NESC
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NASA
A Combination of Techniques Leads to Improved Friction Stir Welding
The NESC developed several innovative tools and techniques during an assessment to find the root cause of poor tensile strength and low topography anomalies (LTA) in welds formed using a solid-state welding process called self-reacting friction stir welding (SRFSW). Using a combination of machine learning, statistical modeling, and physics-based simulations, the assessment team helped improve the weld process and solve…
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Press Releases
NESC Develops Method for Estimating Risk When Reducing NDE
Performing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) can have both cost and schedule impacts, leading some to question whether descoping (i.e., reducing or eliminating) NDE inspections on certain spaceflight hardware could be possible. However, this approach would be counter to NASA’s Technical Standard NASA-STD-5019A, which outlines the spaceflight system requirements for establishing a fracture control plan—one that relies on design, analysis, testing, NDE,…
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NASA
TB 26-02 Effects of Large Grain Size in Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel
The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) performed an assessment to characterize the effects of abnormal grain growth (AGG) within a metallic liner of a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV). This effort focused on evaluating the mechanical response of the liner material, including the strain amplification factor (SAF), using a series of custom-designed coupons that incorporated both metal and composite…
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NASA
NESC Key In-Progress Technical Activities
The portfolio of current NESC technical activities reaches across mission directorates and programs encompassing design, test, and flight phases. ISS PrK Independent Assessment Orion Crew Module Heatshield Avcoat Char Investigation CFT Flight Anomaly Support Total Ionizing Dose Tolerance of Power Electronics on Europa Clipper Psyche Cold-Gas Thruster Technical Advisory Team Support X-59 Fuel Tank Assessment ISS PrK Independent Assessment The NESC…
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NASA
6DOF Check Cases
This article is from the 2024 Technical Update. In 2015, the NESC released benchmark Earth-based check-cases for well specified, rigid-body, six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) aero/spacecraft models to promote consistent and accurate flight simulations across multiple Agency tools and facilities. Recently, the NESC expanded upon that effort to add Lunar-based check-cases to support new lunar exploration initiatives. This study produced a smaller, focused…
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