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At least 109 records · Page 6

LDRD 227829: Multifunctional Composite LDRD: Radiation Effect on CeO 2 -HDPE Composites

Commercial high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is lightweight with excellent mechanical properties but has limited thermal stability. To enhance this, lanthanide-based nanomaterials like CeO 2 were mixed with HDPE. Using a twin-screw extruder improved dispersion. This study examines the effects of neutron, X-rays and gamma radiation on the crystallinity of polymer of CeO 2 -HDPE composites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Study of improved resins for advanced supersonic technology composites. Part 1: Heteroaromatic polymers containing ether groups. Part 2: Curing chemistry of aromatic polymers and composite studies

Fourteen ether-containing, aromatic dianhydrides have been synthesized from N-phenyl-3 or 4-nitrophthalimide and various bisphenols. The process involves nucleophilic displacement of activated nitro groups with bisphenolate ions. Ether-containing dianhydrides were indefinitely stable in the presence of atmospheric moisture. One-step, high temperature solution polymerization of the ether-containing dianhydrides with m-phenylene diamine, 4,4'-oxydianiline and 1, 3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene afforded 42 polyetherimides. The polyetherimides were all soluble in m-cresol except two which were found to be crystalline. The glass transition temperatures of the polyetherimides ranged from 178 to 277 C. Soluble polybenzimidazopyrrolones containing ether groups were also prepared from the same ether-containing dianhydrides and aromatic tetraamines by one-step solution polymerization. Using low molecular weight polyetherimides, various thermoset resin systems were developed and tested as matrices for fiber-reinforced composites. The curing chemistry involving reaction of the phthalonitrile group and the o-diaminophenyl group was found to be generally applicable to crosslinking various aromatic polymers other than polyimides.

Takekoshi, T.

Chemical aspects of agglutinate formation - Relationships between agglutinate composition and the composition of the bulk soil

Attention is centered on the nature and intensity of geochemical fractionation accompanying agglutination of several size fractions of the immature Apollo-16 soil sample 67460, from North Ray Crater. The soil features coarse mean grain size about 150 microns, low (20 wt.%) magnetic agglutinate content, and a bimodal grain size distribution. The magnetic fraction included both agglutinates and magnetic non-agglutinates (glass-free microbreccias with 30-60 micron native FeNi grains hosted in a matrix of pyroxene, ilmenite, and olivine). The separation process residue contained nonmagnetic agglutinates with compositions near pure plagioclase. The magnetic agglutinate fraction appears selectively enriched in ferromagnesian elements to the partial exclusion of plagioclase elements. Agglutinate glass chemistry based solely on magnetic separation is deprecated on the basis of the results.

Via, W. N.

Notched graphite polymimide composites at room and notched graphite polymide composites at room and elevated temperatures

The fracture behavior in graphite/polyimide (Gr/PI) Celion 6000/PMR-15 composites was characterized. Emphasis was placed on the correlation between the observed failure modes and the deformation characteristics of center-notched Gr/Pl laminates. Crack tip damage growth, fracture strength and notch sensitivity, and the associated characterization methods were also examined. Special attention was given to nondestructive evaluation of internal damage and damage growth, techniques such as acoustic emission, X-ray radiography, and ultrasonic C-scan. Microstructural studies using scanning electron microscopy, photomicrography, and the pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance technique were employed as well. All experimental procedures and techniques are described and a summary of representative results for Gr/Pl laminates is given.

Awerbuch, J.

Asteroid compositional rings: Clues to the compositions of primordial planetesimals in the middle solar system

The distribution of asteroid taxonomic types at distances between 2.1 and 5.3 AU is discussed. There are four major, overlapping but compositionally distinct rings of asteroids present within this range of heliocentric distance. The rings, within which 80% of each of 4 major taxonomic types (S, C, P, and D) fall, are centered at 2.6 (0.7), 2.9 (0.8), 3.4 (0.7), and 4.6 (1.5) AU respectively, where the numbers in parentheses are the ring widths in AU. The overall physical resemblence between the asteroid rings and planetary rings is poor; physically the asteroid belt more closely resembles a debris strewn satellite system. Once the mineralogy of these taxonomic types is established, and complications arising from postaccretionary metamorphism are dealt with, they may be used as probes of physical conditions in the early solar system. The identification of primordial planetesimals can be used in studying the siblings of the planetesimals responsible for the final stage of planetary accretion.

Tedesco, E. F.

Milestone 4: Test plan for Reusable Hydrogen Composite Tank System (RHCTS). Task 3: Composite tank materials

This document is the detailed test plan for the series of tests enumerated in the preceding section. The purpose of this plan is to present the test objectives, test parameters and procedures, expected performance and data analysis plans, criteria for success, test schedules, and related safety provisions and to describe the test articles, test instrumentation, and test facility requirements. Initial testing will be performed to screen four composite materials for suitability for SSTO LH2 tank loads and environmental conditions. The laminates for this testing will be fabricated by fiber placement, which is the manufacturing approach identified as baseline for the tank wall. Even though hand layup will be involved in fabricating many of the internal structural members of the tank, no hand-layup laminates will be evaluated in the screening or subsequent characterization testing. This decision is based on the understanding that mechanical properties measured for hand-layup material should be at least equivalent to properties measured for fiber-placed material, so that the latter should provide no less than a conservative approximation of the former. A single material will be downselected from these screening tests. This material will be subsequently characterized for impact-damage tolerance and durability under conditions of mechanical and thermal cycling, and to establish a preliminary design database to support ongoing analysis. Next, testing will be performed on critical structural elements fabricated from the selected material. Finally, the 8-foot diameter tank article, containing the critical structural features of the full-scale tank, will be fabricated by fiber placement and tested to verify its structural integrity and LH2 containment.

Greenberg, H. S.

Element-Element Correlations Among Martian Meteorite Bulk Compositions: Peculiarities Explained(?) by Mixing, with Implications for the Composition of Mars

Most estimates of the chemical corn position of Mars' mantle and core derive from elementelement correlations bulk analyses of Martian meteorites [I-31. To use the correlations in this manner assumes implicitly that they reflect mineraVmelt fractionations (e.g., partial melting, fractional crystallization, accumulation) among a cogenetic suite of igneous rocks. However, similar correlations can zppear from mixing of chemical components, and need not imply that the components were cogenetic nor that they had an igneous origin. Several aspects of the elemental and isotopic chem istries of the Martian meteorites can be explained by mixing of geochemical components (mantle or crustal), e.g. [5,6]. Thus, it is worth asking whether mixing rektions might be seen in bulk chemical data, and (if so) whether the mixing components can be used to infer average planet or mantle compositions.

Treiman, A. H.

Individual Aerosol Particles from Biomass Burning in Southern Africa Compositions and Aging of Inorganic Particles: Compositions and Aging of Inorganic Particles - 2

Individual aerosol particles collected over southern Africa during the SAFARI 2000 field study were studied using transmission electron microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The sizes, shapes, compositions, mixing states, surface coatings, and relative abundances of aerosol particles from biomass burning, in boundary layer hazes, and in the free troposphere were compared, with emphasis on aging and reactions of inorganic smoke particles. Potassium salts and organic particles were the predominant species in the smoke, and most were internally mixed. More KCl particles occur in young smoke, whereas more K2SO4 and KNO3 particles were present in aged smoke. This change indicates that with the aging of the smoke, KCl particles from the fires were converted to K2SO4 and KNO3 through reactions with sulfur- and nitrogen- bearing species from biomass burning as well as other sources. More soot was present in smoke from flaming grass fires than bush and wood fires, probably due to the predominance of flaming combustion in grass fires. The high abundance of organic particles and soluble salts can affect the hygroscopic properties of biomass-burning aerosols and therefore influence their role as cloud condensation nuclei. Particles from biomass burning were important constituents of the regional hazes.

Li, Jia

Process for preparing composite articles from composite fiber blends

A composite article is prepared by forming a continuous tow of continuous carbon fibers, forming a continuous tow of thermoplastic polymer fibers, uniformly and continuously spreading the thermoplastic polymer fibers to a selected width, uniformly and continuously spreading the carbon fiber tow to a width that is essentially the same as the selected width for the thermoplastic polymer fiber tow, intermixing the tows intimately, uniformly and continuously, in a relatively tension-free state, continuously withdrawing the intermixed tow and applying the tow to a mold and heating the tow.

McMahon, Paul E.

Environmental Aging of Scotch-Weld(TradeMark) AF-555M Structural Adhesive in Composite to Composite Bonds

Fiber reinforced resin matrix composites have found increased usage in recent years. Due to the lack of service history of these relatively new material systems, their long-term aging performance is not well established. In this study, adhesive bonds were prepared by the secondary bonding of Scotch-Weld(TradeMark) AF-555M between pre-cured adherends comprised of T800H/3900-2 uni-directional laminate. The adherends were co-cured with wet peel-ply for surface preparation. Each bond-line of single-lap-shear (SLS) specimen was measured to determine thickness and inspected visually for voids. A three-year environmental aging plan for the SLS specimens at 82 C and 85% relative humidity was initiated. SLS strengths were measured for both controls and aged specimens at room temperature and 82 C. The aging results of strength retention and failure modes to date are reported.

Hou, Tan-Hung

Compositional Diversity of the Vestan Regolith Derived from Howardite Compositions and Dawn VIR Spectra

Howardite, eucrite and diogenite meteorites likely come from asteroid 4 Vesta [1]. Howardites - physical mixtures of eucrites and diogenites - are of two subtypes: regolithic howardites were gardened in the true regolith; fragmental howardites are simple polymict breccias [2]. The Dawn spacecraft imaged the howarditic surface of Vesta with the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR) resulting in qualitative maps of the distributions of distinct diogenite-rich and eucrite-rich terranes [3, 4]. We are developing a robust basis for quantitative mapping of the distribution of lithologic types using spectra acquired on splits of well-characterized howardites [5, 6]. Spectra were measured on sample powders sieved to <75 μm in the laboratories of the Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali and Brown University. Data reduction was done using the methods developed to process Dawn VIR spectra [4]. The band parameters for the ~1 and ~2 μm pyroxene absorption features (hereafter BI and BII) can be directly compared to Dawn VIR results. Regolithic howardites have shallower BI and BII absorptions compared to fragmental howardites with similar compositions. However, there are statistically significant correlations between Al or Ca contents and BI or BII center wavelengths regardless of howardite subtype. Diogenites are poor in Al and Ca while eucrites are rich in these elements. The laboratory spectra can thus be directly correlated with the percentage of eucrite material contained in the howardites. We are using these correlations to quantitatively map Al and Ca distributions, and thus the percentage of eucritic material, in the current regolith of Vesta.

Mittlefehldt, D. W.

Valence State Partitioning of V between Pyroxene and Melt for Martian Melt Compositions Y 980459 and QUE 94201: The Effect of Pyroxene Composition and Crystal Structure

A spiked (with REE, V, Sc) martian basalt Y980459 composition was used to synthesize olivine, spinel, and pyroxene at 1200 C at 5 oxygen fugacities: IW-1, IW, IW+1, IW+2, and QFM. The high spike levels for REE were used for two specific reasons. First, we wanted to be able to analyze REE by both electron microprobe and ion probe. Second, we wanted the most important "Others" components, (i.e., those outside the pyroxene quadrilateral such as Al, Cr3+, Fe3+, REE3+, V3+, V4+, etc.) to be REE3+Mg (Si,Al)2O6. At the doped levels we used, the most important "Others" component is REE3+ in the M2 site coupled with Al in the tetrahedral site. The goal of this paper is to explain the significant increase in the value of D(sub V)(sup pyroxene/melt) with increased Wo content of the pyroxene. We compare augite (Wo approx. 33), pigeonite (Wo approx. 13) and orthopyroxene (Wo approx 3.8). We also show olivine for comparison. The crystal chemical factors which account for this remarkable increase of DV with Wo are twofold. First, with Ca in the M2 site (as in diopside, CaMgSi2O6) the site is large and 8-coordinated while Mg in the M2 site (as in enstatite, Mg2Si2O6) the site is smaller and 6- coordinated. Second, tetrahedral Al in the pyroxene chains provides charge balance and makes the M2 site larger and more compliant for the introduction of REE.

Papike, J. J.