United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

General Electric Company

Intri-plex Technologies Inc.

Ronald Dean Noebe

Michael V Nathal

Christopher DellaCorte

Othmane Benafan

Malcolm K Stanford

Susan L Draper

Ramgopal Darolia

Mehrooz Zamanzadeh

Robert A Miller

Santo A Padula, Ii

Fransua Thomas

John Gayda

Glen Bigelow

Anita Garg

Edwin A Crombie

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) may be used for static rock splitting. The SMAs may be used as high-energy multifunctional materials, which have a unique ability to recover large deformations and generate high stresses in response to thermal loads.

Shape memory alloy rock splitters (SMARS)

One or more substitutional elements may be used to reduce the solution treatment temperature and required quench rates for hardening of 60-NITINOL. The advantages of modified NITINOL include that less energy is consumed during the heat treatment process, the material is subjected to less thermal distortion, and less machining is required. Modified NITINOL may have adequate hardness for bearing applications and may display highly elastic behavior.

High hardness, high elasticity intermetallic compounds for mechanical components

A material for use as a mechanical component is formed of a superelastic intermetallic material having a low apparent modulus and a high hardness. The superelastic intermetallic material is conditioned to be dimensionally stable, devoid of any shape memory effect and have a stable superelastic response without irrecoverable deformation while exhibiting strains of at least 3%. The method of conditioning the superelastic intermetallic material is described. Another embodiment relates to lightweight materials known as ordered intermetallics that perform well in sliding wear applications using conventional liquid lubricants and are therefore suitable for resilient, high performance mechanical components such as gears and bearings.

Mechanical components from highly recoverable, low apparent modulus materials

A composition of the invention is a high temperature shape memory alloy having high work output, and is made from (Ni+Pt+Y)Ti, wherein x is present in a total amount of 49-55 atomic %, Pt is present in a total amount of 10-30 atomic %, Y is one or more of Au, Pd, and Cu and is present in a total amount of 0 to 10 atomic %. The alloy has a matrix phase wherein the total concentration of Ni, Pt, and the one or more of Pd, Au, and Cu is greater than 50 atomic %.

Precipitation hardenable high temperature shape memory alloy

According to the invention, compositions of Ni&#x2014;Ti&#x2014;Pt high temperature, high force, shape memory alloys are disclosed that have transition temperatures above 100&#xb0; C.; have narrow hysteresis; and produce a high specific work output.

High work output NI-TI-PT high temperature shape memory alloys and associated processing methods

A multi-layered component, such as a rocket engine combustion chamber, includes NiAl or NiAl-based alloy as a structural layer on the 'hot' side of the component. A second structural layer is formed of material selected from Ni-based superalloys, Co-based alloys, Fe-based alloys, Cu, and Cu-based alloys. The second material is more ductile than the NiAl and imparts increased toughness to the component. The second material is selected to enhance one or more predetermined physical properties of the component. Additional structural layers may be included with the additional material(s) being selected for their impact on physical properties of the component.

NiAl-based approach for rocket combustion chambers

A nickel-base superalloy article has a protective layer on a surface of the substrate. The protective layer has a composition including nickel, aluminum, and at least two modifying elements selected from the group consisting of zirconium, hafnium, yttrium, and silicon. The protective layer is preferably predominantly beta (&bgr;) phase NiAl composition. Each of the modifying elements which is present is included in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 5 percent by weight of the protective layer in the case of zirconium, hafnium, and silicon modifying element, and in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 1 percent by weight of the protective layer in the case of yttrium modifying element.

Nickel-base superalloy with modified aluminide coating, and its preparation

A high-damping, corrosion resistant and substantially non-magnetic material having high damping properties has been developed for use in dynamic applications, specifically, a disk drive suspension arm and load beam. A disk drive assembly includes a disk having a readable and writeable surface, a motor operable for rotating the disk, and an actuator assembly that includes a transducer mounted on a load beam. The actuator assembly is operable for positioning the transducer in transducing relationship with the surface of the disk. When the disk spins, shear forces create turbulence in the fluidic medium adjacent to the surface of the disk. The turbulence exerts unbalanced and variable forces on the load beam, inducing vibrational motion therein. If the vibrational energy stored in the load beam is not quickly damped, the surface of the disk, load beam or transducer can be damaged. The present invention discloses alloy compositions of the form (14-21)Mn, (10-13)Cr, (0-6)Si, (4-10)Ni, (0-6)Co, and (0-0.2)N, the components being present in the range of percentages indicated with the balance being Fe. A preferred embodiment of an alloy in accordance with the present invention is Fe-15Mn-12Cr-3Co-3Ni-0.1N. The alloy has stainless steel-type properties and exhibits high damping characteristics. The alloy, which has both an austentitic and a &egr;-martensitic phase, can be melted, cast and rolled into sheets. Disk drive load beams cut from the sheet of alloy exhibit higher vibrational damping than materials currently used in the art.

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Medina, OH, United States of America

Ronald Dean Noebe