Chapters authored
CERMETS for Use in Nuclear Thermal Propulsion
NASA is currently investigating nuclear thermal propulsion as an alternative to chemical propulsion for manned missions to the outer planets. There are a number of materials being considered for use as fuel elements. These materials include tricarbides and CERMETS such as W/UO2, Mo/UO2, W/UN and Mo/UN. All of these materials require high temperature processing to achieve the required densities. It has been found that Spark Plasma Sintering is a good choice for sintering these materials to the required densities while maintaining a uniform grain size. In this chapter a brief history of NASA’s research into nuclear thermal propulsion will be given, followed by specific research by this author and others to produce CERMET fuels.
Part of the book: Advances in Composite Materials Development