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Program analyzes unresolved Mossbauer hyperfine spectra resulting from existence of several local environments in dilute binary iron alloys. It has proven useful in studying effects of imputity atoms on iron Mossbauer spectra.
Hydrogen gas, which plays an important role in many projected lunar power systems and industrial processes, can be stored in metallic titanium and in certain titanium alloys as an interstitial hydride compound. Storing and retrieving hydrogen with titanium-iron alloy requires substantially less energy investment than storage by liquefaction. Metal hydride storage systems can be designed to operate at a wide range of temperatures and pressures. A few such systems have been developed for terrestrial applications. A drawback of metal hydride storage for lunar applications is the system's large mass per mole of hydrogen stored, which rules out transporting it from earth. The transportation problem can be solved by using native lunar materials, which are rich in titanium and iron.
Single pass sliding friction experiments were conducted with various iron base binary alloys (alloying elements were Ti, Cr, Mn, Ni, Rh, and W) in contact with a single crystal silicon carbide /0001/ surface in vacuum. Results indicate that atomic size and concentration of alloying elements play an important role in controlling adhesion and friction properties of iron base binary alloys. The coefficient of friction generally increases with an increase in solute concentration. The coefficient of friction increases linearly as the solute to iron atomic radius ratio increases or decreases from unity. The chemical activity of the alloying elements was also an important parameter in controlling adhesion and friction of alloys, as these latter properties are highly dependent upon the d bond character of the elements.
Multipass sliding friction experiments were conducted with various iron base binary alloys in contact with a single crystal silicon carbide surface in vacuum. Results indicate that the atomic size and concentration of alloy elements play important roles in controlling the transfer and friction properties of iron base binary alloys. Alloys having high solute concentration produce more transfer than do alloys having low solute concentration. The coefficient of friction during multipass sliding generally increases with an increase in the concentration of alloying element. The change of friction with succeeding passes after the initial pass also increases as the solute to iron, atomic radius ratio increases or decreases from unity.
A Laves phase, Fe2Ta, was utilized to obtain good elevated temperature properties in a carbon-free iron alloy containing 1 at. pct Ta and 7 at. pct Cr. Room temperature embrittlement resulting from the precipitation of the Laves phase at grain boundaries was overcome by spheroidizing the precipitate. This was accomplished by thermally cycling the alloys through the alpha to gamma transformation. The short-time yield strength of the alloys decreased very slowly with increase in test temperature up to 600 C, but above this temperature, the strength decreased rapidly. Results of constant load creep and stress rupture tests conducted at several temperatures and stresses indicated that the rupture and creep strengths of spheroidized 1 Ta-7 Cr alloy were higher than those of several commercial steels containing chromium and/or molybdenum carbides but lower than those of steels containing substantial amounts of tungsten and vanadium. When molybdenum was added to the base Fe-Ta-Cr alloy, the rupture and creep strengths were considerably increased.
Combined inferences from seismology, high-pressure experiment and theory, geomagnetism, fluid dynamics, and current views of terrestrial planetary evolution lead to models of the earth's core with five basic properties. These are that core formation was contemporaneous with earth accretion; the core is not in chemical equilibrium with the mantle; the outer core is a fluid iron alloy containing significant quantities of lighter elements and is probably almost adiabatic and compositionally uniform; the more iron-rich inner solid core is a consequence of partial freezing of the outer core, and the energy release from this process sustains the earth's magnetic field; and the thermodynamic properties of the core are well constrained by the application of liquid-state theory to seismic and labroatory data.
The feasibility of using metal alloys as thermal energy storage media was investigated. The elements selected as candidate media were limited to aluminum, copper, magnesium, silicon, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus on the basis of low cost and latent heat of transformation. Several new eutectic alloys and ternary intermetallic phases were determined. A new method employing X-ray absorption techniques was developed to determine the coefficients of thermal expansion of both the solid and liquid phases and the volume change during phase transformation. The method and apparatus are discussed and the experimental results are presented for aluminum and two aluminum-eutectic alloys. Candidate materials were evaluated to determine suitable materials for containment of the metal alloys. Graphite was used to contain the alloys during the volume change measurements. Silicon carbide was identified as a promising containment material and surface-coated iron alloys were also evaluated. System considerations that are pertinent if alloy eutectics are used as thermal energy storage media are discussed. Potential applications to solar receivers and industrial furnaces are illustrated schematically.
Spintronics holds great potential for next-generation high-speed and low–power consumption information technology. Recently, lead halide perovskites (LHPs), which have gained great success in optoelectronics, also show interesting magnetic properties. However, the spin-related properties in LHPs originate from the spin-orbit coupling of Pb, limiting further development of these materials in spintronics. Here, we demonstrate a new generation of halide perovskites, by alloying magnetic elements into optoelectronic double perovskites, which provide rich chemical and structural diversities to host different magnetic elements. In our iron-alloyed double perovskite, Cs 2 Ag(Bi:Fe)Br 6 , Fe 3+ replaces Bi 3+ and forms FeBr 6 clusters that homogenously distribute throughout the double perovskite crystals. Furthermore, we observe a strong temperature-dependent magnetic response at temperatures below 30 K, which is tentatively attributed to a weak ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic response from localized regions. We anticipate that this work will stimulate future efforts in exploring this simple yet efficient approach to develop new spintronic materials based on lead-free double perovskites.
A method of fabricating improved transformer cores from composites of thermoplastic matrices and iron-particles has been invented. Relative to commercially available laminated-iron-alloy transformer cores, the cores fabricated by this method weigh less and are less expensive. Relative to prior polymer-matrix/ iron-particle composite-material transformer cores, the cores fabricated by this method can be made mechanically stronger and more magnetically permeable. In addition, whereas some prior cores have exhibited significant eddy-current losses, the cores fabricated by this method exhibit very small eddy-current losses. The cores made by this method can be expected to be attractive for use in diverse applications, including high-signal-to-noise transformers, stepping motors, and high-frequency ignition coils. The present method is a product of an experimental study of the relationships among fabrication conditions, final densities of iron particles, and mechanical and electromagnetic properties of fabricated cores. Among the fabrication conditions investigated were molding pressures (83, 104, and 131 MPa), and molding temperatures (250, 300, and 350 C). Each block of core material was made by uniaxial-compression molding, at the applicable pressure/temperature combination, of a mixture of 2 weight percent of LaRC (or equivalent high-temperature soluble thermoplastic adhesive) with 98 weight percent of approximately spherical iron particles having diameters in the micron range. Each molded block was cut into square cross-section rods that were used as core specimens in mechanical and electromagnetic tests. Some of the core specimens were annealed at 900 C and cooled slowly before testing. For comparison, a low-carbon-steel core was also tested. The results of the tests showed that density, hardness, and rupture strength generally increased with molding pressure and temperature, though the correlation was rather weak. The weakness of the correlation was attributed to the pores in the specimens. The maximum relative permeabilities of cores made without annealing ranged from 30 to 110, while those of cores made with annealing ranged from 900 to 1,400. However, the greater permeabilities of the annealed specimens were not associated with noticeably greater densities. The major practical result of the investigation was the discovery of an optimum distribution of iron-particle sizes: It was found that eddy-current losses in the molded cores were minimized by using 100 mesh (corresponding to particles with diameters less than or equal to 100 m) iron particles. The effect of optimization of particle sizes on eddy-current losses is depicted in the figure.
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Several candidate alloys and coatings were evaluated for use in automobile thermal reactors. Full-size reactors of the candidate materials were analyzed in cyclic engine dynamometer tests with peak temperature of 1900 F (1040 C). Two developmental ferritic iron alloys GE1541 and NASA-18T - exhibited the best overall performance lasting at least 60% of the life of the test engine. Four of the alloys evaluated warrant consideration for reactor use. They include GE1541, Armco 18 SR, NASA-18T, and Inconel 601. None of the commercial coating substrate combinations evaluated warrant consideration for reactor use.-
Several candidate alloys and coatings were evaluated for use in automobile thermal reactors. Full-size reactors of the candidate materials were evaluated in cyclic engine dynamometer tests with a peak temperature of 1040 C (1900 F). Two developmental ferritic-iron alloys, GE-1541 and NASA-18T, exhibited the best overall performance by lasting at least 60 percent of the life of test engine. Four of the alloys evaluated warrant consideration for reactor use. They are GE-1541, Armco 18 SR, NASA-18T, and Inconel 601. None of the commercial coating substrate combinations evaluated warrant consideration for reactor use.
Several oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys have been tested for cyclic, long-term, high gas-velocity resistance to oxidation at 1100 C and hot corrosion at 900 C. Both nominally Ni-16Cr-4Al and Fe-20Cr-4.5Al ODS alloys were subjected up to about 2500 cycles, where each cycle consisted of 1 hr in a hot, Mach 0.3 combusted gas stream followed by a 3-min quench in an ambient temperature, Mach 0.3 air blast. For comparison to existing technology, a coated superalloy was simultaneously tested. The ODS iron alloy exhibited clearly superior behavior, surviving 3800 oxidation and 2300 hot corrosion cycles essentially unscathed. While the ODS nickel alloys exhibited adequate oxidation resistance, the long-term hot corrosion resistance could be marginal, since the best life for such alloys under these conditions was only about 1100 cycles. However, the hot corrosion resistance of the ODS Ni-base alloys is excellent in comparison to that of traditional superalloys.
Heat conduction in metals is typically dominated by electron transport since electrons carry both charge and heat. In magnetic metals magnons, or spin waves, excitations of the magnetic order can be used to transport information. Heat conduction via magnons has been previously shown mostly for insulating magnets with low Gilbert damping and resulting long spin-wave lifetimes where conduction electrons cannot contribute. Here we show that thin films of properly optimized metallic ferromagnetic (FM) alloys show significant nonelectronic contributions to heat conduction, which furthermore depend on the direction of an applied magnetic field. These measurements are enabled by micromachined thermal isolation platforms optimized for thermal conductivity measurements of thin-film systems. Electrical conductivity measurements on exactly the same samples allow application of the Wiedemann-Franz relation, which shows large nonelectronic contributions to thermal conductivity for the cobalt-iron alloy with 25% Co. This composition has been shown to have exceptionally low damping for a metallic FM. The thermal conductivity of a 75-nm-thick film of the 25% Co alloy changes by more than 20% at some temperatures, while a reference sample with 50% cobalt that has much higher damping shows no field-direction dependence. Our measurements indicate that applied magnetic fields alter the magnon lifetimes in these films and that these magnons contribute to thermal conductivity in this metallic magnetic alloy with low Gilbert damping.
During its operational life, the Shuttle Program has experienced numerous failures in the Nitrogen Tetroxide (N2O4) portion of Reaction Control System (RCS), many of which were attributed to iron-nitrate contamination. Since the mid-1980's, N2O4 has been processed through a molecular sieve at the N2O4 manufacturer's facility which results in an iron content typically less than 0.5 parts-per-million-by-weight (ppmw). In February 1995, a Tiger Team was formed to attempt to resolve the iron nitrate problem. Eighteen specific actions were recommended as possibly reducing system failures. Those recommended actions include additional N2O4 molecular sieving at the Shuttle launch site. Testing at NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) determined an alternative molecular sieve material could also reduce the water-equivalent content (free water and HNO3) and thereby further reduce the natural production of iron nitrate in N2O4 while stored in iron-alloy storage tanks. Since April '96, NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has been processing N2O4 through the alternative molecular sieve material prior to delivery to Shuttle launch pad N2O4 storage tanks. A new, much larger capacity molecular sieve unit has also been used. This paper will evaluate the effectiveness of N2O4 molecular sieving on a large-scale basis and attempt to determine if the resultant lower-iron and lower-water content N2O4 maintains this new purity level in pad storage tanks and shuttle flight systems.
The physical and chemical modifications found in the basalt after impact of four penetrators were studied. Laboratory analyses show that mineralogical and elemental changes are produced in the powdered and crushed basalt immediately surrounding the penetrator. Optical microscopy studies of material next to the skin of the penetrator revealed a layer, 0-2 mm thick, of glass and abraded iron alloy mixed with fractured mineral grains of basalt. Elemental analysis of the 0-2 mm layer revealed increased concentrations of Fe, Cr, Ni, No, and Mn, and reduced concentrations of Mg, Al, Si, and Ca. The Fe, Cr, Ni, and Mo were in fragments abraded from the penetrator. Mineralogical changes occurring in the basalt sediment next to the penetrator include the introduction of micron-size grains of alpha-iron, magnetite, and hematite. The newly formed silicate minerals include metastable phases of silica (tridymite and cristobalite). An increased concentration of Fe, Cr, Ni, and Mo occurred in the 2-mm to 1-cm layer of penetrator no. 1, which impacted at the highest velocity. No elemental concentration increase was noted for penetrators nos. 2 and 3 in the 2-mm to 1-cm layer. Contaminants introduced by the penetrator occur up to 1 cm away from the penetrator's skin. Although volatile elements do migrate and new minerals are formed during the destruction of host minerals in the crushed rock, no changes were observed beyond the 1-cm distance.
A model is proposed for the early lunar evolution which accounts for the compositional asymmetry between the nearside and farside of the moon and the natural remanent magnetism of lunar rocks. According to the model, the preferred gravitational energy state consisted of an asymmetric accumulation of a liquid iron alloy (Fe-Ni and a small amount of sulfur) which displaces upwards the cold primordial undifferentiated core. The resulting depth asymmetry of the outer partially molten zone leads eventually to the subcrustal accumulation of light magnesium-rich pyroxenes and olivine, preferentially in one hemisphere, sufficient to explain the offset and also indirectly providing a possible explanation for the nearside concentration of KREEP and mass basalt. Slow downward migration of iron releases gravitational energy sufficient for convection and dynamo generation in an iron layer for about a billion years.
Core formation is the most important and singular differentiation event in the history of a terrestrial planet. It almost certainly involved the downward migration of a partially or wholly molten iron alloy through a silicate and oxide mantle, and was contemporaneous with accretion. Several important, unresolved issues which have implications for mantle and core geochemistry, the thermal history of the Earth, and the origin of geomagnetism are addressed: whether the early Earth was molten; whether core formation involved low or high pressure geochemistry, or both; early Earth mantle homogenization; whether equilibration established between core forming material and the mantle through which it migrated; and how much iron is stranded and unable to reach the core.