000 N (110,000 pounds). The effect of ball (as well as race) burnishing techniques on bearing performance, different types of burnished films, and transfer film formation are suggested for further study.

Kannel, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Conceptual Design and Feasibility of Foil Bearings for Rotorcraft Engines: Hot Core Bearings

Recent developments in gas foil bearing technology have led to numerous advanced high-speed rotating system concepts, many of which have become either commercial products or experimental test articles. Examples include oil-free microturbines, motors, generators and turbochargers. The driving forces for integrating gas foil bearings into these high-speed systems are the benefits promised by removing the oil lubrication system. Elimination of the oil system leads to reduced emissions, increased reliability, and decreased maintenance costs. Another benefit is reduced power plant weight. For rotorcraft applications, this would be a major advantage, as every pound removed from the propulsion system results in a payload benefit.. Implementing foil gas bearings throughout a rotorcraft gas turbine engine is an important long-term goal that requires overcoming numerous technological hurdles. Adequate thrust bearing load capacity and potentially large gearbox applied radial loads are among them. However, by replacing the turbine end, or hot section, rolling element bearing with a gas foil bearing many of the above benefits can be realized. To this end, engine manufacturers are beginning to explore the possibilities of hot section gas foil bearings in propulsion engines. This overview presents a logical follow-on activity by analyzing a conceptual rotorcraft engine to determine the feasibility of a foil bearing supported core. Using a combination of rotordynamic analyses and a load capacity model, it is shown to be reasonable to consider a gas foil bearing core section. In addition, system level foil bearing testing capabilities at NASA Glenn Research Center are presented along with analysis work being conducted under NRA Cooperative Agreements.

Howard, Samuel A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Preliminary Analysis for an Optimized Oil-Free Rotorcraft Engine Concept

Recent developments in gas foil bearing technology have led to numerous advanced high-speed rotating system concepts, many of which have become either commercial products or experimental test articles. Examples include Oil-Free microturbines, motors, generators and turbochargers. The driving forces for integrating gas foil bearings into these high-speed systems are the benefits promised by removing the oil lubrication system. Elimination of the oil system leads to reduced emissions, increased reliability, and decreased maintenance costs. Another benefit is reduced power plant weight. For rotorcraft applications, this would be a major advantage, as every pound removed from the propulsion system results in a payload benefit. Implementing foil gas bearings throughout a rotorcraft gas turbine engine is an important long-term goal that requires overcoming numerous technological hurdles. Adequate thrust bearing load capacity and potentially large gearbox applied radial loads are among them. However, by replacing the turbine end, or hot section, rolling element bearing with a gas foil bearing many of the above benefits can be realized. To this end, engine manufacturers are beginning to explore the possibilities of hot section gas foil bearings in propulsion engines. This paper presents a logical follow-on activity by analyzing a conceptual rotorcraft engine to determine the feasibility of a foil bearing supported core. Using a combination of rotordynamic analyses and a load capacity model, it is shown to be reasonable to consider a gas foil bearing core section.

Howard, Samuel A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Magnetic Suspension Being Developed for Future Lube-Free Turbomachinery Application

The NASA Glenn Research Center, the U.S. Army, Texas A&M University, and other industrial partners are continuing to work together to develop magnetic suspension technology to withstand the harsh environmental conditions inside current and future turbomachinery. In fiscal year 2002, our third-generation radial magnetic bearing successfully controlled rotor motion while at 1000 F (540 C) and 20 000 rpm. The ability to command the rotor s position while spinning at this speed was also demonstrated. Future work is planned to include radial bearing tests to 1100 F (593 C) and 30 000 rpm. In fiscal year 2003, we plan to test a high-temperature thrust bearing.

Provenza, Andrew J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A six degree-of-freedom magnetic bearing for microgravity vibration isolation

A design for a magnetic bearing, proposed as the fine stage of a coarse-fine actuator for microgravity vibration isolation, is presented. The bearing is novel in that it uses a geometry that has just three independent flux path systems. This contrasts the twelve flux path systems (six bidirectional thrust bearings) used in conventional designs. The design results in compactness, light weight, and high performance when compared with the published designs. A control system is proposed to reject disturbances caused by an umbilical connection to the experiment.

Allan, A. Peter↗
NASA NTRS1998

Tribometer for Lubrication Studies in Vacuum

The NASA Lewis Research Center has developed a new way to evaluate the liquid lubricants used in ball bearings in space mechanisms. For this evaluation, a liquid lubricant is exercised in the rolling contact vacuum tribometer shown in the photo. This tribometer, which is essentially a thrust bearing with three balls and flat races, has contact stresses similar to those in a typical preloaded, angular contact ball bearing. The rotating top plate drives the balls in an outward-winding spiral orbit instead of a circular path. Upon contact with the "guide plate," the balls are forced back to their initial smaller orbit radius; they then repeat this spiral orbit thousands of times. The orbit rate of the balls is low enough, 2 to 5 rpm, to allow the system to operate in the boundary lubrication regime that is most stressful to the liquid lubricant. This system can determine the friction coefficient, lubricant lifetime, and species evolved from the liquid lubricant by tribodegradation. The lifetime of the lubricant charge is only few micrograms, which is "used up" by degradation during rolling. The friction increases when the lubricant is exhausted. The species evolved by the degrading lubricant are determined by a quadrupole residual gas analyzer that directly views the rotating elements. The flat races (plates) and 0.5-in.-diameter balls are of a configuration and size that permit easy post-test examination by optical and electron microscopy and the full suite of modern surface and thin-film chemical analytical techniques, including infrared and Raman microspectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition, the simple sphere-on-a-flat-plate geometry allows an easy analysis of the contact stresses at all parts of the ball orbit and an understanding of the frictional energy losses to the lubricant. The analysis showed that when the ball contacts the guide plate, gross sliding occurs between the ball and rotating upper plate as the ball forced back to a smaller orbit radius. The friction force due to gross sliding is sensed by the piezoelectric force transducer behind the guide plate and furnishes the coefficient of friction for the system. This tribometer has been used to determine the relative lifetimes of Fomblin Z-25, a lubricant often used in space mechanisms, as a function of the material of the plates against which it was run. The balls were 440C steel in all cases; the plate materials were aluminum, chromium (Cr), 440C steel (17 wt % Cr), and 4150 steel (1 wt % Cr). As shown in the bar graph, the lifetime is greatest for the plate material with least chromium, thus implicating chromium as a tribochemically active element attacking Fomblin Z-25.

Pepper, Stephen V.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Dynamic Spin Rig Upgraded With a Five- Axis-Controlled Three-Magnetic-Bearing Support System With Forward Excitation

The NASA Glenn Research Center Dynamic Spin Rig is used for experimental evaluation of vibration analysis methods and dynamic characteristics for rotating systems. Measurements are made while rotors are spun and vibrated in a vacuum chamber. The rig has been upgraded with a new active magnetic bearing rotor support and excitation system. This design is expected to provide operational improvements over the existing rig. The rig will be able to be operated in either the old or new configuration. In the old configuration, two ball bearings support the vertical shaft of the rig, with the test article located between the bearings. Because the bearings operate in a vacuum, lubrication is limited to grease. This limits bearing life and speed. In addition, the old configuration employs two voice-coil electromagnetic shakers to apply oscillatory axial forces or transverse moments to the rotor shaft through a thrust bearing. The excitation amplitudes that can be imparted to the test article with this system are not adequate for components that are highly damped. It is expected that the new design will overcome these limitations.

Morrison, Carlos R.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Effects of vibration and shock on the performance of gas-bearing space-power Brayton cycle turbomachinery. 2: Sinusoidal and random vibration

The vibration response of a gas-bearing rotor-support system was analyzed experimentally documented for sinusoidal and random vibration environments. The NASA Brayton Rotating Unit (BRU), 36,000 rpm; 10 KWe turbogenerator; was subjected in the laboratory to sinusoidal and random vibrations to evaluate the capability of the BRU to (1) survive the vibration levels expected to be encountered during periods of nonoperation and (2) operate satisfactorily (that is, without detrimental bearing surface contacts) at the vibration levels expected during normal BRU operation. Response power spectral density was calculated for specified input random excitation, with particular emphasis upon the dynamic motions of the thrust bearing runner and stator. A three-mass model with nonlinear representation of the engine isolator mounts was used to calculate axial rotor-bearing shock response.

Tessarzik, J. M.↗