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Prosser, William H.

Publications and source records attributed to Prosser, William H..

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

Applications of Advanced, Waveform Based AE Techniques for Testing Composite Materials

Advanced, waveform based acoustic emission (AE) techniques have been previously used to evaluate damage progression in laboratory tests of composite coupons. In these tests, broad band, high fidelity acoustic sensors were used to detect signals which were then digitized and stored for analysis. Analysis techniques were based on plate mode wave propagation characteristics. This approach, more recently referred to as Modal AE, provides an enhanced capability to discriminate and eliminate noise signals from those generated by damage mechanisms. This technique also allows much more precise source location than conventional, threshold crossing arrival time determination techniques. To apply Modal AE concepts to the interpretation of AE on larger composite structures, the effects of wave propagation over larger distances and through structural complexities must be well characterized and understood. In this research, measurements were made of the attenuation of the extensional and flexural plate mode components of broad band simulated AE signals in large composite panels. As these materials have applications in a cryogenic environment, the effects of cryogenic insulation on the attenuation of plate mode AE signals were also documented.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Advanced AE Techniques in Composite Materials Research

Advanced, waveform based acoustic emission (AE) techniques have been successfully used to evaluate damage mechanisms in laboratory testing of composite coupons. An example is presented in which the initiation of transverse matrix cracking was monitored. In these tests, broad band, high fidelity acoustic sensors were used to detect signals which were then digitized and stored for analysis. Analysis techniques were based on plate mode wave propagation characteristics. This approach, more recently referred to as Modal AE, provides an enhanced capability to discriminate and eliminate noise signals from those generated by damage mechanisms. This technique also allows much more precise source location than conventional, threshold crossing arrival time determination techniques. To apply Modal AE concepts to the interpretation of AE on larger composite specimens or structures, the effects of modal wave propagation over larger distances and through structural complexities must be well characterized and understood. To demonstrate these effects, measurements of the far field, peak amplitude attenuation of the extensional and flexural plate mode components of broad band simulated AE signals in large composite panels are discussed. These measurements demonstrated that the flexural mode attenuation is dominated by dispersion effects. Thus, it is significantly affected by the thickness of the composite plate. Furthermore, the flexural mode attenuation can be significantly larger than that of the extensional mode even though its peak amplitude consists of much lower frequency components.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Method of determining load in anisotropic non-crystalline materials using energy flux deviation

An ultrasonic wave is applied to an anisotropic sample material in an initial direction and the intensity of the ultrasonic wave is measured on an opposite surface of the sample material by two adjacent receiving points located in an array of receiving points. A ratio is determined between the measured intensities of two adjacent receiving points, the ratio being indicative of an angle of flux deviation from the initial direction caused by an unknown applied load. This determined ratio is then compared to a plurality of ratios of a similarly tested, similar anisotropic reference material under a plurality of respective, known load conditions, whereby the load applied to the particular anisotropic sample material is determined. A related method is disclosed for determining the fiber orientation from known loads and a determined flux shift.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Lamb Wave Response of Fatigued Composite Samples

Composite materials are being more widely used today by aerospace, automotive, sports equipment, and a number of other commercial industries because of their advantages over conventional metals. Composites have a high strength-to-weight ratio and can be constructed to meet specific design needs. Composite structures are already in use in secondary parts of the Douglas MD-11 and are planned to be used in the new MD-12X. Plans also exist for their use in primary and secondary structures on the Boeing 777. Douglas proposed MD-XX may also incorporate composite materials into primary structures such as the wings and tail. Use of composites in these structures offers weight savings, corrosion resistance, and improved aerodynamics. Additionally, composites have been used to repair cracks in many B-1Bs where traditional repair techniques were not very effective. Plans have also been made to reinforce all of the remaining B-1s with composite materials. Verification of the structural integrity of composite components is needed to insure safe operation of these aerospace vehicles. One aspect of the use of these composites is their response to fatigue. To track this progression of fatigue in aerospace structures, a convenient method to nondestructively monitor this damage needs to be developed. Traditional NDE techniques used on metals are not easily adaptable to composites due to the inhomogeneous and anisotropic nature of these materials. Finding an effective means of nondestructively monitoring fatigue damage is extremely important to the safety and reliability of such structures. Lamb waves offer one method of evaluating these composite materials. As a material is fatigued, the modulus degrades. Since the Lamb wave velocity can be related to the modulus of the material, an effective tool can be developed to monitor fatigue damage in composites by measuring the velocity of these waves. In this work, preliminary studies have been conducted which monitor fatigue damage in composite samples using strain gage measurements as well as Lamb wave velocity measurements. A description of the test samples is followed by the results of two different measurements of Lamb wave velocity. The first technique is a contact measurement done at a single frequency, while the second involves an immersion study of Lamb waves in which dispersion curves are obtained. The results of the Lamb wave monitoring of fatigue damage is compared to the damage progression measured by strain gages. The final section discusses the results and conclusions.

Seale, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1993

Monitoring Loads In Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials

In new method of determining load on specimen, direction of stress wave propagation measured by array of acoustic sensors attached to specimen. Responses of sensors analyzed by strain-energy-density calculations to calculate load. Change in anisotropy of elasticity caused by applied load and corresponding induced strain. Is means to monitor applied load corresponding to measurable shift in direction of propagation of stress wave. Monitoring device based on this method made integral part of airframe in which unidirectional section of structure, such as spar cap or longeron, carries primary load.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Methods of determining loads and fiber orientations in anisotropic non-crystalline materials using energy flux deviation

An ultrasonic wave is applied to an anisotropic sample material in an initial direction and an angle of flux deviation of the ultrasonic wave front is measured from this initial direction. This flux deviation angle is induced by the unknown applied load. The flux shift is determined between this flux deviation angle and a previously determined angle of flux deviation of an ultrasonic wave applied to a similar anisotropic reference material under an initial known load condition. This determined flux shift is then compared to a plurality of flux shifts of a similarly tested, similar anisotropic reference material under a plurality of respective, known load conditions, whereby the load applied to the particular anisotropic sample material is determined. A related method is disclosed for determining the fiber orientation from known loads and a determined flux shift.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

System for determining the angle of impact of an object on a structure

A method for determining the angle of impact of an object on a thin-walled structure which determines the angle of impact through analysis of the acoustic waves which result when an object impacts a structure is presented. Transducers are placed on and in the surface of the structure which sense the wave caused in the structure by impact. The waves are recorded and saved for analysis. For source motion normal to the surface, the antisymmetric mode has a large amplitude while that of the symmetric mode is very small. As the source angle increases with respect to the surface normal, the symmetric mode amplitude increases while the antisymmetric mode amplitude decreases. Thus, the angle of impact is determined by measuring the relative amplitudes of these two lowest order modes.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Extensional and flexural waves in a thin-walled graphite/epoxy tube

Simulated acoustic emission signals were induced in a thin-walled graphite/epoxy tube by means of lead breaks (Hsu-Nielsen source). The tube is of similar material and layup to be used by NASA in fabricating the struts of Space Station Freedom. The resulting waveforms were detected by broad band ultrasonic transducers and digitized. Measurements of the velocities of the extensional and flexural modes were made for propagation directions along the tube axis (0 degrees), around the tube circumference (90 degrees) and at an angle of 45 degrees. These velocities were found to be in agreement with classical plate theory.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Material characterization of composite laminates using low-frequency plate wave dispersion data

A recently developed ultrasonic techique which has been successful in monitoring the integrity of advanced structures is described. The technique is based on a two-transducer contact type arrangement that can be used to determine the dispersion curves of guided waves generated within the specimen. The phase velocity of antisymmetric plate waves is determined through spectral analysis of signals recorded from a lead break source on the surface of graphite epoxy laminates. The influence of all five stiffness constants on the dispersion curves of both symmetric and antisymmetric plate waves is theoretically investigated for propagation at 0, 45, and 90 deg to the fibers. All but c12 were found to have a strong influence on the dispersion curves in this frequency range. The fit with the theoretically predicted dispersion curves was excellent for propagation parallel and perpendicular to the fibers in the unidirectional specimen and good for the other cases considered.

Mal, Ajit K.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Nonlinear elastic effects on the energy flux deviation of ultrasonic waves in gr/ep composites

The effects of nonlinear elasticity on energy flux deviation in undirectional gr/ep composites are examined. The shift in the flux deviation is modeled using acoustoelasticity theory and the second- and third-order elastic stiffness coefficients for T300/5208 gr/ep. Two conditions of applied uniaxial stress are considered. In the first case, the direction of applied uniaxial stress was along the fiber axis (x3), while in the second case it was perpendicular to the fiber axis along the laminate stacking direction (x1). For both conditions, the change in the energy flux deviation angle from the condition of zero applied stress is computed over the range of propagation directions of 0 to 60 deg from the fiber axis at two-degree intervals. A positive flux deviation angle implies the energy deviates away from the fiber direction toward the x1 axis, while a negative deviation means that the energy deviates toward the fibers. Over this range of fiber orientation angles, the energy of the quasi-longitudinal and pure mode transverse waves deviates toward the fibers, while that of the quasi-transverse mode deviates away from the fibers.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Extensional and Flexural Waves in a Thin-Walled Graphite/Epoxy Tube

Simulated acoustic emission signals were induced in a thin-walled graphite/epoxy tube by means of lead breaks (Hsu-Neilsen source). The tube is of similar material and layup to be used by NASA in fabricating the struts of Space Station Freedom. The resulting waveforms were detected by broad band ultrasonic transducers and digitized. Measurements of the velocities of the extensional and flexural modes were made for propagation directions along the tube axis (0 degrees), around the tube circumference (90 degrees) and at an angle of 45 degrees. These velocities were found to be in agreement with classical plate theory.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Nonlinear Elastic Effects on the Energy Flux Deviation of Ultrasonic Waves in GR/EP Composites

In isotropic materials, the direction of the energy flux (energy per unit time per unit area) of an ultrasonic plane wave is always along the same direction as the normal to the wave front. In anisotropic materials, however, this is true only along symmetry directions. Along other directions, the energy flux of the wave deviates from the intended direction of propagation. This phenomenon is known as energy flux deviation and is illustrated. The direction of the energy flux is dependent on the elastic coefficients of the material. This effect has been demonstrated in many anisotropic crystalline materials. In transparent quartz crystals, Schlieren photographs have been obtained which allow visualization of the ultrasonic waves and the energy flux deviation. The energy flux deviation in graphite/epoxy (gr/ep) composite materials can be quite large because of their high anisotropy. The flux deviation angle has been calculated for unidirectional gr/ep composites as a function of both fiber orientation and fiber volume content. Experimental measurements have also been made in unidirectional composites. It has been further demonstrated that changes in composite materials which alter the elastic properties such as moisture absorption by the matrix or fiber degradation, can be detected nondestructively by measurements of the energy flux shift. In this research, the effects of nonlinear elasticity on energy flux deviation in unidirectional gr/ep composites were studied. Because of elastic nonlinearity, the angle of the energy flux deviation was shown to be a function of applied stress. This shift in flux deviation was modeled using acoustoelastic theory and the previously measured second and third order elastic stiffness coefficients for T300/5208 gr/ep. Two conditions of applied uniaxial stress were considered. In the first case, the direction of applied uniaxial stress was along the fiber axis (x3) while in the second case it was perpendicular to the fiber axis along the laminate stacking direction (x1).

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The propagation characteristics of the plate modes of acoustic emission waves in thin aluminum plates and thin graphite/epoxy composite plates and tubes

Acoustic emission was interpreted as modes of vibration in plates. Classical plate theory was used to predict dispersion curves for the two fundamental modes and to calculate the shapes of flexural waveforms produced by vertical step function loading. There was good agreement between theoretical and experimental results for aluminum. Composite materials required the use of a higher order plate theory (Reissner-Mindlin) to get good agreement with the measured velocities. Four composite plates with different laminate stacking sequences were studied. The dispersion curves were determined from phase spectra of the time dependent waveforms. Plate modes were shown to be useful for determining the direction of source motion. Aluminum plates were loaded by breaking a pencil lead against their surface. By machining slots at angles to the plane of a plate, the direction in which the force acted was varied. Changing the source motion direction produced regular variations in the waveforms. To demonstrate applicability beyond simple plates, waveforms produced by lead breaks on a thin walled composite tube were also shown to be interpretable as plate modes. The tube design was based on the type of struts proposed for Space Station Freedom's trussed structures.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

AE Source Orientation by Plate Wave Analysis

Lead breaks (Hsu-Neilsen source) were used to generate simulated acoustic emission signals in an aluminum plate at angles of 0, 30, 60, and 90 degrees with respect to the plane of the plate. This was accomplished by breaking the lead on slots cut into the plate at the respective angles. The out-of-plane and in-plane displacement components of the resulting signals were detected by broad band transducers and digitized. Analysis of the waveforms showed them to consist of the extensional and flexural plate modes. The amplitude of both components of the two modes was dependent on the source orientation angle. This suggests that plate wave analysis may be used to determine the source orientation of acoustic emission sources.

Gorman, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Characterization of the Nonlinear Elastic Properties of Graphite/Epoxy Composites Using Ultrasound

The normalized change in ultrasonic "natural" velocity as a function of stress and temperature was measured in a unidirectional laminate of T300/5208 graphite/epoxy composite using a pulsed phase locked loop ultrasonic interferometer. These measurements were used together with the linear (second order) elastic moduli to calculate some of the nonlinear (third order) moduli of this material.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Stress dependence of ultrasonic velocity in unidirectional graphite/epoxy composites for longitudinal waves propagating along the direction of stress

Measurements of stress-induced velocity changes for propagation along the direction of applied stress in graphite/epoxy composites are presented. A linear relation between normalized velocity shift and stress is demonstrated for propagation and stress direction perpendicular to the fiber direction. The ratio of the SAC to the elastic compliance for this loading direction was assessed and found to have a value similar to that of numerous other materials which have very different linear elastic properties. Measurements with stress and propagation along the fibers yielded unusual behavior; the curves were very nonlinear and even shifted direction at higher loads.

Prosser, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effect of stress on energy flux deviation of ultrasonic waves in GR/EP composites

Ultrasonic waves suffer energy flux deviation in graphite/epoxy because of the large anisotropy. The angle of deviation is a function of the elastic coefficients. For nonlinear solids, these coefficients and thus the angle of deviation is a function of stress. Acoustoelastic theory was used to model the effect of stress on flux deviation for unidirectional T300/5208 using previously measured elastic coefficients. Computations were made for uniaxial stress along the x3 axis (fiber axis) and the x1 for waves propagating in the x1x3 plane. These results predict a shift as large as three degrees for the quasi-transverse wave. The shift in energy flux offers a new nondestructive technique of evaluating stress in composites.

Prosser, William H.↗