National Aeronautics andSpace Administration

Marshall Space Flight CenterMechanical, Tribological, and Chemical Materials Testing Engineering Solutions for Space Science and Exploration

Materials Testing at Marshall is located within the Materials and Processes Laboratory. The material testing performed by the Laboratory has supported many notable NASA programs from Mercury to the Space Launch System (SLS). The materials testing capability at Marshall can be divided into three distinct areas: mechanical testing, chemistry, and tribology.

The Laboratory’s mechanical test capability can perform both the standard American Society for Testing and Mate-rials (ASTM) and nonstandard mechanical tests in a wide range of environments, from elevated down to cryogenic temperatures. Engineers are available to provide guidance in plan development, specimen, and cut-plan design. Skilled technicians on site are also avail-able for manufacturing special test coupons. Materials perfor-mance can be evaluated in extreme conditions using simulated in-process or service-induced heating, cooling, or loading with computerized data acquisition. Government and industry specifications are supported for any standard test type. Custom tests such as special component testing for simulated service loads and environments can also be designed and conducted. This facility is ISO 9001 certified, and consulting services are offered in all areas.

The Laboratory’s chemistry test capability is quite extensive ranging from basic analytical and environmental chemical anal-ysis to the testing required to qualify materials for space flight. Fundamental analyses includes measurement of chemical, crys-tallographic, thermal, and thermophysical properties of materials critical to the success of NASA’s programs, as well as pinpoint-ing contaminants that may be detrimental to mission success. Laboratory personnel are able to perform the comprehensive

set of combustion, toxic-ity, and thermal vacuum tests required for materi-als that are candidates for space flight. If a new test or technique is needed, the Laboratory’s chemists and engineers are experienced and capable of designing and/or customizing tests.

The Laboratory can be used to test and measure the tribo-logical properties of materials and lubricants used in moving mechanical assemblies and rolling element bearings in room environments and the simulated low vacuum of space. ASTM test equipment is used to evaluate oils, greases, dry film lubes, and coatings on materials for resistance to wear and surface degradation. Capability exists to evaluate bearing torques pre- and post-test and to record the vibration signatures of bearings before and after testing. The Tribology Team has many years of experience with bearing research in high speed cryogenic turbopumps that has led to developing new bearing materials. Bearing operational characteristics can be analyzed using computer modeling codes for high speed turbopumps and other rolling bearing applications.

The Metrology Lab has the ability to measure the wear and degradation of surfaces moving relative to one another and to perform failure analysis of bearings, gears, and moving parts. This lab consists of highly accurate measuring equipment in an environmentally controlled room. Surface features of roundness, concentricity, and texture can be measured and compared to the design requirements pre- and post-operation. Ultra high precision length and height measuring systems are capable of micro-inch levels of accuracy. Non-contact instru-ments are available for micro inch measurements and 3D color analysis of surfaces and coating thicknesses.

CapabilitiesMechanical Testing• Mechanical Materials Testing

– Twenty mechanical test systems– Applied forces from 0.05 to 900 kN (0.01 to 200 kip) at

temperatures from –268 to 1,093 °C (–450 to 2,000 °F) with computerized data acquisition

– Tests in air, gaseous or liquid nitrogen, and helium – Standard ASTM mechanical tests, simulated service tests, and

fastener tests– Photogrammetry (3D correlation to measure surface coordinates,

displacements, velocities, and strain values and rates) for static or dynamically loaded coupons

• Hydrogen Test Facility– The hydrogen test facility is a unique national

resource used to run an extensive range of tests in hydrogen with procedures developed on demand. This facility was the first in the world to run high-pressure cryogenic permeability tests in liquid hydrogen at pressures up to 2,068 kPa (300 psi).

– Custom test systems are operated in eight structurally reinforced test cells, screening for property changes under different combinations of stress, pressure, and ambient to extreme temperatures

Tribology• Tribology Laboratory

– ASTM Specification Falex block on ring, pin and V-block, and pin on disk testers

• Shell 4 ball tester for grease and oil lubricity, viscometers for viscous friction – Federal Mogul rolling contact testers for hertzian contact stress

testing– BA96 Timken bearing vibration analyzer– Vibrac bearing torque analyzer

• Metrology Laboratory– High precision surface profiling equipment for texture and

roundness– Height and length measuring equipment with micro inch

capability– Non-contact instruments for coating thicknesses, step heights

and depths

– Stereo microscope profilometry with 3D and color graphic presentation

– NIST traceable measurement standards for roundness, flatness, ball diameters

Chemistry• Analytical and Environmental Laboratory

– Chemical and physical property determinations are made of samples using wet lab and instrumental techniques.

– Performs a wide range of environmental tests on a variety of matrices including drinking water, ground water, wastewater, liquid hazardous waste, and solids.

• Toxicity Laboratory and Environmental Gas Laboratory– Determines off-gassed compounds with potential for adverse

reactions and health effects on exposed personnel– Testing of facility gases and cryogenic liquids for purity,

particulates, and moisture content and verification that clean rooms and flow benches are functioning within specified parameters

• Oxidizer Compatibility and Combustion Laboratory– Screening of materials for burn resistance in oxidizers (oxygen,

nitrous oxide, and hydrogen peroxide) and determining the potential for materials to ignite by mechanical impact in oxidizers.

• Ionic Liquids and Exploration Technologies Development Laboratory– Research in to the use of ionic liquids to form epoxy in of carbon

composite .cryotanks, the extraction of oxygen in extraterrestrial soil, and the dissolution of cellulose to form rayon fibers.

• Microwave Research and Molten Oxide Electrolysis– Researching the use of microwaves to extract water or other

volatiles from planetary bodies for propellant, life support, and radiation protection.

– Researching molten oxide electrolysis in order to extract oxygen and metal from lunar, planetary, or asteroidal soil.

Key Benefits > Unique combination of facilities and experience

> Advanced research capabilities

For more information, please visit www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/about/business.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

George C. Marshall Space Flight CenterHuntsville, AL 35812www.nasa.gov/marshall

www.nasa.gov

FL-2013-09-116-MSFCG–28367q