Technology Opportunity Showcase highlights some unique technologies that NASA has developed and which we believe have strong potential for commercial application. While the descriptions provided here are brief, they should provide enough information to communicate the potential applications of the technology. For more detailed information, contact the person listed. Please mention that you read about it in Innovation.
Technology Opportunity Showcase
New Opportunities at Ames and Lewis
Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation
Ames Research Center is offering licensing options to manufacture and distribute, as well as seeking industry partnerships to further develop, a low-density rigid ceramic composite called Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation (TUFI) with multiple applications. Its resistance in extreme heat environments is between 20 to 100 times more than coating currently used on Space Shuttle reusable surface insulation tiles. TUFI performs well in a convectively heated environment at temperatures in excess of 1,260 degrees Celsius (2,300 degrees Fahrenheit), and it is very lightweight. It can be machined and molded and has manipulative properties, such as density, thickness, and surface porosity. TUFI can be used in construction for improved, lightweight drywall, ceiling material and roofing shingles. It can also be used to insulate boxes for electrical units and wiring, to make lightweight tools designed to work with heated objects or to make bricks for use in furnaces and fireplaces in which temperatures do not consistently exceed 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit. TUFI is easy to waterproof, possesses superb insulating qualities to enhance existing thermal and acoustic insulation in any structure and can be custom-tailored. TUFI is a new process resulting from an effort to improve reusable surface insulation coatings, in which the system's surface density was intentionally reduced from that of the fully dense reaction cured glass coatings on the Space Shuttle.
Liquid Crystal Coating Method
Licensing opportunities are available for U.S. companies interested in developing commercial applications of Ames Research Center's liquid crystal coating method. This technique, which measures surface stress patterns, is inexpensive, requires no surface penetration and produces immediate full-surface cause-and-effect results. It uses rapid, continuous and nonintrusive measurements of surface shear stress magnitude to identify frictional forces generated by gases or liquids. The coating is applied to the test surface and illuminated by a white light source, and the reflected color patterns are recorded using a color video camera. Time responses are in milliseconds, and the accuracy is equivalent to existing point-measurement sensors. Commercial uses for this diagnostic method include road testing of high- performance racing equipment and various types of wind tunnel testing for fixed-wing aircraft and components, automotive designs and components, and missile configurations. It can also be used in laboratory testing of dynamic air flowing around buildings or structures, as well as scientific, medical or engineering fields in which the measurement of high-speed internal flows through channels, pumps or compressors is needed.
For more information regarding
the above two Ames technologies, contact Technology Access at the National
Technology Transfer Center. Call (800) 678-6882,
E-mail: technology@nttc.edu
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.
Affordable Silicon CarbideÐBased Ceramics and Fiber-Reinforced Composites
NASA is seeking to transfer a fabrication approach for silicon carbideÐbased ceramics and fiber-reinforced composites. NASA is looking for companies interested in developing and commercializing these materials for a variety of low- and high-temperature applications developed at the Lewis Research Center in collaboration with NYMA, Inc. The precursor materials used in this approach, which has near-net and complex shape capabilities, are low cost and can be used in hot sections of jet engines, such as the combustor liner of the high-speed civil transport, nose cones and leading edges of reentry vehicles and hypersonic aircraft. Applications in the energy industries include radiant heat tubes, heat exchangers, heat recuperators, ceramic burner inserts and components of land-based turbines for power generation. All of the constituents are on-the-shelf, low-cost chemicals. The process requires no special handling and low or no-cost tooling, and it can be carried out below 1,500 degrees Celsius for relatively short durations. The key properties of these materials, such as strength and toughness, creep, and environmental and thermal shock resistance, can be modified to accept virtually any type of fiber and fiber architecture. The fabrication parameters have been optimized, and properties of the resulting materials have been tested at Lewis. Additional development might be needed, however, to optimize and further refine the priorities for specific applications.
For more information, contact
Don Costello at Lewis Research Center. Call (216) 433-6635, E-mail: Donald.E.Costello@lerc.nasa.gov
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.
