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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 19 records

Low-Cost, Large C-SiC Blisk Fabrication

C-SiC composites offer unique properties for propulsion applications. However, fabrication of low-cost, thick, large scale C-SiC disk for integrally bladed disk (blisk) applications has not been established yet. MER has demonstrated a new process to address this issue. Polymer-based processing was employed for interfacial coatings, consolidation and densification. Up to 40" O.C., 2" thick C-SiC composite processing was established, yielding in excess of 1.8 g/cu cm density. Computer tomography (CT) scans on the 40" O.D., 2" thick C-SiC disk showed no visible delamination, and good density uniformity. Stress-rupture testing in air was conducted at 2200 F, 2400 F and 2550 F.

Kowbel, W.↗

Material Development of Faraday Cup Grids for the Solar Probe Plus Mission

The Solar Probe Plus mission will launch a spacecraft to the Sun to study it's outer atmosphere. One of the instruments on board will be a Faraday Cup (FC) sensor. The FC will determine solar wind properties by measuring the current produced by ions striking a metal collector plate. It will be directly exposed to the Sun and will be subject to the temperature and radiation environment that exist within 10 solar radii. Conducting grids within the FC are biased up to 10 kV and are used to selectively transmit particles based on their energy to charge ratio. We report on the development of SiC grids. Tests were done on nitrogen-doped SiC starting disks obtained from several vendors, including annealing under vacuum at 1400 C and measurement of their electrical properties. SiC grids were manufactured using a photolithographic and plasma-etching process. The grids were incorporated into a prototype FC and tested in a simulated solar wind chamber. The energy cutoffs were measured for both proton and electron fluxes and met the anticipated sensor requirements.

Volz, M. P.↗

Deformation and fracture of single-crystal and sintered polycrystalline silicon carbide produced by cavitation

An investigation was conducted to examine the deformation and fracture behavior of single-crystal and sintered polycrystalline SiC surfaces exposed to cavitation. Cavitation erosion experiments were conducted in distilled water at 25 C by using a magnetostrictive oscillator in close proximity (1 mm) to the surface of SiC. The horn frequency was 20 kHz, and the double amplitude of the vibrating disk was 50 microns. The results of the investigation indicate that the SiC (0001) surface could be deformed in a plastic manner during cavitation. Dislocation etch pits were formed when the surface was chemically etched. The number of defects, including dislocations in the SiC (0001) surface, increased with increasing exposure time to cavitation. The presence of intrinsic defects such as voids in the surficial layers of the sintered polycrystalline SiC determined the zones at which fractured grains and fracture pits (pores) were generated. Single-crystal SiC had superior erosion resistance to that of sintered polycrystalline SiC.

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗

Deformation and fracture of single-crystal and sintered polycrystalline silicon carbide produced by cavitation

An investigation was conducted to examine the deformation and fracture behavior of single-crystal and sintered polycrystalline SiC surfaces exposed to cavitation. Cavitation erosion experiments were conducted in distilled water at 25 C by using a magnetostrictive oscillator in close proximity (1 mm) to the surface of SiC. The horn frequency was 20 kHz, and the double amplitude of the vibrating disk was 50 microns. The results of the investigation indicate that the SiC (0001) surface could be deformed in a plastic manner during cavitation. Dislocation etch pits were formed when the surface was chemically etched. The number of defects, including dislocations in SiC (0001) surface, increased with increasing exposure time to cavitation. The presence of intrinsic defects such as voids in the surficial layers of the sintered polycrystalline SiC determined the zones at which fractured grains and fracture pits (pores) were generated. Single-crystal SiC had superior erosion resistance to that of sintered polycrystalline SiC.

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗

Friction and wear of carbon-graphite materials for high-energy brakes

Caliper type brake simulation experiments were conducted on seven different carbon graphite materials formulations against a steel disk material and against a carbon graphite disk material. The effects of binder level, boron carbide (B4C) additions, SiC additions, graphite fiber additions, and graphite cloth reinforcement on friction and wear behavior were investigated. Reductions in binder level, additions of B4C, and additions of SiC each resulted in increased wear. The wear rate was not affected by the addition of graphite fibers. Transition to severe wear and high friction was observed in the case of graphite-cloth-reinforced carbon sliding against a disk of similar composition. The transition was related to the disruption of a continuous graphite shear film that must form on the sliding surfaces if low wear is to occur.

Bill, R. C.↗

Advanced Gas Turbine (AGT) Technology Project

Engine testing, ceramic component fabrication and evaluation, component performance rig testing, and analytical studies comprised AGT 100 activities during the 1985 year. Ten experimental assemblies (builds) were evaluated using two engines. Accrued operating time was 120 hr of burning and 170 hr total, bringing cumulative total operating time to 395 hr, all devoid of major failures. Tests identified the generator seals as the primary working fluid leakage sources. Power transfer clutch operation was demonstrated. An alpha SiC gasifier rotor engine test resulted in blade tip failures. Recurring case vibration and shaft whip have limited gasifier shaft speeds to 84%. Ceramic components successfully engine tested now include the SiC scroll assembly, Si3N3 turbine rotor, combustor assembly, regenerator disk bulkhead, turbine vanes, piston rings, and couplings. A compressor shroud design change to reduce heat recirculation back to the inlet was executed. Ceramic components activity continues to focus on the development of state-of-the-art material strength characteristics in full-scale engine hardware. Fiber reinforced glass-ceramic composite turbine (inner) backplates were fabricated by Corning Glass Works. The BMAS/III material performed well in engine testing. Backplates of MAS material have not been engine tested.

Source record↗

Structural Design Parameters for Germanium

The fracture toughness and slow crack growth parameters of germanium supplied as single crystal beams and coarse grain disks were measured. Although germanium is anisotropic (A* 1.7), it is not as anisotropic as SiC, NiAl, or Cu. Thus the fracture toughness was similar on the 100, 110, and 111 planes, however, measurements associated with randomly oriented grinding cracks were 6 to 30 higher. Crack extension in ring loaded disks occurred on the 111 planes due to both the lower fracture energy and the higher stresses on stiff 111 planes. Germanium exhibits a Weibull scale effect, but does not exhibit significant slow crack growth in distilled water. (n 100), implying that design for quasi static loading can be performed with scaled strength statistics. Practical values for engineering design are a fracture toughness of 0.69 0.02 MPam (megapascals per square root meter) and a Weibull modulus of m 6 2. For well ground and reasonable handled coupons, average fracture strength should be greater than 40 megapascals. Aggregate, polycrystalline elastic constants are Epoly 131 gigapascals, vpoly 0.22.

fracture toughness↗

Zodiac II: Debris Disk Science from a Balloon

Zodiac II is a proposed balloon-borne science investigation of debris disks around nearby stars. Debris disks are analogs of the Asteroid Belt (mainly rocky) and Kuiper Belt (mainly icy) in our Solar System. Zodiac II will measure the size, shape, brightness, and color of a statistically significant sample of disks. These measurements will enable us to probe these fundamental questions: what do debris disks tell us about the evolution of planetary systems; how are debris disks produced; how are debris disks shaped by planets; what materials are debris disks made of; how much dust do debris disks make sa they grind down; and how long do debris disks live? In addition, Zodiac II will observe hot, young exoplanets as targets of opportunity. The Zodiac II instrument is a 1.1-m diameter SiC telescope and an imaging coronagraph on a gondola carried by a stratospheric balloon. Its data product is a set of images of each targeted debris disk in four broad visible wavelength bands. Zodiac II will address its science questions by taking high-resolution, multi-wavelength images of the debris disks around tens of nearby stars. Mid-latitude flights are considered: overnight test flights within the United States followed by half-global flights in the Southern Hemisphere. These longer flights are required to fully explore the set of known debris disks accessible only to Zodiac II. On these targets, it will be 100 times more sensitive than the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS); no existing telescope can match the Zodiac II contrast and resolution performance. A second objective of Zodiac II is to use the near-space environment to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of SiC mirrors, internal coronagraphs, deformable mirrors, and wavefront sensing and control, all potentially needed for a future space-based telescope for high-contrast exoplanet imaging.

Bryden, Geoffrey↗

Zodiac II: Debris Disk Science from a Balloon

Zodiac II is a proposed balloon-borne science investigation of debris disks around nearby stars. Debris disks are analogs of the Asteroid Belt (mainly rocky) and Kuiper Belt (mainly icy) in our Solar System. Zodiac II will measure the size, shape, brightness, and color of a statistically significant sample of disks. These measurements will enable us to probe these fundamental questions: what do debris disks tell us about the evolution of planetary systems; how are debris disks produced; how are debris disks shaped by planets; what materials are debris disks made of; how much dust do debris disks make as they grind down; and how long do debris disks live? In addition, Zodiac II will observe hot, young exoplanets as targets of opportunity. The Zodiac II instrument is a 1.1-m diameter SiC (Silicone carbide) telescope and an imaging coronagraph on a gondola carried by a stratospheric balloon. Its data product is a set of images of each targeted debris disk in four broad visible-wavelength bands. Zodiac II will address its science questions by taking high-resolution, multi-wavelength images of the debris disks around tens of nearby stars. Mid-latitude flights are considered: overnight test flights in the US followed by half-global flights in the Southern Hemisphere. These longer flights are required to fully explore the set of known debris disks accessible only to Zodiac II. On these targets, it will be 100 times more sensitive than the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS); no existing telescope can match the Zodiac II contrast and resolution performance. A second objective of Zodiac II is to use the near-space environment to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of SiC mirrors, internal coronagraphs, deformable mirrors, and wavefront sensing and control, all potentially needed for a future space-based telescope for high-contrast exoplanet imaging.

suborbital↗

Sliding wear of self-mated Al2O3-SiC whisker reinforced composites at 23-1200 C

Microstructural changes occurring during sliding wear of self-mated Al2O3-SiC whisker reinforced composites were studied using optical, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Pin-on-disk specimens were slid in air at 2.7 m/sec sliding velocity under a 26.5 N load for 1 hr. Wear tests were conducted at 23, 600, 800, and 1200 C. Mild wear with a wear factor of 2.4 times 10(exp -7) to 1.5 times 10(exp -6) cu mm/Nm was experienced at all test temperatures. The composite shows evidence of wear by fatigue mechanisms at 800 C and below. Tribochemical reaction (SiC oxidation and reaction of SiO2 and Al2O3) leads to intergranular failure at 1200 C. Distinct microstructural differences existing at each test temperature are reported.

Farmer, Serene C.↗

Slow Crack Growth of Germanium

The fracture toughness and slow crack growth parameters of germanium supplied as single crystal beams and coarse grain disks were measured. Although germanium is anisotropic (A=1.7), it is not as anisotropic as SiC, NiAl, or Cu, as evidence by consistent fracture toughness on the 100, 110, and 111 planes. Germanium does not exhibit significant slow crack growth in distilled water. (n=100). Practical values for engineering design are a fracture toughness of 0.7 MPam and a Weibull modulus of m=6+/-2. For well ground and reasonable handled coupons, fracture strength should be greater than 30 MPa.

Stress Corrosion Susceptibility↗

Comparison of NDE techniques for sintered-SiC components

High frequency, bulk-wave ultrasonics detected defects in manufactured SiC components. In addition, gas-turbine blades and vanes were examined by scanning laser acoustic microscopy (SLAM). Comparative results obtained on simple shapes such as disks and bars by microfocus X-ray radiography, ultrasonics, scanning photoacoustic spectroscopy, and SLAM are discussed.

Srinivasan, M.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2004

Topics: Optoelectronic Sensor System for Guidance in Docking; Hybrid Piezoelectric/Fiber-Optic Sensor Sheets; Multisensor Arrays for Greater Reliability and Accuracy; Integrated-Optic Oxygen Sensors; Ka-Band Autonomous Formation Flying Sensor; CMOS VLSI Active-Pixel Sensor for Tracking; Lightweight, Self-Deploying Foam Antenna Structures; Electrically Small Microstrip Quarter-Wave Monopole Antennas; A 2-to-28-MHz Phase-Locked Loop; Portable Electromyograph; Open-Source Software for Modeling of Nanoelectronic Devices; Software for Generating Strip Maps from SAR Data; Calibration Software for use with Jurassicprok; Software for Probabilistic Risk Reduction; Software Processes SAR Motion-Measurement Data; Improved Method of Purifying Carbon Nanotubes; Patterned Growth of Carbon Nanotubes or Nanofibers; Lightweight, Rack-Mountable Composite Cold Plate/Shelves; SiC-Based Miniature High-Temperature Cantilever Anemometer; Inlet Housing for a Partial-Admission Turbine; Lightweight Thermoformed Structural Components and Optics; Growing High-Quality InAs Quantum Dots for Infrared Lasers; Selected Papers on Protoplanetary Disks; Module for Oxygenating Water without Generating Bubbles; Coastal Research Imaging Spectrometer; Rapid Switching and Modulation by use of Coupled VCSELs; Laser-Induced-Fluorescence Photogrammetry and Videogrammetry; Laboratory Apparatus Generates Dual-Species Cold Atomic Beam; Laser Ablation of Materials for Propulsion of Spacecraft; Small Active Radiation Monitor; Hybrid Image-Plane/Stereo Manipulation; Partitioning a Gridded Rectangle into Smaller Rectangles; Digital Radar-Signal Processors Implemented in FPGAs; Part 1 of a Computational Study of a Drop-Laden Mixing Layer; and Some Improvements in Signal-Conditioning Circuits.

Source record↗

Experimentally determined wear behavior of an Al2O3-SiC composite from 25 to 1200 C

The sliding wear behavior of a self-mated alumina-silicon carbide whisker toughened composite was studied using optical, scanning electron (SEM) and transmission electron (TEM) microscopy. Because of its excellent strength and toughness properties this composite material is under consideration for use in heat engine applications for sliding contacts which operate at elevated temperatures. The composite's wear behavior and especially its wear mechanisms are not well understood. Pin-on-disk specimens were slid in air at 2.7 m/s sliding velocity, under a 26.5-N load, at temperatures 25 to 1200 C. Pin wear increased with increasing temperature. Based upon the microscopic analyses, the wear mechanism seems to be loosening of the reinforcing whiskers due to frictional and bulk heating. This leads to whisker pullout and increased wear.

Dellacorte, Christopher↗

Advanced Gas Turbine (AGT) technology report

Engine testing, ceramic component fabrication and evaluation, component performance rig testing, and producibility experiments at Pontiac comprised AGT 100 activities of this period, January to December 1984. Two experimental engines were available and allowed the evaluation of eight experimental assemblies. Operating time accumulated was 115 hr of burning and 156 hr total. Total cumulative engine operating time is now 225 hr. Build number 11 and 12 of engine S/N 1 totaled 28 burning hours and constituted a single assembly of the engine core--the compressor, both turbines, and the gearbox. Build number 11 of engine S/N 1 included a 1:07 hr continuous test at 100% gasifier speed (86,000 rpm). Build number 8 of engine S/N 2 was the first engine test with a ceramic turbine rotor. A mechanical loss test of an engine assembly revealed the actual losses to be near the original design allowance. Component development activity included rig testing of the compressor, combustor, and regenerator. Compressor testing was initiated on a rig modified to control the transfer of heat between flow path, lubricating oil, and structure. Results show successful thermal decoupling of the rig and lubricating/cooling oil. Rig evaluation of a reduced-friction compressor was initiated. Combustor testing covered qualification of ceramic parts for engine use, mapping of operating range limits, and evaluation of a relocated igniter plug. Several seal refinements were tested on the hot regenerator rig. An alternate regenerator disk, extruded MAS, was examined and found to be currently inadequate for the AGT 100 application. Also, a new technique for measuring leakage was explored on the regenerator rig. Ceramic component activity has focused on the development of state-of-the-art material strength characteristics in full-scale hardware. Injection-molded sintered alpha-SiC rotors were produced at Carborundum in an extensive process and tool optimization study.

Source record↗

Development of Ceramic Matrix Composite Turbine Blisks for Rocket Engines

Ceramic matrix composite (CMC) integrally bladed turbine disks (blisks) are being considered for use in various advanced propulsion systems for space vehicles. The successful development of this technology can significantly impact National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space transportation missions, by enabling new efficient systems that can operate at higher temperatures, while reducing costs. Composite blisks comprised of carbon (C) fibers and a silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic matrix were designed, fabricated, characterized, and tested by a multidisciplinary team involving materials, design, structural analysis, turbomachinery, and nondestructive evaluation representatives from government, academia, and industry during a 4.5 year effort led by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The testing of several of these blisks, which were developed in the Simplex Turbopump CMC Blisk ]Program for use in rocket engine turbopumps, was recently completed. CMC blisks offer potential advantages in rocket engine turbopumps including increased safety resulting from increased operating temperature margins and greater pump reliability, and decreased costs resulting from improved turbopump performance. The progress that was achieved in that development effort is reviewed, and some of the technology that could be applied to other advanced space transportation propulsion systems is discussed.

Effinger, Mike↗

Abundant Solar Nebula Solids in Comets

Comets have been proposed to consist of unprocessed interstellar materials together with a variable amount of thermally annealed interstellar grains. Recent studies of cometary solids in the laboratory have shown that comets instead consist of a wide range of materials from across the protoplanetary disk, in addition to a minor complement of interstellar materials. These advances were made possible by the return of direct samples of comet 81P/Wild 2 coma dust by the NASA Stardust mission and recent advances in microscale analytical techniques. Isotopic studies of 'cometary' chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles (CP-IDPs) and comet 81P/Wild 2 Stardust samples show that preserved interstellar materials are more abundant in comets than in any class of meteorite. Identified interstellar materials include sub-micron-sized presolar silicates, oxides, and SiC dust grains and some fraction of the organic material that binds the samples together. Presolar grain abundances reach 1 weight percentage in the most stardust-rich CP-IDPs, 50 times greater than in meteorites. Yet, order of magnitude variations in presolar grain abundances among CP-IDPs suggest cometary solids experienced significant variations in the degree of processing in the solar nebula. Comets contain a surprisingly high abundance of nebular solids formed or altered at high temperatures. Comet 81P/Wild 2 samples include 10-40 micron-sized, refractory Ca- Al-rich inclusion (CAI)-, chondrule-, and ameboid olivine aggregate (AOA)-like materials. The O isotopic compositions of these refractory materials are remarkably similar to their meteoritic counterparts, ranging from 5 percent enrichments in (sup 16) O to near-terrestrial values. Comet 81P/Wild 2 and CP-IDPs also contain abundant Mg-Fe crystalline and amorphous silicates whose O isotopic compositions are also consistent with Solar System origins. Unlike meteorites, that are dominated by locally-produced materials, comets appear to be composed of materials that were formed across a wide swath of the early protoplanetary disk.

Messenger, S.↗