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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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NASA NTRS2019

Materials and Processes for New Propulsion Systems with Reduced Environmental Impact

Aeronautics research at NASA Glenn Research Center includes development, characterization and modeling of high temperature, lightweight materials and fabrication processes for aircraft propulsion systems with increased efficiency and reduced emissions, fuel burn and noise. Current propulsion materials research includes Ceramic Matrix Composites and Environmental Barrier Coatings, Polymer Matrix Composites and Additive Manufacturing processes. This presentation will summarize recent progress and plans in these areas. Ceramic Matrix Composites for Turbine Components: As part of NASA's Aeronautics research, Glenn Research Center has developed Ceramic Matrix Composites for 2700 degrees Fahrenheit turbine engine applications in the next generation of ultra-efficient aircraft. In this presentation, the development of advanced fiber and matrix constituents that enabled this advancement will be reviewed, and characterization of the resulting improvements in mechanical properties and durability will be summarized. Progress toward the development and validation of models predicting the effects of the engine environment on durability of Ceramic Matrix Composites and Environmental Barrier Coatings will be summarized. Progress and plans for collaborative research with industry and other government agencies will be reviewed. Polymer Matrix Composites for Powertrain and Impact Protection: A lightweight, hybrid polymer matrix composite/steel gear concept for rotorcraft power transmission applications was evaluated at realistic speed, torque, and power conditions. Dynamic testing was performed at 5000 horsepower and 5400 revolutions per minute with no performance degradation. Test results demonstrated the potential of hybrid composite / metal gears to reduce gear weight by approximately 15 percent, enabling the implementation of multi-speed drive systems, which would otherwise have a weight penalty, for increased speed and efficiency. Results of post-test inspection and endurance tests will be presented. Separately, ballistic impact tests demonstrated improved damage tolerance in polymer matrix composites by incorporating lightweight, thermoplastic veil materials between selected composite plies during the composite fabrication process. Results of impact tests and post-test inspection will be presented. Additive Manufacturing for Electric Propulsion: Additive Manufacturing processes offer the potential to fabricate new, high power density electric motor designs with complex geometries, multi-material components and optimally designed components that would not be feasible with traditional manufacturing processes. High performance stator components using advanced 3-phase conductive coils were fabricated using direct printing with optimized silver pastes. Additional additive manufacturing methods are being used to fabricate rotors and motor housing components. Systems studies show that the higher performance and lower weight motors offer improved energy efficiency and reduced emissions. Improvements to motor performance resulting from optimized materials and component designs will be presented.

Additive Manufacturing↗
NASA NTRS2004

Optimal Synthesis of Compliant Mechanisms using Subdivision and Commercial FEA (DETC2004-57497)

The field of distributed-compliance mechanisms has seen significant work in developing suitable topology optimization tools for their design. These optimal design tools have grown out of the techniques of structural optimization. This paper will build on the previous work in topology optimization and compliant mechanism design by proposing an alternative design space parameterization through control points and adding another step to the process, that of subdivision. The control points allow a specific design to be represented as a solid model during the optimization process. The process of subdivision creates an additional number of control points that help smooth the surface (for example a C(sup 2) continuous surface depending on the method of subdivision chosen) creating a manufacturable design free of some traditional numerical instabilities. Note that these additional control points do not add to the number of design parameters. This alternative parameterization and description as a solid model effectively and completely separates the design variables from the analysis variables during the optimization procedure. The motivation behind this work is to create an automated design tool from task definition to functional prototype created on a CNC or rapid-prototype machine. This paper will describe the proposed compliant mechanism design process and will demonstrate the procedure on several examples common in the literature.

Hull, Patrick V.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Enabling Additive Manufacturing Technologies for Advanced Aero Propulsion Materials & Components

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are enabling for advanced high performance, propulsion component designs in electric motors1-2 and turbine engine systems in future electrified aircraft. AM offers significant benefits over conventional manufacturing to fabricate components that are more compact, lighter weight, geometrically complex, innovatively cooled, integrated, multi-material, and multifunctional. For turbine engine applications, silicon carbide (SiC) based composites are being pursued using binder jetting and laminated object manufacturing (LOM) for components such as shrouds, vanes, and recuperators. For electric motor applications, additive processes are being applied toward optimized component designs to include the housing, rotor, and stators with 3-D printing and wire imbedded coils and with direct printed 3-phase coils. The electrical conductivity of silver conductor coils optimized by evaluating alternate sintering methods and additions of graphene and carbon nanostructures will be presented. Potential benefits of new electric motor components in improving temperature capability, efficiency, and power density for reductions in energy consumption and emissions will be discussed.

Halbig, Michael C.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Producing Next Generation Superalloys Through Advanced Characterization and Manufacturing Techniques

NASA is currently working towards developing the next generation high temperature alloys for various aerospace and energy applications. Through advanced microscopy and computational insights, a novel atomic scale strengthening mechanism was discovered in Ni-base superalloys. This new local phase transformation strengthening technique has been successfully implemented resulting in new disk alloys with substantial improvements in creep strength over current state-of-the-art. Furthermore, additive manufacturing has been leveraged to produce dispersion strengthened (DS), multi-principal element alloys (MPEA) without the use of traditional mechanical alloying or chemical reactions. This new processing technique has successfully resulted in 99.9% dense oxide dispersion strengthened NiCoCr alloy parts. High temperature mechanical testing of the DS alloys showed significant improvements in strength and ductility over the baseline NiCoCr. As a result, this recently discovered processing route opens a new alloy design and production path that is synergistic between additive manufacturing and dispersion strengthening, possibly enabling a new generation of high-performance alloys.

Smith, Timothy M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Technical and Economic Assessment of Span-Loaded Cargo Aircraft Concepts

The benefits are assessed of span distributed loading concepts as applied to future commercial air cargo operations. A two phased program is used to perform this assessment. The first phase consists of selected parametric studies to define significant configuration, performance, and economic trends. The second phase consists of more detailed engineering design, analysis, and economic evaluations to define the technical and economic feasibility of a selected spanloader design. A conventional all-cargo aircraft of comparable technology and size is used as a comparator system. The technical feasibility is demonstrated of the spanloader concept with no new major technology efforts required to implement the system. However, certain high pay-off technologies such as winglets, airfoil design, and advanced structural materials and manufacturing techniques need refinement and definition prior to application. In addition, further structural design analysis could establish the techniques and criteria necessary to fully capitalize upon the high degree of structural commonality and simplicity inherent in the spanloader concept.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

An acoustic charge transport imager for high definition television applications

The primary goal of this research is to develop a solid-state high definition television (HDTV) imager chip operating at a frame rate of about 170 frames/sec at 2 Megapixels per frame. This imager offers an order of magnitude improvement in speed over CCD designs and will allow for monolithic imagers operating from the IR to the UV. The technical approach of the project focuses on the development of the three basic components of the imager and their integration. The imager chip can be divided into three distinct components: (1) image capture via an array of avalanche photodiodes (APD's), (2) charge collection, storage and overflow control via a charge transfer transistor device (CTD), and (3) charge readout via an array of acoustic charge transport (ACT) channels. The use of APD's allows for front end gain at low noise and low operating voltages while the ACT readout enables concomitant high speed and high charge transfer efficiency. Currently work is progressing towards the development of manufacturable designs for each of these component devices. In addition to the development of each of the three distinct components, work towards their integration is also progressing. The component designs are considered not only to meet individual specifications but to provide overall system level performance suitable for HDTV operation upon integration. The ultimate manufacturability and reliability of the chip constrains the design as well. The progress made during this period is described in detail in Sections 2-4.

Hunt, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Additive Manufacturing for Affordable Rocket Engines

Additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing) technology has the potential to drastically reduce costs and lead times associated with the development of complex liquid rocket engine systems. NASA is using 3D printing to manufacture rocket engine components including augmented spark igniters, injectors, turbopumps, and valves. NASA is advancing the process to certify these components for flight. Success Story: MSFC has been developing rocket 3D-printing technology using the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process. Over the last several years, NASA has built and tested several injectors and combustion chambers. Recently, MSFC has 3D printed an augmented spark igniter for potential use the RS-25 engines that will be used on the Space Launch System. The new design is expected to reduce the cost of the igniter by a factor of four. MSFC has also 3D printed and tested a liquid hydrogen turbopump for potential use on an Upper Stage Engine. Additive manufacturing of the turbopump resulted in a 45% part count reduction. To understanding how the 3D printed parts perform and to certify them for flight, MSFC built a breadboard liquid rocket engine using additive manufactured components including injectors, turbomachinery, and valves. The liquid rocket engine was tested seven times in 2016 using liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In addition to exposing the hardware to harsh environments, engineers learned to design for the new manufacturing technique, taking advantage of its capabilities and gaining awareness of its limitations. Benefit: The 3D-printing technology promises reduced cost and schedule for rocket engines. Cost is a function of complexity, and the most complicated features provide the largest opportunities for cost reductions. This is especially true where brazes or welds can be eliminated. The drastic reduction in part count achievable with 3D printing creates a waterfall effect that reduces the number of processes and drawings, decreases the amount of touch labor required, and increases reliability. When certification is achieved, NASA missions will be able to realize these benefits.

West, Brian↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Power and Propulsion: Small Core Advanced Thermal Management Project Overview

This presentation is intended to provide an overview of the various efforts under the Advanced Air Transport Technology (AATT) project related to engine thermal management. Sustainable flight is the key motivator for all our efforts, and innovative thermal technologies play a crucial role in achieving this goal. The technologies described in this presentation can be applied to both traditional gas turbines and advanced cycles which utilize alternative fuels. Within our project, we utilize the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and additive manufacturing. This ranges from using AI to generate heat exchanger fin topologies, to using ML for a reduction in computational cost which allows for a more thorough design exploration. Many times, the resulting topologies can only be realized through additive manufacturing techniques. Most of what’s presented is currently low TRL, but the intent is to achieve TRL 4 by the end of the project.

Propulsion↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Discovering Digital Engineering Needs Through Human-Centered Approaches

Digital engineering has the power to transform organizations in profound ways, but digitizing legacy workflows and infusing new technologies into existing practices may not yield the intended results or address the underlying problems or bottlenecks. This paper describes the human-centered approaches used to understand stakeholder challenges and identify digital engineering needs during the design-build-test portion of the systems development lifecycle. Through a series of interactive stakeholder workshops and need-finding activities, key stakeholder needs were identified to help guide the integration of digital engineering technologies. The overarching need was for downstream system development steps to be considered further upstream in the project lifecycle in a manner that allows for proactive and interactive co-constructive idea exploration, problem resolution, and requirements considerations in a collective engagement with engineers and technicians from multiple disciplines to increase efficiency and reduce risks while offering opportunities to improve the final engineered system. Supporting this need was a wide-ranging desire from stakeholders for digital and non-digital support structures for efficient rapid iteration during system development. This work yielded several improvements for system development processes and for digital engineering infusion.

Design Science↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Frank Discussion on Lessons Learned From Adopting and Applying NASA-STD-6030 for Spaceflight Systems

With the advancement and adoption of Additive Manufacturing (AM) for spaceflight systems, numerous lessons have been learned during the qualification and certification of AM components. The lessons learned covered in this presentation will provide an overview of the challenges faced by NASA centers and commercial partners working to design AM hardware that complies with NASA-STD-6030 Additive Manufacturing Requirements (AMR). Topics of interest include tailoring of requirements for specific projects, documentation requirements, and addressing conservative approaches towards mechanical property development and analysis. In addition to that, this presentation aims to impress that these lessons learned will influence the future revisions of the NASA technical standard to facilitate and advance AM technology adoption on NASA projects.

Additive Manufacturing↗
NASA NTRS2001

Accurate Time-Dependent Traveling-Wave Tube Model Developed for Computational Bit-Error-Rate Testing

The phenomenal growth of the satellite communications industry has created a large demand for traveling-wave tubes (TWT's) operating with unprecedented specifications requiring the design and production of many novel devices in record time. To achieve this, the TWT industry heavily relies on computational modeling. However, the TWT industry's computational modeling capabilities need to be improved because there are often discrepancies between measured TWT data and that predicted by conventional two-dimensional helical TWT interaction codes. This limits the analysis and design of novel devices or TWT's with parameters differing from what is conventionally manufactured. In addition, the inaccuracy of current computational tools limits achievable TWT performance because optimized designs require highly accurate models. To address these concerns, a fully three-dimensional, time-dependent, helical TWT interaction model was developed using the electromagnetic particle-in-cell code MAFIA (Solution of MAxwell's equations by the Finite-Integration-Algorithm). The model includes a short section of helical slow-wave circuit with excitation fed by radiofrequency input/output couplers, and an electron beam contained by periodic permanent magnet focusing. A cutaway view of several turns of the three-dimensional helical slow-wave circuit with input/output couplers is shown. This has been shown to be more accurate than conventionally used two-dimensional models. The growth of the communications industry has also imposed a demand for increased data rates for the transmission of large volumes of data. To achieve increased data rates, complex modulation and multiple access techniques are employed requiring minimum distortion of the signal as it is passed through the TWT. Thus, intersymbol interference (ISI) becomes a major consideration, as well as suspected causes such as reflections within the TWT. To experimentally investigate effects of the physical TWT on ISI would be prohibitively expensive, as it would require manufacturing numerous amplifiers, in addition to acquiring the required digital hardware. As an alternative, the time-domain TWT interaction model developed here provides the capability to establish a computational test bench where ISI or bit error rate can be simulated as a function of TWT operating parameters and component geometries. Intermodulation products, harmonic generation, and backward waves can also be monitored with the model for similar correlations. The advancements in computational capabilities and corresponding potential improvements in TWT performance may prove to be the enabling technologies for realizing unprecedented data rates for near real time transmission of the increasingly larger volumes of data demanded by planned commercial and Government satellite communications applications. This work is in support of the Cross Enterprise Technology Development Program in Headquarters' Advanced Technology & Mission Studies Division and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

Kory, Carol L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The case for Mars II

Among the topics discussed are: the political aspects of the exploration of Mars, preparatory mission scenarios in advance of manned Martian exploration, and scientific programs for a base on Mars. Consideration is also given to: mission strategies and spacecraft design for a Mars base program; concepts for the realization of a manned mission to Mars; dirigible airship applications to Martian surface exploration; and the power requirements of several Martian base designs. Additional topics include: the impact of propellant manufacturing on early manned exploration of the solar system; water supply issues for a manned Mars base; and psychological and interpersonal adaptation to life on Mars.

Mckay, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Fully Three-Dimensional Helical RF Field Effects on TWT Interaction

The phenomenal growth of the satellite communications industry has created a large demand for traveling wave-tubes (TWTs) operating with unprecedented specifications requiring design and production of many novel devices in record time. To achieve this, the TWT industry heavily relies upon computational modeling. However, there is a need for improvement in the TWT industry's computational modeling capabilities as there are often discrepancies between measured TWT data and that predicted by conventional two-dimensional helical TWT interaction codes. This severely limits the analysis and design of novel devices or TWTs with parameters differing from what is conventionally manufactured. In addition, the inaccuracy of current computational tools limits achievable TWT performance because optimized designs require highly accurate models. In particular, collector efficiency, which significantly affects overall TWT efficiency, is difficult to optimize unless extremely accurate spent beam data is predicted by the interaction code.

Kory, Carol L.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Summary of NDE of Additive Manufacturing Efforts in NASA

(1) General Rationale for Additive Manufacturing (AM): (a) Operate under a 'design-to-constraint' paradigm, make parts too complicated to fabricate otherwise, (b) Reduce weight by 20 percent with monolithic parts, (c) Reduce waste (green manufacturing), (e) Eliminate reliance on Original Equipment Manufacturers for critical spares, and (f) Extend life of in-service parts by innovative repair methods; (2) NASA OSMA NDE of AM State-of-the-Discipline Report; (3) Overview of NASA AM Efforts at Various Centers: (a) Analytical Tools, (b) Ground-Based Fabrication (c) Space-Based Fabrication; and (d) Center Activity Summaries; (4) Overview of NASA NDE data to date on AM parts; and (5) Gap Analysis/Recommendations for NDE of AM.

Waller, Jess↗
NASA NTRS2018

A Risk Analysis Tool for Estimating the Risk of Electrical Failures Due to Human Induced Defects

Aerospace electrical systems are required to withstand and adequately operate in extremely harsh environments that include, for example, high radiation exposure, temperature extremes, intense vibrational stress and drastic temperature cycling. The nature of aerospace electronics also demands high reliability since, with very few exceptions, there is no chance for hardware servicing or repairs. Common risk mitigation techniques for this type of situation are to perform a Reliability Analysis of the system throughout the development cycle, and to use electrical components that are regarded as “high reliability” because of additional controls and requirements applied in their design, manufacturing and testing. Unfortunately, studies have shown that even though these techniques are used, many systems fail to meet mission requirements well before the predicted lifetimes. This paper presents the analysis of failures of electrical parts, experienced during various stages of system development, at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD, between the years 2001 and 2013. These components were subjected to qualification, screening and testing in which the goal was to ensure that the components would survive the stresses of the mission. The analysis categorizes failures by part type and failure mechanisms. One of the results of the analysis was the realization that a surprising proportion of failures experienced during system integration and testing were caused by human error (i.e. human induced defect). Further analysis included the determination of root failure mechanisms and any influencing factors contributing to these failures. The major causes of these defects were attributed to electrostatic damage (ESD), electrical overstress (EOS), mechanical overstress (MOS), and thermal overstress (TOS). Finally, the study proposes a risk analysis tool which incorporates these major causes for the failures, termed error-producing conditions (EPCs), and a proportionality factor representing the number of each type of failure that has occurred at the facility under study. These factors are quantified and used to communicate the risk of human induced defects for the assembly, integration and testing of space hardware based on the system’s electrical parts list. The new risk identification can trigger risk-mitigating actions more effectively, based on the presence of component categories or other hazardous conditions that have a history of failure due to human error.

Majewicz, Peter J.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Electronic Nose Development and Preliminary Human Breath Testing for Rapid, Non-Invasive COVID-19 Detection

We adapted an existing, spaceflight-proven, robust “electronic nose” (E-Nose) that uses an array of electrical resistivity-based nanosensors mimicking aspects of mammalian olfaction to conduct on-site, rapid screening for COVID-19 infection by measuring the pattern of sensor responses to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled human breath. We built and tested multiple copies of a hand-held prototype E-Nose sensor system, composed of 64 chemically sensitive nanomaterial sensing elements tailored to COVID-19 VOC detection; data acquisition electronics; a smart tablet with software (App) for sensor control, data acquisition and display; and a sampling fixture to capture exhaled breath samples and deliver them to the sensor array inside the E-Nose. The sensing elements detect the combination of VOCs typical in breath at parts-per-billion (ppb) levels, with repeatability of 0.02% and reproducibility of 1.2%; the measurement electronics in the E-Nose provide measurement accuracy and signal-to-noise ratios comparable to benchtop instrumentation. Preliminary clinical testing at Stanford Medicine with 63 participants, their COVID-19-positive or COVID-19-negative status determined by concomitant RT-PCR, discriminated between these two categories of human breath with a 79% correct identification rate using “leave-one-out” training-and-analysis methods. Analyzing the E-Nose response in conjunction with body temperature and other non-invasive symptom screening using advanced machine learning methods, with a much larger database of responses from a wider swath of the population, is expected to provide more accurate on-the-spot answers. Additional clinical testing, design refinement, and a mass manufacturing approach are the main steps toward deploying this technology to rapidly screen for active infection in clinics and hospitals, public and commercial venues, or at home.

COVID-19↗
NASA NTRS2020

Efficient production of a high-performance dispersion strengthened, multi-principal element alloy

Additive manufacturing currently facilitates new avenues for materials discovery that have not been fully explored. In this study we reveal how additive manufacturing can be leveraged to produce dispersion strengthened (DS), multi-principal element alloys (MPEA) without the use of traditional mechanical alloying or chemical reactions. This new processing technique employed resonant acoustic mixing to coat an equiatomic NiCoCr powder with nano-scale yttrium oxides. Then, through laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), the coated powder was successfully consolidated into 99.9% dense parts. Microstructural analysis confirmed the successful incorporation and dispersion of nano-scale oxides throughout the build volume. Furthermore, high temperature mechanical testing of the DS alloys showed significant improvements in strength and ductility over the baseline NiCoCr. As a result, this recently discovered processing route opens a new alloy design and production path that is synergistic between additive manufacturing and dispersion strengthening, possibly enabling a new generation of high-performance alloys.

T.M. Smith↗
NASA NTRS2018

Characterizing Performance of Additively Manufacturing Regenerative Cooled Combustion Chambers Through Hot Fire Testing

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed several additive manufactured regenerative cooled combustion chambers from 2014 to present. Chambers have been constructed using the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) powder bed additive manufacturing (AM) technique. The materials used for the chambers has varied from Inconel 718, Inconel 625, GRCop-84, and C18150 metal alloys. The surface finish and build techniques used to successfully manufacture combustion chambers using the SLM AM result in as built surface finish and off nominal geometric features. This paper discusses and reviews the effects of surface roughness, flow area, and hydraulic performance of regenerative cooled combustion chambers. The thrust chambers designs tested ranged from 200 to 1,400 psia producing 1,000 to 35,000 lbf thrust. Empirical data from four test campaigns will be reviewed and related to design modeling parameters such as pressure drop, surface roughness, and actual fluid flow geometry. Correlation results with simple 2-D CFD modeling will also be presented. The goal of the work is to better understand how the finished additive manufactured component characteristics inside internal features can effect regenerative cooling chamber design. Adjustments to design methodology will be discussed and recommended based on the above results.

Garcia, C. P.↗