• Home
  • Michael Budinski
Michael Budinski

Michael Budinski
National Transportation Safety Board · Materials Laboratory

About

42
Publications
13,238
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
762
Citations

Publications

Publications (42)
Article
Challenges exist when cleaning fracture surfaces to reveal fractographic features without damaging the fracture surfaces further. This technical paper will compare the efficacy of cleaning ferrous-based fracture surfaces with a chelating stripping agent versus inhibited acid solutions. The chelating stripping agent used in this study was commercial...
Article
An historic Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress airplane experienced an in-flight fire and emergency landing. The cause of the fire was a due to a fuel leak in the left wing associated with the failure of a repair in the fuel tank. This paper reviews the nature of the fuel tank repair and the cause of the fuel leak.
Article
This article documents the materials evaluation of a fractured saddle fusion weld joint on high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe. The fusion joint failed due to inadequate surface preparation or inadvertent contamination of pipe surfaces prior to fusion that led to a joint with incomplete fusion. Failure of a defective fusion joint at the service t...
Conference Paper
On January, 2013, smoke was discovered in the aft cabin of a Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 787-8, which was parked at a gate at General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts. Shortly afterward, a mechanic opened the aft electronic equipment (E/E) bay and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the front of the APU ba...
Article
As part of the investigation of accidents in mass transit, air travel in particular, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) retrieves electronic devices from the crash scene. Analysis of flash memory recovered from these devices can provide clues as to the events leading to the crash. Unfortunately, the flash memory is often damaged and un...
Article
Full-text available
This article documents the metallurgical evaluation of a rolling element bearing that failed due to electrical discharge damage. This rolling element bearing was used in a helicopter turbine engine that failed in-flight, resulting in a hard landing of the helicopter. Optical and electron microscopy as well as energy dispersive spectroscopy were use...
Patent
Full-text available
In at least one embodiment, the present invention provides a hydrophilic electrically conductive fluid distribution plate and a method of making, and system for using, the hydrophilic electrically conductive fluid distribution plate. In at least one embodiment, the plate comprises a plate body defining a set of fluid flow channels configured to dis...
Patent
Full-text available
In at least one embodiment, the present invention provides an electrically conductive fluid distribution plate and a method of making, and system for using, the electrically conductive fluid distribution plate. In at least one embodiment, the plate comprises a plate body defining a set of fluid flow channels configured to distribute flow of a fluid...
Patent
Full-text available
A bipolar plate assembly for a fuel cell is provided. The bipolar plate assembly includes a first unipolar plate disposed adjacent to a second unipolar plate. The first unipolar plate and the second unipolar plate are bonded by a plurality of localized electrically conductive nodes. A fuel cell stack including the bipolar plate assembly and a metho...
Patent
Full-text available
A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) comprises a polymer electrolyte membrane having at least one electrode layer on each of the opposing sides of the membrane. The electrode layer comprises a catalyst, an electrically conductive particulate material and an ionomer binder. The ionomer binder concentration on the exterior surface of the MEA is lower...
Patent
Full-text available
A fuel cell assembly and method of forming the same is disclosed, the fuel cell assembly including a membrane electrode assembly, a plurality of diffusion media, and a plurality of bipolar plates, wherein the diffusion media are adhered to the bipolar plates with an adhesive layer adapted to minimize an electrical resistance within the fuel cell as...
Patent
Full-text available
Edge designs, especially for ePTFE-reinforced membranes for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, wherein the designs provide a proton barrier at the electrode edge of the PEM fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (MEA) to provide, among other things, resistance to membrane chemical degradation. A portion of the ePTFE layer is imbibed with a p...
Patent
Full-text available
One aspect of the invention includes the discovery that pinholes in the membrane of the membrane electrode assembly may be caused by hygroexpansive ratcheting. In one embodiment of the invention, a fuel cell stack including a plurality of cells each having a membrane electrode assembly each including a membrane manufactured by an extrusion method a...
Article
Full-text available
Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) in fuel cell stacks develop biaxial hygrothermal fatigue stresses in response to changing operation conditions. Determination of these stresses is complicated as both constitutive properties of PEM and the hygrothermal strain in PEM are highly dependent on time, temperature and water absorption. In this study, by tr...
Patent
Full-text available
A fuel cell system is provided including a fuel cell stack having a first end and second end, the stack comprising at least one fuel cell, a first end unit disposed adjacent the first end of the fuel cell stack, a second end unit disposed adjacent the second end of the fuel cell stack, and a compression retention system. The compression retention s...
Patent
Full-text available
The present invention is directed to addressing performance issues attributable to membrane electrode assemblies, and the components thereof, in electrochemical conversion cells. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a device comprising at least one electrochemical conversion cell is provided. The cell is configured to convert...
Patent
Full-text available
The present invention is directed to addressing performance issues attributable to membrane electrode assemblies, and the components thereof, in electrochemical conversion cells. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a device comprising at least one electrochemical conversion cell is provided. The cell is configured to convert...
Article
Mechanical failure modes leading to cracks or breeches in proton exchange membrane fuel cells are driven by mechanical forces associated with swelling from water uptake and shrinkage from dehumidification. To determine the magnitude of compressive mechanical stress imposed by water swelling in a proton exchange fuel-cell membrane, the osmotic press...
Article
Pinhole formation in proton exchange membranes (PEM) may be caused by a process of flaw formation and crack propagation within membranes exposed to cyclic hygrothermal loading. Fracture mechanics can be used to characterize the propagation process, which is thought to occur in a slow, time-dependent manner under cyclic loading conditions, and belie...
Article
Full-text available
The use of pressurized blister specimens to characterize the biaxial strength and durability of proton exchange membranes (PEMs) is proposed, simulating the biaxial stress states that are induced within constrained membranes of operating PEM fuel cells. PEM fuel cell stacks consist of layered structures containing the catalyzed PEMs that are surrou...
Article
Pinhole defects that form in proton exchange membranes (PEMs) due to the cyclic hygrothermal stresses induced during the operation of a fuel cell and cause gas crossover may be interpreted as a result of crack formation and propagation. The goal of this study is to employ a fracture test to approach the intrinsic fracture energy of a perflourosulfo...
Article
Postmortem thickness and morphology studies on a degraded membrane electrode assembly (MEA) caused by carbon corrosion under a local starvation operation in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell were carried out using optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. Samples used for the postmortem studies were selected and indexed wi...
Article
Full-text available
When a proton exchange membrane (PEM) based fuel cell is placed in service, hygrothermal stresses develop within the membrane and vary widely with internal operating environment. These hygrothermal stresses associated with hygral contraction and expansion at the operating conditions are believed to be critical in membrane mechanical integrity and d...
Article
Fuel cells have been a consistent focus of research over the past decade, offering potential for cleaner and more efficient energy produced from a range of sources. Though many types of fuel cells exist, of particular interest to portable power and transportation needs is the Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC) consisting of Proton Exchange Membra...
Conference Paper
Through-the-thickness flaws or “pinholes” in proton exchange membranes (PEM) can lead to gas crossover, reducing fuel cell efficiency, accelerating degradation, and raising safety issues. The multi-physics process that causes these flaws is not fully understood, but stress state, environmental exposure, and cyclic operation may all be contributing...
Conference Paper
Through the thickness flaws or “pinholes” in proton exchange membranes (PEM) allow gas crossover that can lead to fuel cell failure. The formation of these flaws is not fully understood, but one possible mechanism is that small flaws could grow through crack propagation in the fracture mechanics sense. Although relatively brittle features are somet...
Article
Silicon nickel, a cast nickel alloy containing about 3% silicon, had been used for threaded couplings in chemical delivery systems for over 40 years because it had necessary corrosion resistance and did not gall when mated with 316 and other stainless steels. In 2001, it was learned that this material was no longer available from long-time sources,...
Patent
Full-text available
A method for making working mold tools for use in a compression molding process for molding optical glass elements from high temperature glasses having Tg's in the range of from about 400° C. to about 850° C. An yttria aluminosilicate glass is fabricated by traditional melting and casting processes to thereby make an amorphous base material having...
Patent
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of making a lens assembly with a plurality of lens arrays having a plurality of lenslets and at least one spacer having a plurality of holes, includes the steps of (i) arranging at least two lens arrays and the spacer, such that the spacer is located between the two lens arrays and the lens...
Patent
A method and apparatus is disclosed for compression molding arrays optical elements which may be later singulated. The apparatus includes first and second mold halves with the second mold half having a central nest and a plurality of predetermined negative optical surface features therein. A glass preform is placed in the central nest and the first...
Patent
An apparatus for slitting a sheet of web material has an at least one first fixed blade member and axially displaceable at least one second blade member. The axially displaceable second blade member is biased by an elastomeric biasing member that provides a continuous and uniform contact force with a face of the second blade member. The elastomeric...
Patent
A light weight x-ray cassette formed from Hylite which is an metal/polymer/metal material. The cassette comprises: a front panel and a back panel formed from the Hylite composite material with the front and the back panels being operatively hinged together by a hinging element attached to the panels so as to form a cavity between the panels; an x-r...
Patent
Galvanic protection of steel is provided by teaching of a technique for determining alloys of compositions useful for the cathodic protection. The technique includes determining the critical cathodic protection potential for steel and the galvanic current and corrosion potential for candidate metal alloy compositions followed by coupling to the ste...
Patent
Galvanic protection of steel is provided by means of coupling thereto of ternary alloys of Al/2.5 to 4% wt. Mg, 0.5 to 35% wt. Si, and Al/2.5-4% wt. Mg, 0.5 to 3.5% wt. Ge with teachings of steel having either alloy coupled thereto, as well as the alloys per se. Also, a technique for determining alloys useful for the cathodic protection is presente...
Patent
Galvanic protection of steel is provided by means of coupling thereto of ternary alloys of Al/2.5 to 4% wt. Mg, 0.5 to 35% wt. Si, and Al/2.5-4% wt. Mg, 0.5 to 3.5% wt. Ge with teachings of steel having either alloy coupled thereto, as well as the alloys per se. Also, a technique for determining alloys useful for the cathodic protection is presente...
Patent
Galvanic protection of steel is provided by means of coupling thereto of zinc binary alloys of Zn/8 to 18% wt. Co or Zn/20 to 50% wt. Mn with teachings of method of protection, the protected steel having the alloy coupled thereto, as well as the alloys per se. Also, a technique for determining alloys useful for the cathodic protection is taught wit...
Article
When galvanically coupled to steel in 5 wt% NaCl, zinc effectively protects the steel against corrosion. The corrosion rate of the zinc, however, is high. The cathodic protection potential determined for DQSK steel was minus 0. 725 V//S//C//E for a corrosion rate of less than 1 mpy. This critical cathodic protection potential can be used as a crite...

Network

Cited By