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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 1,117 records · Page 62
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Coupled Cluster Study of the Interactions of AnO 2 , AnO 2 + , and AnO 2 2+ (An = U, Np) with N 2 and CO

We report thermochemical and spectroscopic properties for actinyl complexes involving UO 2 2+/1+/0 and NpO 2 2+/1+/0 with N 2 and CO, together with the UO 2 -O 2 , UO 2 + -O 2 , and UO 2 + -NO complexes, have been studied for the first time using an accurate composite coupled cluster approach. Two general bonding motifs were investigated, end-on (η 1 ) and side-on (η 2 ) relative to the metal center of the actinyls. For end-on CO complexes, both C-coordinated (An-C) and O-coordinated (An-O) structures were examined, with the former always being lower in energy. All of the η 1 complexes were calculated to be stable, with dissociation energies ranging from 2 to 36 kcal/mol, except for that of UO 2 + -O 2 (the η 1 orientation for UO 2 + -NO was not amenable to single reference coupled cluster). In agreement with a previous study, the η 2 structure for UO 2 + -O 2 was calculated to be relatively strongly bound, by 22.3 kcal/mol in this work. The closely related NO complex, however, had a calculated dissociation energy of just 4.0 kcal/mol. The binding energy of O 2 to neutral UO 2 in a η 2 orientation was calculated to be very strong, 75.4 kcal/mol, and strongly resembled a UO 2 + (O 2 – ) complex at equilibrium. The N–N and C–O bonds were found to be somewhat activated for all the side-on (η 2 ) neutral An(IV) complexes, with stretching frequencies of N 2 or CO being red-shifted by as much as 480 cm –1 with a 0.06 Å bond length elongation. Dissociation energies for the η 1 complexes are strongly correlated with the extent of electron transfer from ligand to actinyl. The nature of bonding in the actinyl complexes is examined using natural resonance theory (NRT). The correlation between bonding motif and small molecule activation is in agreement with experiments in condensed phases.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Gold Polar Intermetallics: Structural Versatility through Exclusive Bonding Motifs

The design of new materials with desired chemical and physical characteristics requires thorough understanding of the underlying composition–structure–property relationships and the experimental possibility of their modification through the controlled involvement of new components. From this point of view, intermetallic phases, a class of compounds formed by two or more metals, present an endless field of combinations that produce several chemical compound classes ranging from simple alloys to true ionic compounds. Polar intermetallics (PICs) belong to the class that is electronically situated in the middle, between Hume–Rothery phases and Zintl compounds and possessing e/a (valence electron per atom) values around 2. In contrast to the latter, where logical rules of formation and classification systems were developed decades ago, polar intermetallics remain a dark horse with a huge diversity of crystal structures but unclear mechanisms of their formation. Partial incorporation of structural and bonding features from both nonpolar and Zintl compounds is commonly observed here. A decent number of PICs can be described in terms of complex metallic alloys (CMAs) following the Hume–Rothery electron-counting schemes but exhibit electronic structure changes that cannot be explained by the latter. Our research is aimed at the discovery and synthesis of new polar intermetallic compounds, their structural characterization, and investigation of their properties in line with the analysis of the principles connecting all of these components. Understanding of the basic structural tendencies is one of the most anticipated outcomes of this analysis, and systematization of the available knowledge is the initial and most important step. Here in this Account, we focus on a well-represented but rather small section of PICs: ternary intermetallic compounds of gold with electropositive and post-transition metals of groups 12 to 15. The strong influence of relativistic effects in its chemical bonding results in special, frequently unique structural motifs, while at the same time gold participates in common structure types as an ordinary transition element. Enhanced bonding strength leads to the formation and stabilization of complex homo- and heteroatomic clusters and networks that are compositionally restricted to just a few options throughout the periodic table. Because it has the highest absolute electronegativity among metals, comparable to those of some halogens, gold usually plays the role of an anion, even being able to form true salts with the most electropositive metals. We discuss the occurrence of the structure types and show the place of gold intermetallics in the general picture. Among the structures considered are ones as common as AlB 2 or BaAl 4 types, in line with the recently discovered diamond-like homoatomic metal networks, formation of local fivefold symmetry, different types of tunneled structures, and more complex intergrown multicomponent structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fundamental Study of Uranium Dendrites Electrochemically Separated in Molten Salt with the Presence of Cerium

In this study, uranium was electrochemically separated in the presence of cerium in eutectic LiCl-KCl at varying concentrations of cerium and varying overpotentials. Harvested dendrites were then examined and analyzed for their morphological features and elemental composition using various analytical techniques. Conclusions: Increasing the applied overpotential causes the dendrites to evolve from relatively simple and large platelet-like crystals (25 mV), to a grid-like network with crystals having jagged and smooth features (50 mV, 100 mV), and finally into a very chaotic and complex crystal morphology (200 mV) for all uranium-cerium compositions explored. Varying the uranium:cerium concentration ratio did not have much effect on the uranium dendrite morphologies. EDS results show that cerium is not co-deposited on the surface of the dendrite crystals, ICP-MS results do show a presence of cerium in the volumetric composition. This is likely due to salt occlusion during the dendrite formation. XRD has been performed on several samples at the 25 mV overpotential with 1 wt% U and 0 wt% Ce in the molten salt eutectic. These results indicate that there is not salt occlusion within the dendrites during electrochemical separation. Additionally, the uranium metal quickly oxidizes during preparation for XRD.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1977

Chemical compositions and possible immiscibility of two silicate melts in 12013

The lunar sample 12013, a complex mixture of gray breccia and black breccia, is described. The gray breccia consists of mostly basaltic and gabbroic lithic clasts as well as plagioclase and pyroxene mineral clasts set in a matrix of smaller clasts and a felsite of granitic composition, while the black breccia is comprised of mostly mineral clasts, some lithic clasts, and felsite blebs enclosed in an aphanitic groundmass of basaltic composition. Textural relationships indicate that the felsite and the black breccia groundmass crystallized from melts which coexisted prior to the final lithification of 12013 but failed to mix. Both the felsite and the black breccia groundmass have extreme enrichments of incompatible elements. The critical feature of their compositions is a 'splitting up' of incompatible element associations so that the highest REE and P concentrations are in the black breccia groundmass, and the highest K, Ba, and Rb concentrations are in the felsite.

Quick, J. E.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Infrared thermography NDT for in-situ defect detection in sandwich composite panel manufacturing

Composite manufacturing presents numerous challenges, as defects can arise from various sources throughout the process. In sandwich composite structures, the integration of a foam core introduces additional complexity and increases the likelihood of defect formation like delamination. To mitigate these issues and reduce the risk of future structural failures, in-situ monitoring during manufacturing is essential. This study investigates infrared (IR) thermography as a non-destructive technique for detecting manufacturing defects in foam-core sandwich composite panels under thermally excited conditions representative of in-situ processing. A stationary FLIR A8590 IR camera (640 × 512 pixels, 30Hz, 17mm lens, 9 ft stand-off distance) was used to monitor prefabricated panels subjected to controlled external heating simulating compression molding and resin cure exotherm. Interlaminar delamination defects with characteristic sizes ranging from 0.25 × 0.25in² to 5 × 5in² produced measurable surface temperature depressions of approximately 4–10°C during transient cooling, exceeding the effective noise floor of the camera by more than two standard deviations. Thicker laminates exhibited prolonged defect detectability windows due to increased thermal diffusion time. In contrast, embedded Teflon inclusions generated weak thermal contrasts of ≤ 3°C, approaching the measurement noise floor, due to limited thermal property contrast with the surrounding glass fiber composite. These results establish quantitative detectability limits for stationary thermographic inspection of sandwich composite panels under manufacturing-representative thermal cycles.

Barakat, Abdallah [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000296141398)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Machine-learning based approach to examine ecological processes influencing the diversity of riverine dissolved organic matter composition

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) assemblages in freshwater rivers are formed from mixtures of simple to complex compounds that are highly variable across time and space. These mixtures largely form due to the environmental heterogeneity of river networks and the contribution of diverse allochthonous and autochthonous DOM sources. Most studies are, however, confined to local and regional scales, which precludes an understanding of how these mixtures arise at large, e.g., continental, spatial scales. The processes contributing to these mixtures are also difficult to study because of the complex interactions between various environmental factors and DOM. Here we propose the use of machine learning (ML) approaches to identify ecological processes contributing toward mixtures of DOM at a continental-scale. We related a dataset that characterized the molecular composition of DOM from river water and sediment with Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry to explanatory physicochemical variables such as nutrient concentrations and stable water isotopes ( 2 H and 18 O). Using unsupervised ML, distinctive clusters for sediment and water samples were identified, with unique molecular compositions influenced by environmental factors like terrestrial input and microbial activity. Sediment clusters showed a higher proportion of protein-like and unclassified compounds than water clusters, while water clusters exhibited a more diversified chemical composition. We then applied a supervised ML approach, involving a two-stage use of SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values. In the first stage, SHAP values were obtained and used to identify key physicochemical variables. These parameters were employed to train models using both the default and subsequently tuned hyperparameters of the Histogram-based Gradient Boosting (HGB) algorithm. The supervised ML approach, using HGB and SHAP values, highlighted complex relationships between environmental factors and DOM diversity, in particular the existence of dams upstream, precipitation events, and other watershed characteristics were important in predicting higher chemical diversity in DOM. Our data-driven approach can now be used more generally to reveal the interplay between physical, chemical, and biological factors in determining the diversity of DOM in other ecosystems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

ISOCS-based Extended In Situ Gamma Spectrometry Services Tool SuperISOCS for Waste Measurements - 20275

Canberra's In Situ Object Counting System (ISOCS) is an established tool used for gamma spectrometry. It allows physical representation of complex geometries and mathematical calculation of the calibration function while avoiding the need for radioisotope standards. ISOCS provides a large range of templates to generate the geometry for most nuclear waste components in nuclear facilities. Nonetheless, there are some complex geometries where the accuracy attainable is limited by the conventional ISOCS templates. An ISOCS-based extended in-situ Gamma Spectrometry service tool has been developed, based on the so-called SuperISOCS (SISOCS) software. This tool was developed to generate the most complex geometries. The principle of geometry construction is based on the composition of 8 different primitive geometries. The primitive object is able to be cut and to change a part of an object. An object is able to overlap to another one to form a more complex object. These functions refine the modelled geometry compared to the real objects and decrease the measurement systematic error because they allow the mathematical model to represent the real-life geometry more faithfully through reducing the approximations and simplifications that need to be made The algorithm of SISOCS is the same as that of standard ISOCS. A set of calculations was done in comparison with MCNP efficiency calculation and SISOCS results. 80 different models were compared between SISOCS and MCNP, with added 30 cases compared between ISOCS and SISOCS. The average differences were less than 2%, for all energy's efficiency calculations. In this paper we illustrate the benefits that this new tool can provide, in terms of improved accuracy for complex realistic geometries, through simulation of some example scenarios. Furthermore, we demonstrate, through SISOCS modelling of the real object data test, the comparison between SISOCS to ISOCS calculations for the same geometry. This paper describes the added functions that are easily employed using SISOCS. Our results show the potential application and benefit of this technique for real waste assay projects and the way to integrate the tool into the waste assay systems. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

The clumped-isotope geochemistry of exhumed marbles from Naxos, Greece

Exhumation and accompanying retrograde metamorphism alter the compositions and textures of metamorphic rocks through deformation, mineral–mineral reactions, water–rock reactions, and diffusion-controlled intra- and inter-mineral atomic mobility. Here, we demonstrate that these processes are recorded in the clumped- and single-isotope (δ 13 C and δ 18 O) compositions of marbles, which can be used to constrain retrograde metamorphic histories. We collected 27 calcite and dolomite marbles along a transect from the rim to the center of the metamorphic core-complex of Naxos (Greece), and analyzed their carbonate single- and clumped-isotope compositions. The majority of Δ 47 values of whole-rock samples are consistent with exhumation- controlled cooling of the metamorphic complex. However, the data also reveal that water–rock interaction, deformation driven recrystallization and thermal shock associated with hydrothermal alteration may considerably impact the overall distribution of Δ 47 values. We analyzed specific carbonate fabrics influenced by deformation and fluid–rock reaction to study how these processes register in the carbonate clumped-isotope system. Δ 47 values of domains drilled from a calcite marble show a bimodal distribution. Low Δ 47 values correspond to an apparent temperature of 260 °C and are common in static fabrics; high Δ 47 values correspond to an apparent temperature of 200 °C and are common in dynamically recrystallized fabrics. We suggest that the low Δ 47 values reflect diffusion-controlled isotopic reordering during cooling, whereas high Δ 47 values reflect isotopic reordering driven by dynamic recrystallization. We further studied the mechanism by which dynamic recrystallization may alter Δ 47 values by controlled heating experiments. Results show no significant difference between laboratory reactions rates in the static and dynamic fabrics, consistent with a mineral-extrinsic mechanism, in which slip along crystal planes was associated with atomic-scale isotopic reordering in the calcite lattice. An intrinsic mechanism (enhanced isotopic reordering rate in deformed minerals) is contraindicated by these experiments. We suggest that Δ 47 values of dynamically recrystallized fabrics that form below the diffusion-controlled blocking-temperature for calcite constrain the temperature of deformation. We find that Δ 47 -based temperatures of static fabrics from Naxos marbles are ~60–80 °C higher than commonly observed in slowly cooled metamorphic rocks, and would suggest cooling rates of ~10 5 °CMyr -1 . A similar thermal history is inferred for dolomite marbles from the core vicinity, which preserve apparent temperatures up to 200 °C higher than a typical blocking temperature (~300 °C). This finding could be explained by a hydrothermal event driving a brief thermal pulse and locally resetting Δ 47 values. Rapid cooling of the core-complex region is consistent with a compilation of published cooling ages and a new apatite U–Th/He age, associating the thermal event with the emplacement of a granodiorite pluton at ~12 Ma.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Complex Dynamics in Argyrodite Solid-State Ion Conductors

Argyrodites are a compositionally diverse family of materials that exhibit remarkable ion transport properties. While the average crystal structures of argyrodites have been extensively studied, ion transport in these materials is governed by a confluence of dynamic processes spanning the cation, anion, and polyanionic sublattices. This Perspective synthesizes recent advances in understanding the role of dynamics in structural behavior and ion transport properties. We examine the compositional and structural motifs that govern order−disorder transitions within the argyrodite family and further explore how ion hopping is facilitated by lattice dynamics, from long-range phonons to local rotational dynamics of polyanionic species. Through the lens of dynamics spanning multiple time and length scales, we establish guiding principles that govern transport phenomena and highlight avenues of future study for the argyrodite family of ion conductors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1987

Thermal ion complexities observed within the Spacelab 2 bay

Examples of prominent thermal ion composition variations characteristic of the Shuttle environment as observed from within the open cargo bay on the Spacelab 2 mission are discussed. Although the prominent ionization source is the inflow of the ambient plasma, water ions of Shuttle origin were present throughout the mission, and there was evidence for a local source of molecular ions NO(+) and/or O(2+) which also exist in the ionosphere. Bursts in the fluxes of these contaminant species were frequently observed coincident with thruster firings, while O(+) depletions or enhancements could occur depending on the scattering geometry. These effects bring into question whether reliable ambient thermal ion measurements can be made from the vicinity of such vehicles. The presence of significant inflows of contaminant ions into the bay within the Shuttle wake also indicates that Shuttle emissions play a significant role in the evolution of its wake structure.

Grebowsky, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Titan's Surface from Cassini RADAR SAR and High Resolution Radiometry Data of the First Five Flybys

The first five Titan flybys with Cassini's Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) and radiometer are examined with emphasis on the calibration and interpretation of the high-resolution radiometry data acquired during the SAR mode (SAR-radiometry). Maps of the 2-cm wavelength brightness temperature are obtained coincident with the SAR swath imaging, with spatial resolution approaching 6 km. A preliminary calibration shows that brightness temperature in these maps varies from 64 to 89 K. Surface features and physical properties derived from the SAR-radiometry maps and SAR imaging are strongly correlated; in general, we find that surface features with high radar reflectivity are associated with radiometrically cold regions, while surface features with low radar reflectivity correlate with radiometrically warm regions. We examined scatterplots of the normalized radar cross-section sigma(exp o) versus brightness temperature, finding differing signatures that characterize various terrains and surface features. Implications for the physical and compositional properties of these features are discussed. The results indicate that volume scattering is important in many areas of Titan's surface, particularly Xanadu, while other areas exhibit complex brightness temperature variations consistent with variable slopes or surface material and compositional properties.

Titan↗
DOE OSTI2020

Method and composition for reducing nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in water using a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex

A method for reducing nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in water using a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex. The method includes dissolving a copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex in water having an excess amount of nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine therein. The dissolved copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex in the water is subjected to electrochemical reduction to form a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex. The homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex reduces the nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in the water to compounds with nitrogen in a lower oxidation state with the homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex.

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

Diagnostic assessment of reservoir response to fracturing: a case study from Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site (HFTS) in Midland Basin

Abstract This paper outlines a data collection and diagnostics case study involving multiple horizontal shale wells. We look at well production profiles using rate transient analysis, differences in near wellbore complexity, geologic variations within the area of interest, as well as compositional differences in the rocks based on cores obtained from within the stimulated reservoir. The Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site is a multi-well experiment involving stimulation of unconventional shale wells in the southeastern Midland portion of the Permian Basin. The targeted formations include both the upper as well as the middle Wolfcamp formations, also referred alternatively as Wolfcamp A and Wolfcamp B. Data integration and analysis shared in this paper help us understand the various geologic controls impacting well productivity, particularly the wide variance observed between the Wolfcamp A and Wolfcamp B formations. Rate transient analysis indicates similar system permeabilities for stimulated wells. However, we observe higher effective fracture half-lengths for upper Wolfcamp wells. Using observations from 3D seismic interpretations (such as pad scale faults) as well as petrophysical and image log data, we highlight the substantial differences in stimulation as we move along the well laterals from the heel toward the toe sections. These differences are further reconciled with observations from zones with high data density at the core locations through stimulated rock, as well as independent data such as microseismic emissions. At the test site, Wolfcamp A was found to be relatively quartz rich with significant heterogeneity whereas Wolfcamp B is richer in clay and organic content. This impacts the geomechanical characteristics of the rock mass with much higher natural fracture density in the shallower interval. Thus, the fracture growth is more uniform in the deeper interval and more heterogeneous with branching likely in upper interval. Increased complexity also leads to consistently better productivity from the wells in the shallower interval as demonstrated from RTA results. This case study is unique because it provides valuable insights from actual sampling of the stimulated zones in hydraulically fractured wells and helps understand impact of various factors that contribute toward variability in well production. The findings from this study provides insights into need for optimization of completion designs in the various Wolfcamp landing zones, such as optimization of cluster or fracture spacing in various Wolfcamp intervals. In addition, it provides a useful template for data collection and research direction in future field test sites of similar nature in unconventional reservoirs.

Energy & Fuels↗
DOE OSTI2018

The brain lipidome in neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorders

Highlights: • Lipid metabolism is perturbed in neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorders. • Alterations in the lipid architecture of neuronal membranes impair their function. • Membrane lipid dyshomeostasis is poorly understood. Cholesterol, sphingolipids and glycerophospholipids are critical constituents of the brain, subserving neuronal membrane architecture and providing a platform for biochemical processes essential for proper neurodevelopment and function. When lysosomal defects arise in a lipid metabolic pathway, it is therefore easy to imagine that neurological decline will transpire, however for deficits in non-lipid pathways, this becomes harder to envisage. Here we suggest the working hypothesis that neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorders might manifest as primary and/or secondary disorders of lipid metabolism. Evidence suggests that the mere process of lysosomal substrate accumulation, ubiquitous in all lysosomal storage disorders, impairs lysosome integrity resulting in secondary lipid accumulation. Impaired lysosomal degradation of a specific lipid defines a primary disorder of lipid metabolism and as these lysosomal storage disorders additionally show secondary lipid alterations, all primary disorders can also be considered secondary disorders of lipid metabolism. The outcome is a generalized cellular lipid dyshomeostasis and consequently, the physiological architecture of the lipid-enriched plasma membrane is perturbed, including the lipid composition of specialized membrane microdomains, often termed lipid rafts. Neurotoxicity results from the complex interplay of malfunctioning signaling and vesicular trafficking important for neuronal communication and synaptic plasticity-induced by the imbalance in physiological membrane lipid composition - together with compensatory mechanisms aimed at restoring lipid homeostasis.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

A Printing-Centric Approach to the Electrostatic Modification of Polymer/Clay Composites for Use in 3D Direct-Ink Writing

Polymer/clay composite inks are exceptionally useful materials for fabrication processes based on 3D direct-ink writing, however, there remains an insufficient understanding of how their physiochemical dynamics impact printability. Using a model system, N-isopropylacrylamide/Laponite, the electrostatic interactions between Laponite platelets are modified to tune critical rheological properties in order to improve printability. Rheological measurements and X-ray scattering experiments are carried out to monitor the nano/micro-structural dynamics and complex physicochemical interactions of Laponite as it impacts complex modulus in the linear region, flow behavior, thixotropy, and yield stress of the composite ink. Modification of the electrostatic interactions between platelets reduces the yield stress of the material, while maintaining a complex microstructure that allows for sufficient recovery times upon removal of stress to form stable, and thus printable, filaments. A printing-centric approach is established based on a fundamental understanding of electrostatic inter-particle interactions, harnessing the innate microstructure of Laponite in 3D direct-ink writing of composites.

Rauzan, Brittany M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lightweight Thrust Chamber Assemblies using Multi-Alloy Additive Manufacturing and Composite Overwrap

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has brought significant design and fabrication opportunities for complex components with internal features such as liquid rocket engine thrust chambers not previously possible. This technology allows for significant cost savings and schedule reductions in addition to new performance optimization through weight reduction and increased margins. Specific to regeneratively-cooled combustion chambers and nozzles for liquid rocket engines, additive manufacturing offers the ability to form the complex internal coolant channels and the closeout of the channels to contain the high pressure liquid propellants with a single operation. Much of additive manufacturing development has focused on monolithic alloys using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), which do not allow for complete optimization of the structure. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) completed feasibility of an AM bimetallic L-PBF GRCop-84 copper-alloy combustion chamber with an AM electron beam freeform Inconel 625 structural jacket under the Low Cost Upper Stage Propulsion (LCUSP) Project. A follow-on project called Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology (RAMPT) is under development to further expand large-scale multi-alloy thrust chambers while maturing composite overwrap technology for significant weight savings opportunities. The RAMPT project has three primary objectives: 1) Advancing blown powder Directed Energy Deposition (DED) to fabricate integral-channel large scale nozzles, 2) Develop composite overwrap technology to reduce weight and provide structural capability for thrust chamber assemblies, and 3) Develop bimetallic and multi-metallic additively manufactured radial and axial joints to optimize material performance. In addition to these primary manufacturing developments, analytical modeling efforts compliment the process development to simulate the AM processes to reduce build failures and distortions. The RAMPT project is also maturing the supply chain for various manufacturing processes described above in addition to L-PBF of GRCop-42. This paper will present an overview of the RAMPT project, the process development and hardware progress to date, material and hot-fire testing results, along with future developments.

Additive Manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2019

Sensitivity Analysis of Material Model Parameters to Reproduce Crushing of Composite Tubes

The ability to predict the behavior of composite structures under impact conditions is an important challenge for engineering analysis since it requires modeling beyond the elasticity and into failure initiation and propagation. Crushing of laminate composites is the result of a combination of several and complex failure mechanisms, which are not always possible to reproduce together in a single finite element analysis (FEA). In this paper, models based on lamina-level failure criteria have been used to predict the onset of damage; once failure initiates, the mechanisms of failure propagation require reducing the material properties using several degradation schemes. Among the composite material models available in LS-DYNA, MAT-ENHANCED-COMPOSITE-DAMAGE (MAT-54) has been chosen for modeling the axial crushing of composite tubes with various resistant sections and wall slope, given the reduced experimental input parameters to insert into the card definition. Comparison with experimental data shows that such material model is able to successfully reproduce the crushing behavior, even if the numerical results are strictly correlated with some model parameters which cannot be measured experimentally or are purely mathematical expedients. Therefore, extensive calibration of these parameters by trial-and-error is necessary to achieve successful simulation results. Once done it for a structure made of the same composite material, it is possible to adopt the same card configuration for all the other cases, obtaining good agreement between numerical and experimental results. After, the attempt to model the same geometries using the MAT-LAMINATED-COMPOSITE-FABRIC (MAT-58) card with the same parameter values previously calibrated has been done obtaining results comparable with the experimental data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗