Nuclear Data Evaluation Tools

Not Available Nanophase aluminum alloys are powder metallurgy aluminum alloys processed to provide very fine grain size, high strength, ductility, and toughness. The high strength is due to the combined contributions of fine grain size, alloying, and deformation substructure. Rocketdyne initiated a nanophase aluminum development effort in 1992 to provide alternatives to titanium for high-pressure hydrogen propulsion systems for launch vehicles, with the potential advantages of higher performance, lighter weight, and improved reliability. The baseline nanophase process developed by Rocketdyne, although capable of producing the nanophase aluminum required to support property data generation and prototype hardware fabrication, is not cost effective for commercial production. The Phase I program proposed by DWA Aluminum Composites seeks to establish a foundation for nanophase aluminum cost reduction by 1) demonstrating a flash degas process that will significantly reduce canned powder degas cycles, 2) showing that conventional hot pressing can be used to produce fully dense nanophase aluminum billets thereby eliminating the need for costly degas/HIP cans and HIP processing, and 3) that a process simplification is achievable through integration of the copper extrusion jacket with the billet consolidation step.