Award Data

Despite the rapid commercialization of additive manufacturing technology such as selective laser melting, SLM, there are gaps in process modeling and material property prediction that contribute to slow and costly process qualification and product certification. To address these gaps, CFDRC and our partner Dr. Kevin Chou, University of Alabama, will develop multiple computationally efficient, high ...

This STTR project delivers a compact vibration-based Energy Conversion Module (ECM) that powers sensors for purposes like structural health monitoring (SHM). NASA customers include the ISS and the Orion deep space vehicle, both of which need wireless sensors to monitor and assess structural health. The ECM represents a significant advancement in the use of wireless and self-powered devices by enab ...

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are routinely used by NASA to optimize the design of propulsion systems. Current methods for CFD modeling rely on general materials properties to determine fluid structure interactions. This introduces uncertainty when modeling extreme conditions, where materials degrade and properties may change as a consequence. This also limits the use of CFD as a ...

High-energy space radiation from Galactic Cosmic Rays and Solar Particle Events (SPEs) pose significant risks to equipment and astronaut health in NASA missions. In particular, energetic particles from SPEs associated with flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) constitute a highly dynamic and penetrating radiation environment that may adversely affect not only beyond-Low-Earth-Orbit missions, bu ...

The infrared spectral range is of particular interest for remote planetary sensing of gaseous molecules, such as H2O, CO2, CH4, N2O, CO, NH3, and many other compounds. Infrared thermography can also be used to accurate measure minute variations in surface temperatures. High performance infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) allow rapid acquisition of a 2D surface maps--indispensable in planetary scien ...

This proposal will develop an innovative architecture and concept of operations that permits reliable, safe, and repeated sampling of small bodies. The Lofted Regolith Sampling (LoRS) architecture is based on advanced astrodynamics and autonomy that is robust to target-body uncertainties and is adaptive during operations. The LoRS architecture is based on several key phases that ultimately lead to ...

This proposal describes development of a new type of quantum-cascade laser for use as a local oscillator at frequencies above 2 THz. The THz source described is a single chip solution that operates at room temperature. In addition, a mechanism for wide tuning (2-4.7 THz) is described that requires no moving parts.

The aim of this STTR program is to develop protocols to discover rare-earth-free/rare-earth-lean magnetic alloys for replacing rare earth (RE) -based alloys for reducing the dependence of supply from China. The development of non-RE high temperature magnetic materials is very challenging. In Phase I, CFDRC in collaboration with its university partner has demonstrated a proof-of-concept computation ...

In this STTR program, QuesTek Innovations LLC, a leader in ICME (Integrated Computational Materials Engineering), will partner with Professor Chris Wolverton from Northwestern University to develop a theory-driven compound discovery methodology. Our unique approach will involve high throughput DFT and data mining based approaches to both materials system screening and crystal structure prediction. ...

The objective of this proposal is to integrate three unique energy harvesting technologies utilizing our existing research strengths that will be of interest and utility to NASA applications and environmental conditions. By developing multiple technologies, NASA will be able to harvest energy from multiple waste energy sources, namely environmental vibrations, thermal energy, and solar flux. These ...