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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 NTRS2012

Instrument Package Manipulation Through the Generation and Use of an Attenuated-Fluent Gas Fold

This document discusses a technique that provides a means for suspending large, awkward loads, instrument packages, components, and machinery in a stable, controlled, and precise manner. In the baseplate of the test machine, a pattern of grooves and ports is installed that when pressurized generates an attenuated- fluent gas fold providing a low-cost, near-zero-coefficient-of-friction lubrication boundary layer that supports the object evenly, and in a predictable manner. Package movement control requires minimal force. Aids to repeatable travel and positional accuracy can be added via the addition of simple guide bars and stops to the floor or object being moved. This allows easily regulated three-axis motions. Loads of extreme weight and size can be moved and guided by a single person, or by automated means, using minimal force. Upon removal of the attenuated fluent gas fold, the object returns to a stable resting position without impact forces affecting the object.

Breen, Daniel P.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Comparison of polyester, film-yarn composite, balloon materials subjected to shear and biaxial loading

A series of candidate materials for use in large balloons was tested and their tensile and shear strength capabilities were compared. The tests were done in a cold box at -68 C (-90 F). Some of these materials were fabricated on a special machine called the flying thread loom. This machine laminates various patterns of polyester yarn to a thin polyester film. The results show that the shear strength of materials changes with the angle selected for the transverse yarns, and substantial increases in biaxial load carrying capabilities, compared to materials formerly used, are possible. The loom capabilities and the test methods are discussed.

Niccum, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Plasma-sprayed metal-glass and metal-glass fluoride coatings for lubrication to 900 C

Plasma-sprayed composites, which have good oxidation-resistance and self-lubricating characteritics to 900 C, were developed. The composites are a nichrome matrix containing dispersed glass for oxidation protection and calcium fluoride for lubrication; they are applied to bearing surfaces by plasma spraying layers about 0.050 centimeters thick which are then machined to 0.025 centimeters. Oscillating bearing tests were performed in air to 900 C at unit radial loads up to 3.5 x 10 to the 7th power N/sq M (5000 psi) and a thrust load of 1960N (440 lbs). Bearings with a composite liner in the bore were in good condition after over 50,000 oscillating cycles accumulated during repeated, bearing temperatures cycles between 25 and 900 C.

Sliney, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Plasma-sprayed metal-glass and metal-glass fluoride coatings for lubrication to 900 C

Plasma-sprayed composites, which have good oxidation resistance and self-lubricating characteristics to 900 C, were developed. The composites are a nichrome matrix containing dispersed glass for oxidation protection and calcium fluoride for lubrication; they are applied to bearing surfaces by plasma spraying layers about 0.050 cm thick which are then machined to 0.025 cm. Oscillating bearing tests were performed in air to 900 C at unit radial loads up to 5000 psi and a thrust load of 440 lb. Bearings with a composite liner in the bore were in good condition after over 50,000 oscillating cycles accumulated during repeated bearing temperature cycles between 25 and 900 C.

Sliney, H. E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Testing and Analyses of Advanced Composite Tow-Steered Shells with Cutouts

The structural response of two composite tow-steered shells with small cutouts in end compression is assessed using analyses and experimental measurements. The cylindrical shells were manufactured without cutouts using an automated fiber placement system, where the shells’ fiber orientation angles vary continuously around the shell circumference from ±10 degrees on the axially stiff crown and keel, to ±45 degrees on the shear-stiff sides. The first shell with overlaps has laminate thickness variations on the crown and keel that result from application of all 24 tows during each pass of the fiber placement system. The second shell without overlaps uses the fiber placement system’s tow drop/add capability to achieve a more uniform shell wall thickness. These shells without cutouts were tested in axial compression and buckled elastically. An unreinforced cutout representative of a passenger door on a commercial aircraft fuselage is machined into one side of each shell. Results from nonlinear finite element analysis are compared with their corresponding load, displacement, and strain measurements in prebuckling through stable postbuckling. Results from tests and analyses of shells with large cutouts are also discussed. The very good agreement observed in this study increases confidence in applying tow-steered composites to operational vehicles.

Tow-Steered↗
NASA NTRS2014

Structural Performance of Advanced Composite Tow-Steered Shells With Cutouts

The structural performance of two advanced composite tow-steered shells with cutouts, manufactured using an automated fiber placement system, is assessed using both experimental and analytical methods. The shells' fiber orientation angles vary continuously around their circumference from +/-10 degrees on the crown and keel, to +/-45 degrees on the sides. The raised surface features on one shell result from application of all 24 tows during each fiber placement system pass, while the second shell uses the system's tow drop/add capability to achieve a more uniform wall thickness. These unstiffened shells were previously tested in axial compression and buckled elastically. A single cutout, scaled to represent a passenger door on a commercial aircraft, is then machined into one side of each shell. The prebuckling axial stiffnesses and bifurcation buckling loads of the shells with cutouts are also computed using linear finite element structural analyses for initial comparisons with test data. When retested, large deflections were observed around the cutouts, but the shells carried an average of 92 percent of the axial stiffness, and 86 percent of the buckling loads, of the shells without cutouts. These relatively small reductions in performance demonstrate the potential for using tow steering to mitigate the adverse effects of typical design features on the overall structural performance.

Wu, K. Chauncey↗
NASA NTRS1993

Effect of Impact Damage and Open Hole on Compressive Strength of Hybrid Composite Laminates

Impact damage tolerance is a frequently listed design requirement for composites hardware. The effect of impact damage and open hole size on laminate compressive strength was studied on sandwich beam specimens which combine CFRP-GFRP hybrid skins and a syntactic foam core. Three test specimen configurations have been investigated for this study. The first two were sandwich beams which were loaded in pure bending (by four point flexure). One series had a skin damaged by impact, and the second series had a circular hole machined through one of the skins. The reduction of compressive strength with increasing damage (hole) size was compared. Additionally a third series of uniaxially loaded open hole compression coupons were tested to generate baseline data for comparison with both series of sandwich beams.

Hiel, Clement↗
NASA NTRS1976

Sustained load crack growth design data for Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy tanks containing hydrazine

Results are presented for an experimental study intended to provide sustained load crack growth (SLCG) data for Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy tanks containing MIL-P-26536 hydrazine and refined hydrazine. Fracture mechanics data on crack growth threshold for heat-treated forgings, aged and unaged welds, and aged and unaged heat-affected zones (HAZ) are presented. All tests were made on uniaxially loaded fracture mechanics specimens involving part-through cracks, and an electrical discharge machined notch was used to start the crack. Fracture mechanics design curves of crack growth threshold stress intensity versus temperature are obtained for the temperature range 40-71 C. Major conclusions are that extreme susceptibility to SLCG in hydrazine is a universal property of unaged weld metal in Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy of normal interstitial content, and that aging both weld metal and HAZ at 510 C for 4 hr after welding completely removes all susceptibility to SLCG induced by hydrazine, with less susceptibility to SLCG in refined hydrazine.

Lewis, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

O-ring sealing verification for the space shuttle redesign solid rocket motor

As a part of the redesign of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor, the field and nozzle-to-case joints were redesigned to minimize the dynamic flexure caused by internal motor pressurization during ignition. The O-ring seals and glands for the joints were designed to accommodate both structural deflections and to promote pressure assistance. A test program was conducted to determine if a fluorocarbon elastomeric O-ring could meet this criteria in the redesigned gland. Resiliency tests were used to investigate the O-ring response to gap motion while static seal tests were used to verify design criteria of pressure assistance for sealing. All tests were conducted in face seal fixtures mounted in servo-hydraulic test machines. The resiliency of the O-ring was found to be extremely sensitive to the effects of temperature. The External Tank/Solid Rocket Booster attach strut loads had a negligible affect on the ability of the O-ring to track the simulated SRB field joint deflection. In the static pressure-assisted seal tests, as long as physical contact was maintained between the O-ring and the gland sealing surface, pressure assistance induced instantaneous sealing.

Lach, Cynthia L.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Structural Characterization of Advanced Composite Tow-Steered Shells with Large Cutouts

The structural performance of two advanced composite tow-steered shells with large cutouts, manufactured using an automated fiber placement system, is assessed using both experimental and analytical methods. The fiber orientation angles of the shells vary continuously around their circumference from +/- 10 degrees on the crown and keel, to +/- 45 degrees on the sides. The raised surface features on one shell result from application of all 24 tows during each fiber placement system pass, while the second shell uses the tow drop/add capability of the system to achieve a more uniform wall thickness. These unstiffened shells, both without and with small cutouts, were previously tested in axial compression and buckled elastically. In this study, a single unreinforced cutout, scaled to represent a cargo door on a commercial aircraft, is machined into one side of each shell. The prebuckling axial stiffnesses and bifurcation buckling loads of these shells with large cutouts are also computed using linear finite element structural analyses for preliminary comparisons with test data. During testing, large displacements are observed around the large cutouts, but the shells maintain an average of 91 percent of the axial stiffness, and also carry 85 percent of the buckling loads, when compared to the pristine shells without cutouts. These relatively small reductions indicate that there is great potential for using tow steering to mitigate the adverse effects of large cutouts on the overall structural performance.

Wu, K. Chauncey↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electro-Thermo-Mechanical (ETM) Study on Submarine Dynamic Power Cables (SDPC) for Offshore Wind Transmission

Understanding the failure mechanisms of submarine dynamic power cables (SDPC) is critical for innovative design to meet the 2035 cost reduction target of U.S. DOE Floating Offshore Wind Shot. This is important because the current design suffers a significant failure rate in the field. This project conducted a systematic electro-thermo-mechanical (ETM) experimental study on the power cores extracted from a 15kV power cable with three cores of copper conductor, ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) insulation, and continuously corrugated welded aluminum armor (CCWA). An ETM testing system was developed by integrating a high voltage (HV) amplifier, two ceramic heaters, and a rod-plate transverse compression setup into a mechanical testing machine. Increasing temperature from room temperature (RT, 22 degree C) to 90 degree C resulted in the 67% decrease in the failure mechanical load as defined by the dielectric breakdown. Under creep mechanical loading, the dielectric breakdown time was decreased by 70% for a given mechanical load when the specimen temperature increased from RT to 90oC. The failure strain in both monotonic and creep mechanical loading modes was related to the maximum mechanical load applied. Although the dielectric breakdown occurred in the ETM test, the post-test measurement revealed an impressive recovery of electric resistance. The failure analysis on cross section of tested specimens indicated a sizable gap across insulation layer near the area between copper conductor and loading rod, which apparently resulted from online dielectric failure and offline elastic recovery of components including conductor and insulation layer.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1995

Tire footprint studies

This presentation covers the results of tire footprint studies conducted in the Landing Gear Development Facility of the USAF Wright Laboratory at the Wright Patterson Air force Base, OH. Tire footprint studies are essential in understanding tire wear mechanisms and computing tire tread wear rates. The power input into the tread is the driving force for tread wear. Variables needed for power input calculations include the footprint pressure and slip velocity distributions. Studies were performed on the effects of power input distributions due to vertical load, camber, yaw, inflation pressure, and tire construction. For the present study, two tire constructions, one radial and the other bias, were selected. These tires were for the F-16 Block 30 fighter aircraft, both of which were previously worn. The present study was limited to steady straight roll with a 14,000 lb vertical load, a 310 psi inflation pressure, and zero yaw and camber. All tests were conducted on the Tire Force Machine (TFM) with a specialized sensor plate with embedded pressure sensors (X, Y, and Z) and slip sensors (X and Y). All tests were conducted for a table speed of 1 in/s. Tests on the TFM show that the power intensity distributions and total power for both tire constructions are quite similar for straight roll. Later on, tests were also conducted on a modified dynamometer which was overlaid with a grit wear surface. The tire speed was maintained at 40 miles per hour and yaw was set to four degrees. Dynamometer tests showed that radial tires have more tread wear than the bias tire; however, in the field, radial tires have longer life.

Chawla, Mangal↗
NASA NTRS2003

Influence Of Holes On The In-Plane Tensile Strength And Fatigue Durability Of A NICALON(Trademark)/Si-N-C Ceramic Matrix Composite

Effects of different sizes of holes as well as different percentages of open areas on the in-plane tensile strength and fatigue durability of the SiC/Si-N-C composite were investigated in this study. Test specimens with no holes, four different diameters of holes (1.0 to 3.2 mm), and four different open areas (20 to 35%) were machined. All mechanical testing was performed in air at a temperature of 910 C. Fatigue tests were conducted with a load ratio, R = 0.05, and a frequency of 0.33 Hz. In general, both the in-plane tensile strength of the composite and its fatigue durability decreased with an increase in the size of the hole and percentage of the open area. Reductions in the in-plane tensile strength and cyclic fatigue life of the composite were described by empirical equations with the diameter of the hole and the percent open area as the independent variables. The validity of these two empirical equations was verified with additional tensile and fatigue test data generated on the composite specimens.

Kalluri, Sreeramesh↗
DOE OSTI2024

Data-Driven Digital Twin for Reliability Assessment of DC/DC Buck Converter

In commercial applications, the operation of DC/DC converters significantly impacts overall system performance and long-term reliability. This study introduces a data-driven digital twin (DT) approach for estimating critical degradation parameters of DC/DC BUCK converter under steady-state condition. Initially, a circuit-level MATLAB/Simulink digital model (DM C ) is refined against a hardware prototype’s switching model dataset using offline particle swarm optimization. The optimized digital model’s steady-state response is then verified with its average model response while varying the duty and load. Subsequently, degradation profiles are imposed on the inductor, capacitor, MOSFET in the DMC. A large dataset is generated from this model, allowing training, validation, and testing of machine learning (ML) models for component health regression tasks. The proposed method employs random forest ML models, achieving impressive regression results with a squared R value as high as 0.99978 and a root mean square error of 4.2× 10 –6 . The method is further validated on a medium power level DC/DC BUCK prototype with varying load conditions, and includes the analysis of MOSFET’s on-resistance under degradation conditions. This data-driven DT method shows promise for identifying parasitic degradation and ohmic loss parameters, enhancing converter reliability assessments in a non-invasive, generalized, and computationally efficient manner.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1984

Shock Mounting for Heavy Machines

Elastomeric bearings eliminate extraneous forces. Rocket thrust transmitted from motor to load cells via support that absorbs extraneous forces so they do not affect accuracy of thrust measurements. Adapter spoked cone fits over forward end of rocket motor. Shock mounting developed for rocket engines under test used as support for heavy machines, bridges, or towers.

Thompson, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Self-lubricating plasma-sprayed composites for sliding contact bearings to 900 C

Plasma-sprayed composites which have good oxidation-resistance and self-lubricating characteristics to 900 C were developed. The composites are a Nichrome matrix containing dispersed glass for oxidation protection and calcium fluoride for lubrication. They are applied to bearing surfaces in layers about 0.050 cm thick by plasma-spraying; the layers are then machined to a thickness of 0.025 cm. Oscillating bearing tests were performed in air to 900 C at unit radial loads up to 3.5 times 10 to the 7th power Newtons per square meter (5000 psi) and a thrust load of 1960 Newtons (440 lb). Bearings with a composite liner in the bore were in good condition after over 50,000 oscillating cycles accumulated during repeated bearing temperature cycles between 25 and 900 C.

Sliney, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

On the cyclic stress-strain behaviour of a Ni-base superalloy at room temperature

The cyclic stress-strain behavior of Nimonic alloy PE16 was studied at room temperature and at different aging conditions to determine whether the plateau in the cyclic stress-strain curve (CSSC) reported by Arbuthnot (1982) is typical of the room temperature behavior and/or some specific initial microstructural states. Specimen blanks were heat-treated in batches in Ar/H2 (98/2) atmosphere to produce gamma-prime precipitates of different average sizes, but with the volume fraction of gamma-prime precipitates kept constant at about 7 percent at all the heat-treatment conditions. Total axial strain controlled LCF tests were conducted under fully reversed loading (R = -1) at a constant strain rate of 0.004/s, using a servohydraulic machine. The load response in tension and compression was recorded continually, and stress-strain hysteresis loops were recorded at frequent intervals. In the present investigation, the CSSCs of the P16 alloy at room temperature did not display the plateaus reported by Arbuthnot.

Singh, Vakil↗