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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Inspecting Friction Stir Welding using Electromagnetic Probes

A report describes the use of advanced electromagnetic probes to measure the dimensions, the spatial distribution of electrical conductivity, and related other properties of friction stir welds (FSWs) between parts made of the same or different aluminum alloy(s). The probes are of the type described in in another Tech Brief. To recapitulate: A probe of this type is essentially an eddy-current probe that includes a primary (driver) winding that meanders and multiple secondary (sensing) windings that meander along the primary winding. Electrical conductivity is commonly used as a measure of heat treatment and tempering of aluminum alloys, but prior to the development of these probes, the inadequate sensitivity and limited accuracy of electrical-conductivity probes precluded such use on FSWs between different aluminum alloys, and the resolution of those probes was inadequate for measurement of FSW dimensions with positions and metallurgical properties. In contrast, the present probes afford adequate accuracy and spatial resolution for the purposes of measuring the dimensions of FSW welds and correlating spatially varying electrical conductivities with metallurgical properties, including surface defects.

Kinchen, David G.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Quantitative optical scanning tests of complex microcircuits

An approach for the development of the optical scanner as a screening inspection instrument for microcircuits involves comparing the quantitative differences in photoresponse images and then correlating them with electrical parameter differences in test devices. The existing optical scanner was modified so that the photoresponse data could be recorded and subsequently digitized. A method was devised for applying digital image processing techniques to the digitized photoresponse data in order to quantitatively compare the data. Electrical tests were performed and photoresponse images were recorded before and following life test intervals on two groups of test devices. Correlations were made between differences or changes in the electrical parameters of the test devices.

Erickson, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Thin Film Technology Development for the Powersphere

The Aerospace Corporation, NASA Glenn Research Center, Lockheed-Martin, and ILC Dover over the past two years have been engaged in developing a Multifunctional Inflatable Structure for the Powersphere Concept under contract with NASA (NAS3-01115). The Powersphere concept consists of a relatively large spherical solar array, which would be deployed from a microsatellite. The Powersphere structure and the deployment method was patented by the Aerospace Corporation (U.S. Patent Numbers 6,284,966 B 1 and 6,3 18,675). The work on this project has resulted in a number of technological innovations in the state of the art for integrating flexible thin-film solar cells with flex circuit harness technology and inflatable ultraviolet-light-rigidizable structures. The specific power, specific volume, for the Powersphere are presented in Figures 1 and 2 as a function of solar cell technology and efficiency. The Powersphere will enable microsatellite missions across NASA enterprises and DoD missions by providing ample electric power at an affordable cost. The Powersphere design provides attitude-independent electric power and thermal control for an enclosed microsatellite payload. The design is scalable, robust in high radiation environments and provides sufficient electric power to allow the use of electric propulsion. Electric propulsion enables precise positioning of microsatellites which is required for inspectors that would be deployed to inspect the International Space Station, Space Shuttle or large unmanned spacecraft. The Powersphere allows for efficient launch packaging versus deployed volume as shown in Figure 3.

Simburger, Edward J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

KOH concentration effect on the cycle life of nickel-hydrogen cells. Part 4: Results of failure analyses

KOH concentration effects on cycle life of a Ni/H2 cell have been studied by carrying out a cycle life test of ten Ni/H2 boiler plate cells which contain electrolytes of various KOH concentrations. Failure analyses of these cells were carried out after completion of the life test which accumulated up to 40,000 cycles at an 80 percent depth of discharge over a period of 3.7 years. These failure analyses included studies on changes of electrical characteristics of test cells and component analyses after disassembly of the cell. The component analyses included visual inspections, dimensional changes, capacity measurements of nickel electrodes, scanning electron microscopy, BET surface area measurements, and chemical analyses. Results have indicated that failure mode and change in the nickel electrode varied as the concentration was varied, especially, when the concentration was changed from 31 percent or higher to 26 percent or lower.

Lim, H. S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

KOH concentration effect on the cycle life of nickel-hydrogen cells. IV - Results of failure analysis

Potassium hydroxide concentration effects on the cycle life of a Ni/H2 cell have been studied by carrying out a cycle life test on ten Ni/H2 boiler plate cells which contain electrolytes of various KOH concentrations. Failure analyses of these cells were carried out after completion of the life test, which accumulated up to 40,000 cycles at an 80-percent depth of discharge over a period of 3.7 years. These failure analyses included studies on changes of electrical characteristics of test cells, and component analyses after disassembly of the cell. The component analyses included visual inspections, dimensional changes, capacity measurements of nickel electrodes, scanning electron microscopy, surface area measurements, and chemical analyses. Results have indicated that failure mode and change in the nickel electrode varied as the concentration was varied, especially when the concentration was changed from 31 percent or higher to 26 percent or lower.

Lim, H. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Experiment M0003-4: Advanced solar cell and coverglass analysis, an overview

The experiment consists of 51 coverglass samples and 12 solar cell strings. Sixteen (16) of the coverglass samples were on the leading edge and 16 on the trailing edge. An additional 16 samples were used as control samples and were not flown. The scenario for analysis was established for the coverglasses as follows. A photographic and a Nomarski survey were taken. Selected sites were then analyzed in their 'dirty' condition for optical transmission, reflectance, and absorbance. The coverglass samples have yet to be cleaned and resulting residue analyzed. The next stage of the analysis of the filters will be by probing through their layers to evaluate the multilayers used in their design. The solar cells were visually inspected and photographed. Tape recorder data is being analyzed and selected cell strings are being evaluated for their electrical properties. The first phase of the optical studies were completed.

Terry M Trumble↗
NASA NTRS1999

Retrieval of Mir Solar Array

A Russian solar array panel removed in November 1997 from the non-articulating photovoltaic array on the Mir core module was returned to Earth on STS-89 in January 1998. The panel had been exposed to low Earth orbit (LEO) for 10 years prior to retrieval. The retrieval provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of the LEO environment on a functional solar array. To take advantage of this opportunity, a team composed of members from RSC-Energia (Russia), the Boeing Company, and the following NASA Centers--Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Lewis Research Center--was put together to analyze the array. After post-retrieval inspections at the Spacehab Facility at Kennedy in Florida, the array was shipped to Lewis in Cleveland for electrical performance tests, closeup photodocumentation, and removal of selected solar cells and blanket material. With approval from RSC-Energia, five cell pairs and their accompanying blanket and mesh material, and samples of painted handrail materials were selected for removal on the basis of their ability to provide degradation information. Sites were selected that provided different sizes and shapes of micrometeoroid impacts and different levels of surface contamination. These materials were then distributed among the team for round robin testing.

Rutledge, Sharon K.↗
NASA NTRS2005

STS-114: Discovery Tanking Operations for Launch

Jessica Rye from NASA Public Affairs is the narrator for the tanking operations for the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery. She presents a video of the arrival and processing of the new external tank at the Kennedy Space Center. The external tank is also shown entering the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The external tank underwent new processing resulting from its redesign including inspection of the bipod heater and the external separation camera. The changes to the external tank include: 1) Electric heaters to protect from icing; and 2) Liquid Oxygen feed line bellows to carry fuel from the external tank to the Orbiter. Footage of the external tank processing facility at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, La. prior to its arrival at Kennedy Space Center is shown and a video of the three key modifications to the external tank including the bipod, flange and bellows are shown.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2015

Land Use Control Implementation Plan

This Land Use Control Implementation Plan (LUCIP) has been prepared to inform current and potential future users of Building M7-505 of institutional controls that have been implemented at the site. Although there are no current unacceptable risks to human health or the environment associated with Building M7-505, institutional land use controls (LUCs) are necessary to prohibit the use of groundwater from the site. LUCs are also necessary to prevent access to soil under electrical equipment in the northwest portion of the site. Controls necessary to prevent human exposure will include periodic inspection, condition certification, and agency notification.

Land Use Control↗
NASA NTRS2023

Venus Surface Environmental Chamber Test of SiC JFET-R Multi-Chip Circuit Board

This poster describes a first attempt to demonstrate a multi-chip prototype lander control and sensor signal digitization electronics circuit board comprised of ten NASA Glenn IC Generation 11 SiC JFET-R IC chips in 460 °C, 9.4 MPa harsh Venus surface conditions. The lander circuit ceased electrical operation prematurely at 107 °C as the Venus chamber heated up. Optical and SEM post-test inspections indicate fatal dielectric cracks occurred on only one of the ten SiC chips.

silicon carbide↗
NASA NTRS2014

Open Circuit Resonant (SansEC) Sensor Technology for Lightning Mitigation and Damage Detection and Diagnosis for Composite Aircraft Applications

Traditional methods to protect composite aircraft from lightning strike damage rely on a conductive layer embedded on or within the surface of the aircraft composite skin. This method is effective at preventing major direct effect damage and minimizes indirect effects to aircraft systems from lightning strike attachment, but provides no additional benefit for the added parasitic weight from the conductive layer. When a known lightning strike occurs, the points of attachment and detachment on the aircraft surface are visually inspected and checked for damage by maintenance personnel to ensure continued safe flight operations. A new multi-functional lightning strike protection (LSP) method has been developed to provide aircraft lightning strike protection, damage detection and diagnosis for composite aircraft surfaces. The method incorporates a SansEC sensor array on the aircraft exterior surfaces forming a "Smart skin" surface for aircraft lightning zones certified to withstand strikes up to 100 kiloamperes peak current. SansEC sensors are open-circuit devices comprised of conductive trace spiral patterns sans (without) electrical connections. The SansEC sensor is an electromagnetic resonator having specific resonant parameters (frequency, amplitude, bandwidth & phase) which when electromagnetically coupled with a composite substrate will indicate the electrical impedance of the composite through a change in its resonant response. Any measureable shift in the resonant characteristics can be an indication of damage to the composite caused by a lightning strike or from other means. The SansEC sensor method is intended to diagnose damage for both in-situ health monitoring or ground inspections. In this paper, the theoretical mathematical framework is established for the use of open circuit sensors to perform damage detection and diagnosis on carbon fiber composites. Both computational and experimental analyses were conducted to validate this new method and system for aircraft composite damage detection and diagnosis. Experimental test results on seeded fault damage coupons and computational modeling simulation results are presented. This paper also presents the shielding effectiveness along with the lightning direct effect test results from several different SansEC LSP and baseline protected and unprotected carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) test panels struck at 40 and 100 kiloamperes following a universal common practice test procedure to enable damage comparisons between SansEC LSP configurations and common practice copper mesh LSP approaches. The SansEC test panels were mounted in a LSP test bed during the lightning test. Electrical, mechanical and thermal parameters were measured during lightning attachment and are presented with post test nondestructive inspection comparisons. The paper provides correlational results between the SansEC sensors computed electric field distribution and the location of the lightning attachment on the sensor trace and visual observations showing the SansEC sensor's affinity for dispersing the lightning attachment.

Szatkowski, George N.↗
NASA NTRS1974

SERT D spacecraft study

The SERT D (Space Electric Rocket Test - D) study defines a possible spacecraft project that would demonstrate the use of electric ion thrusters for long-term (5 yr) station keeping and attitude control of a synchronous orbit satellite. Other mission objectives included in the study were: station walking to satellite rendezvous and inspection, use of low cost attitude sensing system, use of an advanced solar array orientation and slip ring system, and an ion thruster integrated directly with a solar array power source. The SERT D spacecraft, if launched, will become SERT 3 the third space electric thruster test.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of a Novel Electrical Characterization Technique for Measuring Hidden Joint Contacts in Weapons Cavities (LDRD Final Report 218470)

This report summarizes research performed in the context of a REHEDS LDRD project that explores methods for measuring electrical properties of vessel joints. These properties, which include contact points and associated contact resistance, are “hidden” in the sense that they are not apparent from a computer-assisted design (CAD) description or visual inspection. As is demonstrated herein, the impact of this project is the development of electromagnetic near-field scanning capabilities that allow weapon cavity joints to be characterized with high spatial and/or temporal resolution. Such scans provide insight on the hidden electrical properties of the joint, allowing more detailed and accurate models of joints to be developed, and ultimately providing higher fidelity shielding effectiveness (SE) predictions. The capability to perform high-resolution temporal scanning of joints under vibration is also explored, using a multitone probing concept, allowing time-varying properties of joints to be characterized and the associated modulation to SE to be quantified.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2011

Reliability of Sn/Pb and Lead-Free (SnAgCu) Solders of Surface Mounted Miniaturized Passive Components for Extreme Temperature (-185 C to +125 C) Space Missions

Surface mount electronic package test boards have been assembled using tin/lead (Sn/Pb) and lead-free (Pb-free or SnAgCu or SAC305) solders. The soldered surface mount packages include ball grid arrays (BGA), flat packs, various sizes of passive chip components, etc. They have been optically inspected after assembly and subsequently subjected to extreme temperature thermal cycling to assess their reliability or future deep space, long-term, extreme temperature environmental missions. In this study, the employed temperature range (-185oC to +125oC) covers military specifications (-55oC to +100oC), extreme old Martian (-120oC to +115oC), asteroid Nereus (-180oC to +25oC) and JUNO (-150oC to +120oC) environments. The boards were inspected at room temperature and at various intervals as a function of extreme temperature thermal cycling and bake duration. Electrical resistance measurements made at room temperature are reported and the tests to date have shown some change in resistance as a function of extreme temperature thermal cycling and some showed increase in resistance. However, the change in interconnect resistance becomes more noticeable with increasing number of thermal cycles. Further research work will be carried out to understand the reliability of packages under extreme temperature applications (-185oC to +125oC) via continuously monitoring the daisy chain resistance for BGA, Flat-packs, lead less chip packages, etc. This paper will describe the experimental reliability results of miniaturized passive components (01005, 0201, 0402, 0603, 0805, and 1206) assembled using surface mounting processes with tin-lead and lead-free solder alloys under extreme temperature environments.

extreme temperatures,↗
DOE OSTI2026

Design and Characterization of the 162.5 MHz RF Component Layout for Fermilab's PIP-II Reference Line

The Proton Improvement Plan II (PIP-II) Reference Line at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory distributes phase-stable radio-frequency (RF) signals throughout the accelerator. PIP-II requires stable timing and phase reference signals so its accelerating cavities transfer energy to the particle beam at the correct point in each RF cycle. The full system includes 162.5, 325, and 650 MHz sections corresponding to the frequency sections of the PIP-II Linac, with this project focusing on the 162.5 MHz section. The Reference Line must provide a phase stable source signal while responding to phase changes caused by environmental conditions or system drift. Its RF components will be mounted on aluminum heat plates inside a temperature controlled enclosure to further limit temperature-driven phase changes. To prepare the system for manufacture, the project reviewed component functions and dimensions, developed a computer-aided design (CAD) model, and arranged the hardware to support short cable paths, grounding, fastener access, and maintenance. Several full scale, three dimensional printed prototypes allowed the available components to be mounted and inspected. These fit checks revealed mechanical conflicts and guided revisions to component placement, countersink geometry, labeling, and plate thickness. Electrical characterization was also performed on selected RF hardware to compare its measured behavior with the performance metrics that were set for our design. Overall, the project produced a manufacturable 162.5 MHz layout, physical fit-check prototypes, and documented electrical measurements that support review before metal fabrication. The 325 and 650 MHz layouts remain future work because they require additional minor mechanical changes.

Subedi, Harsheet [Unlisted, US, CA] (ORCID:0009000↗
NASA NTRS2019

Observations of MMOD Impact Damage to the ISS

This paper describes meteoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) damage observations on the International Space Station (ISS). Several hundred MMOD damage sites on ISS have been documented using imagery taken from ISS windows. MMOD damage sites visible from ISS windows are typically larger – approximately 5mm diameter and greater – due to the larger viewer-to-surface distance. Closer inspection of these surfaces by astronauts during spacewalks reveals many smaller features that are typically less distinct. Characterization of these features as MMOD or non- MMOD is difficult, but can be partially accomplished by matching physical characteristics of the damage against typical MMOD impact damage observed on ground-based impact tests. Numerous pieces of space-exposed ISS hardware were returned during space shuttle missions. Subsequent ground inspection of this hardware has also contributed to the database of ISS MMOD impact damage. A handful of orbital replacement units (ORUs) from the ISS active thermal control and electrical power subsystems were swapped out and returned during the Space Shuttle program. In addition, a reusable logistics module was deployed on ISS for a total 59.4 days on 11 shuttle missions between 2001 and 2011 and then brought back in the shuttle payload bay. All of this returned hardware was subjected to detailed post-flight inspections for MMOD damage, and a database with over 1,400 impact records has been collected. A description of the largest observed damage features is provided in the paper. In addition, a discussion of significant MMOD impact sites with operational or design aspects is presented. MMOD impact damage to the following ISS modules/subsystems is described: (1) Solar Arrays, (2) US and Russian windows, (3) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) handrails, (4) Radiators, and (5) Russian Functional Cargo Block (FGB) module.

Hyde, James L.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Post-Test Inspection of NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster Long-Duration Test Hardware: Discharge and Neutralizer Cathodes

The NEXT Long-Duration Test is part of a comprehensive thruster service life assessment intended to demonstrate overall throughput capability, validate service life models, quantify wear rates as a function of time and operating condition, and identify any unknown life-limiting mechanisms. The test was voluntarily terminated in April 2014 after demonstrating 51,184 hours of high-voltage operation, 918 kg of propellant throughput, and 35.5 MN-s of total impulse. The post-test inspection of the thruster hardware began shortly afterwards with a combination of non-destructive and destructive analysis techniques, and is presently nearing completion. This presentation presents relevant results of the post-test inspection for both discharge and neutralizer cathodes.

Lifetime↗