Volume 8, Number 5     September/October 2000

Glenn Research Center Innovators Recognized

Enterprise Development, Inc. (EDI) has named two project teams from NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) as winners of the annual EDI Innovation Award. EDI recognizes individuals who develop practical and creative ideas that allow an organization to carry out its mission with an innovative product, a creative concept or a new procedure improving productivity.

James Sovey and Vincent Rawlin, aerospace engineers from the On-Board Propulsion Branch of the Power and On-Board Propulsion Technology Division, and Robert Roman, an aerospace technician from the Materials, Power and Propulsion Area, Test Installations Division, received the award for their work on the ring-cusp ion engine. Ion engines were developed to provide station keeping and orbit raising of communications satellites and are also used for primary propulsion for deep-space spacecraft.

			The ring cusp ion engine was used to power NASA’s Deep Space 1 spacecraft.

Ion engines were first developed in the 1960s. The innovators patented the ring-cusp ion engine in 1984. Since then, NASA and Hughes Electronics have developed the engine to flight status. From 1997 to the present, Hughes has launched ten communications satellites using the ring-cusp engine for station keeping. In October 1998, NASA launched a ring-cusp ion engine aboard the Deep Space 1 spacecraft to validate ion propulsion and other spacecraft technologies, as well as encounter an asteroid and a comet.

The engine has accumulated more than 5,000 hours of thrust. Since June of this year, and until September 2001, prior to encountering the comet Borrelly, additional hours of thrusting time will be accumulated. The ring-cusp ion engine provides long-life devices that can significantly reduce costs to spacecraft customers. According to Hughes, “The dollar savings may be $7 million to $8 million per launch, so launch costs can go down, or we can increase the payload, or increase [spacecraft] lifetime. A sizable competitive margin is produced.”

Dr. Mrityunjay Singh, chief scientist, and Richard Dacek, research technician, are employees of Dynacs Engineering Inc., located on-site at GRC. Their winning project is the Affordable Robust Ceramic Joining Technology (ARCJoinT), used for manufacturing and repair of high-temperature ceramics and fiber reinforced composite components.

This technology has been used to produce dense, strong joints for silicon carbide-based ceramics and composite materials, as well as structures in complex shapes. The thermomechanical properties can be tailored according to component design and application requirements. The ARCJoinT process involves producing a carbonaceous paste that is applied in the joint area between the parts. The joint area is then heated to give strength to the joint to allow handling without fixturing. A silicon or silicon-refractory metal alloy is applied locally in the joint regions and heated at a much higher temperature. These joints maintain their integrity at high temperatures and exhibit mechanical properties and environmental resistance. The formation of joints by this technology is attractive since the thermomechanical properties of the joint interlayer can be tailored to be very close to those of the base materials.

The ARCJoinT technology is robust and affordable because no machining is needed for the mating surfaces. It provides a low-cost manufacturing approach and is practical, reliable and affordable. A wide variety of silicon carbide-based ceramics and fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite components have been joined using this method. A patent on the technology is in process.

Enterprise Development, Inc. is a not-for-profit subsidiary of Case Western Reserve University and a cooperative venture with the Weatherhead School of Management. EDI manages three business incubators: the Edison Technology Incubator; the Lewis Incubator for Technology, including its software, electronics and communications site at GRC; and BioEnterprise.

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