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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 1,081 records · Page 60
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2010

Creating Methane from Plastics: Recycling at a Lunar Outpost

The high cost of re-supply from Earth demands resources to be utilized to the fullest extent for exploration missions. Recycling is a key technology that maximizes the available resources by converting waste products into useful commodities. One example of this is to convert crew member waste such as plastic packaging, food scraps, and human waste, into fuel. The ability to refuel on the lunar surface would reduce the vehicle mass during launch and provide excess payload capability. The goal of this project is to determine the feasibility of recycling waste into methane on the lunar outpost by performing engineering assessments and lab demonstrations of the technology. The first goal of the project was to determine how recycling could influence lunar exploration. Table I shows an estimation of the typical dried waste stream generated each day for a crew of four. Packaging waste accounts for nearly 86% of the dry waste stream and is a significant source of carbon on the lunar surface. This is important because methane (CH4) can be used as fuel and no other source of carbon is available on the lunar surface. With the initial assessment indicating there is sufficient resources in the waste stream to provide refueling capabilities, the project was designed to examine the conversion of plastics into methane.

Captain, Janine↗
NASA NTRS2016

Using Tabulated Experimental Data to Drive an Orthotropic Elasto-Plastic Three-Dimensional Model for Impact Analysis

An orthotropic elasto-plastic-damage three-dimensional model with tabulated input has been developed to analyze the impact response of composite materials. The theory has been implemented as MAT 213 into a tailored version of LS-DYNA being developed under a joint effort of the FAA and NASA and has the following features: (a) the theory addresses any composite architecture that can be experimentally characterized as an orthotropic material and includes rate and temperature sensitivities, (b) the formulation is applicable for solid as well as shell element implementations and utilizes input data in a tabulated form directly from processed experimental data, (c) deformation and damage mechanics are both accounted for within the material model, (d) failure criteria are established that are functions of strain and damage parameters, and mesh size dependence is included, and (e) the theory can be efficiently implemented into a commercial code for both sequential and parallel executions. The salient features of the theory as implemented in LS-DYNA are illustrated using a widely used composite - the T800S/3900-2B[P2352W-19] BMS8-276 Rev-H-Unitape fiber/resin unidirectional composite. First, the experimental tests to characterize the deformation, damage and failure parameters in the material behavior are discussed. Second, the MAT213 input model and implementation details are presented with particular attention given to procedures that have been incorporated to ensure that the yield surfaces in the rate and temperature dependent plasticity model are convex. Finally, the paper concludes with a validation test designed to test the stability, accuracy and efficiency of the implemented model.

Polymer Matrix Composites↗
NASA NTRS2017

Analytical Round Robin for Elastic-Plastic Analysis of Surface Cracked Plates, Phase II Results

The second phase of an analytical round robin for the elastic-plastic analysis of surface cracks in flat plates was conducted under the auspices of ASTM Interlaboratory Study 732. The interlaboratory study (ILS) had 10 participants with a broad range of expertise and experience, and experimental results from a surface crack tension test in 4142 steel plate loaded well into the elastic-plastic regime provided the basis for the study. The participants were asked to evaluate a surface crack tension test according to the version of the surface crack initiation toughness testing standard published at the time of the ILS, E2899-13. Data were provided to each participant that represent the fundamental information that would be provided by a mechanical test laboratory prior to evaluating the test result. Overall, the participant’s test analysis results were in good agreement and constructive feedback was received that has resulted in an improved published version of the standard E2899-15.

Allen, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Segregation-Assisted Plasticity in Ni-Based Superalloys

Correlative high resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are used to study deformation-induced planar faults in the single crystal superalloy MD2 crept at 800°C and 650 MPa. Segregation of Cr and Co at microtwins, APBs, CISFs/SISFs and CESFs/SESFs is confirmed and quantified. The extent of this is found to depend upon the fault type, being most pronounced for the APB. The CESF/SESF is studied in detail due to its role as a precursor of the microtwins causing the majority of plasticity under these conditions. Quantitative modelling is carried out to rationalize the findings; the experimental results are consistent with a greater predicted velocity for the lengthening of the CESF/SESF { compared with the other types of fault { and hence confirm its role in the diffusion-assisted plasticity needed for the microtwinning mechanism to be operative.

Barba, D.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Additively Manufactured Plastic Plasma Spectrometer

We report results in development and testing of a low resource top hat electrostatic analyzer (ESA) for space plasma measurements. This device has been additively manufactured (3D-printed) using fused deposition modeling. The classic top hat design is composed of four plastic pieces, without any surface coatings. The three conducting electrodes are printed from carbon nanotube infused polyether ether ketone (CNT-PEEK). The fourth piece, an insulating electrode support, uses pure PEEK. This ESA is designed to detect electrons in space from 10eV up to 30 keV. We demonstrate that the printed CNT-PEEK is sufficiently electrically conductive to support the fast high voltage slewing often required for high time resolution measurements. The plastic ESA has been successfully vibrated beyond standard pre-flight levels, tested under keV electron beam illumination over a wide range of temperatures, and tested under UV illumination, simulating the solar Ly-α flux. In comparison with an identical machined aluminum ESA, our CNT-PEEK ESA provides nominal energy/angle band passes, closely matching simulation. These band passes imply minimal impact from surface charging at beam energies of 2-3 keV, although more investigation is needed. We also find that the CNT-PEEK ESA provides far superior out-of-band electron rejection and UV photon rejection compared to the machined aluminum ESA. We do not detect any problems with trapped gases or outgassing. This development offers potential for significant mass savings, implementation of otherwise unattainable geometric configurations, and dramatic simplification in manufacturing and assembly processes required for development of space plasma instruments.

Quetzal Larrick↗
DOE OSTI2017

Plasticity models of material variability based on uncertainty quantification techniques

The advent of fabrication techniques like additive manufacturing has focused attention on the considerable variability of material response due to defects and other micro-structural aspects. This variability motivates the development of an enhanced design methodology that incorporates inherent material variability to provide robust predictions of performance. In this work, we develop plasticity models capable of representing the distribution of mechanical responses observed in experiments using traditional plasticity models of the mean response and recently developed uncertainty quantification (UQ) techniques. Lastly, we demonstrate that the new method provides predictive realizations that are superior to more traditional ones, and how these UQ techniques can be used in model selection and assessing the quality of calibrated physical parameters.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Positive displacement molding of plastic parts

The present invention is a method and apparatus for molding plastic parts and placing and orienting reinforcing fibers within structurally thin sections. More specifically, the method of the present invention is a molding technique wherein positive displacement is applied to incremental sections of a charge (plastic mixed with reinforcing fibers), thereby sequentially forming the desired part and placing reinforcing fibers within structurally thin sections. The apparatus of the invention is a moveable ram that may be tapered and that is in contact with the charge during forming.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

A BASIS FOR APPLYING ELASTIC PERFECTLY-PLASTIC DESIGN METHODS TO CYCLIC SOFTENING MATERIALS

Design approaches using elastic perfectly-plastic (EPP) analysis have recently been approved as Code Cases for the Section III, Division 5 design of high-temperature nuclear reactor components made from austenitic stainless steel. These methods bound the ratcheting strain and creep-fatigue damage accumulated over the life of a component with a simplified, elasticperfectly plastic analysis using a special pseudo-yield stress – often not equal to the true material yield stress. The austenitic materials specified in the existing Code cases are cyclic-hardening for all allowable operating temperatures. However, other Section III, Division 5 materials, such as Grade 91 steel, are cyclic softening at expected advanced reactor operating temperatures. This work describes the extension of EPP methods to cyclic softening materials through the use of a postulated saturated material state and softening factors to be applied to the pseudo yield stress. We demonstrate the conservatism of the modified EPP method against a series of inelastic simulations of two bar tests, using a constitutive model that captures work and cyclic softening.

Messner, Mark C.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Alkali ion conducting plastic crystals

Inorganic plastic crystal electrolytes, also referred to herein as inorganic plastic crystal conductors or single ion conductors including [ABx-yCy]y−[M]y+, where A is a tetravalent to hexavalent atom; B is a monovalent ligand; C is an oxyanion; M is an alkali metal; x is 4 when A is tetravalent, x is 5 when A is pentavalent, and x is 6 when A is hexavalent; y is an integer from 1 to x−1 inclusive. [ABx-yCy]y−[M]y+ is rotationally disordered and ionically conductive.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hydrothermal aging-resistant plastic scintillator formulations

A plastic scintillator includes an anti-fog additive or comonomer. The plastic scintillator is formulated to resist the development of hydrothermally-induced aging defects (e.g. discoloration and “fogging”) while maintaining scintillation light output and other desirable physical properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Plasticized terephthalate-based polyester blends containing fatty acids or esters thereof

A plasticized terephthalate-based polyester blend comprising a terephthalate-based polyester (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate, i.e., PET) homogeneously blended with a fatty acid or ester thereof, wherein said fatty acid or ester thereof is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 1-50 wt %. Also described herein is a method for producing a plasticized terephthalate-based polyester blend, the method comprising melt mixing a terephthalate-based polyester with a fatty acid or ester thereof at a temperature in a range of 230-250° C. to produce said polyester blend, wherein said fatty acid or ester thereof is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 1-50 wt % and is homogeneously blended with said terephthalate-based polyester.

Naskar, Amit K.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Understanding the deformation mechanisms in Ni-based superalloys with using crystal plasticity finite element method

Nl-based superalloy is considered as a good candidate due to its excellent resistance to elevated temperature deformation for long term period application. Understanding the deformation and failure mechanisms of Ni-Based superalloys is very helpful for providing design guidelines for processing Ni-based superalloys. Experimental characterization indicates that the deformation mechanisms of Ni based superalloy is strongly microstructure dependent. Besides, damage transform from the void nucleation to the macro cracks by voids growth leading to the failure of the Ni-based superalloys are also showing strong microstructure sensitivity. Therefore, this work focuses on the prediction and comprehension of the deformation and void growth behavior in Ni based superalloy at different working conditions via crystal plasticity finite element modeling and simulation. Physically based crystal plasticity frameworks were developed for newly Ni- based superalloy Haynes 282. It was found that dislocation shearing through the precipitates were acting as the main contributor to the strength of Haynes 282 at room temperature and 815°C. Our analysis of the creeping behavior of Haynes 282 exhibited that resistance of general climb replaced by the resistance induced by the deposited climb dislocation density. In addition, in the study of void growth behavior, our simulation results demonstrated that as the main loading axis perpendicular to the grain boundary (GB), voids grow more slowly on tilt GBs in bicrystals than those in single and bicrystals with twist GBs. And tilt GBs would promote the void grow into irregular shape.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Blending Compostable Plastics for Packaging Applications

Non-sustainable packaging materials (polymers) are a large portion of the increasing amount of plastic waste that become environmental pollutants. While many biodegradable or compostable polymers have been developed in recent years, most fail to compete with the non-sustainable polymers dominating the market, due to lack of certain desired properties, such as thermal (high melt temperature) and mechanical (high ductility) performance. For example, the popular compostable polymer polylactic acid (PLLA) has a high melt temperature but is very brittle. Another polymer, poly(d-valerolactone) (PVL) demonstrates great ductility but has a very low melt temperature. By blending PLLA and PVL, there is an opportunity to create a new biodegradable material with synergistic desired properties for packaging applications. In this study, we produce several (9) physical blends of PVL and PLLA with varying compositions of the two polymers while applying three different materials to make them more compatible (compatibilizers). We test the success of compatibilization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanic testing (strain at break) and differential scanning calorimetry (melting temperature). Overall, we highlight several promising materials with high compatibility and desired thermomechanical properties for sustainable packaging. Ideally, these materials could help mitigate future plastic pollution in Colorado and beyond.

blending↗
DOE OSTI2026

From Detector Layout to Signal Analysis: Geometry Optimization and Neutron-Gamma Tagging in Plastic Scintillator Detectors

Neutrinos are elementary particles with many properties still unknown. Their masses so far have only upper and lower limits. Still, due to neutrino oscillations, it is clear that they are not massless, as stated by the Standard Model of Elementary Particles. Neutrinos are also present in the Universe in vast amounts, but they rarely interact with the surrounding matter. Their abundance makes them very interesting for many theories beyond the Standard Model, e.g., dark matter searches and CP symmetry violation in the leptonic sector, which could be (partially) responsible for the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry in today's Universe.\\ The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next-generation accelerator-based neutrino oscillation experiment that will study neutrinos with unprecedented precision and may answer many open questions. DUNE uses a powerful neutrino beam from Fermilab. It consists of a Near Detector (ND) complex to measure neutrinos before oscillat ion, and a Far Detector (FD) complex $1300\ \mathrm{km}$ away to measure them after oscillation. As part of the ND complex, measurements are also possible with different angles to the neutrino beam. This enables excellent control of systematic uncertainties of e.g., neutrino cross section measurements.\\ One detector in the near detector complex is The Muon Spectrometer (TMS), an extension of a Liquid Argon (LAr) detector that measures the charge and momentum of muons produced in neutrino interactions within the LAr. The design of this detector, which consists of alternating layers of steel and plastic scintillator bars, must be optimized for the expected muon energies.\\ In this thesis, a study of the optimal module orientation plan is presented, which is necessary for the physics performance of the near detector complex and, by extension, DUNE. As part of this study, the event reconstruction was also developed and improved. Simulated muons are then reconstructed, and the performan ce of different module orientation plans is tested.\\ As a second part, a study of neutron and gamma tagging using a Pulse Shape Discriminating (PSD) plastic scintillator is presented. The properties of this material allow particle differentiation based on the temporal distribution of emitted light. A novel approach to using the individual light signals was successfully tested using data from a small, local test setup.

Nehm, Asa [Mainz U.]↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Study on Recycled Polymers Recovered from Multilayer Plastic Packaging Films by Solvent–Targeted Recovery and Precipitation (STRAP)

Multilayer plastic film use increased in multiple packaging applications due to its versatility and overall increased performance over monolayer structures. However, the performance gains from multiple layers also make recycling difficult because they contain multiple polymers that can be immiscible and burdensome to traditional mechanical recycling operations. A possible solution is the solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAP) process, but the effect on the retrieved polymer is still unknown. Here, the STRAP process is applied to two different multilayer films and samples of recovered polymers are evaluated for physical, molecular, and thermal properties. Changes in the molecular weight are not significant, but differences in thermal properties are reported along with the coprecipitation of different polymers. Solvent retention in the polymer matrix from STRAP reduced the glass transition temperature of samples, but enhanced drying recovered it. Heavy metals, such as Cd, Cr, and Pb are not detected, indicating regulatory compliance for different applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Achieving Grain Refinement and Related Mechanical Property Improvement of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloy Through Severe Plastic Deformation

Microstructural features and mechanical properties of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) have been investigated. The equivalent plastic strain obtained from the simulation agrees well with that from the analytical calculation in a way that both increase with an increase in deformation, but the strain distribution is non-uniform, appearing as a strain gradient along the norm direction. Microstructure investigation shows that grain refinement is achieved in frequency of low-angle grain boundaries fabricated by ECAP. The pole density is reduced by ECAP, during which the Brass and Goss type textures are introduced. TEM results show chain-like recrystallized grains formed at the grain boundaries and broken second-phase particles come into being due to the heavy shear force. After ECAP, the hardness and strength increase significantly while the elongation is reduced. Besides, an extreme strengthening is confirmed because of the balance between dynamic hardening and softening. The microstructure evolution mechanism is revealed in terms of grain refinement, precipitate phase breakage and texture evolution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Grain Refinement of Co-Cr-Mo-C Through Plastic Deformation Followed by Reversion of Lamellar Eutectoid Structure

Small plastic straining was combined with a two-step heat treatment to obtain grain refinement of the Co-28Cr-6Mo-0.33C alloy. The solution-treated specimens were furnace cooled to room temperature, obtaining partially transformed pearlite at grain boundaries. Afterward, the specimens were compressed up to 10% of engineering strain, followed by aging at 850 °C that contributed to the decomposition of the austenite phase into a lamellar eutectoid structure (α + M{sub 23}C{sub 6}). The full lamellar structure was then reverse-treated at temperatures from 1000 to 1237 °C, where the austenite phase was stable. The reversion treatment led to the nucleation of a fine-grained austenitic structure (with average size of 48.23 ± 21.30 μm—i.e., about 1/10 of its initial average size) at the lamellar eutectoid structure. Compression tests carried out on reverse-transformed samples showed better mechanical properties compared to those of the samples tested before reversing transformation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗