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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Mechanical properties of Al-mica particulate composite material

Cast aluminum alloy mica particle composites of varying mica content were tested in tension, compression, and impact. With 2.2 percent mica (size range 40-120 microns) the tensile and compression strengths of aluminum alloy decreased by 56 and 22 percent, respectively. The corresponding decreases in percent elongation and percent reduction are 49 and 39 percent. Previous work shows that despite this decrease in strength the composite with 2.5 percent mica and having an UTS of 15 kg/sq mm and compression strength of 28 kg/sq mm performs well as a bearing material under severe running conditions. The differences in strength characteristics of cast aluminum-mica particle composites between tension and compression suggests that, as in cast iron, expansion of voids at the matrix particle interface may be the guiding mechanism of the deformation. SEM studies show that on the tensile fractured specimen surface, there are large voids at the particle matrix interface.

Nath, D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Mechanical Property Characterization of F-100/934 Graphite-Epoxy Composite Material

Procedures for quality control, fabrication techniques, specimen machining, test methodologies, and data collection and interpretation were defined using Thornel P-100 carbon fiber combined with Fiberite's 934 epoxy resin in unidirectional tape form. Tests on the prepreg material, including gel time, resin solids content, tack, volatile content, and flow are detailed. The steps of the fabrication and machining processes are described. Both destructive and nondestructive techniques were employed to assess the properties of the cured laminates. Tests to determine tensile strength and modulus, compressive strength and modulus, interlaminar and inplane shear strength, and flexural strength and modulus are discussed. The results of these experiments are compared with data generated by other researchers.

Clinton, R. G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Statistical design study of lunar ceramic

Fabrication of a lunar ceramic was conducted according to a statistically designed experiment. The method of cold pressing was used since the consumption of electrical energy is kept to a minimum (a priority in the lunar environment). This traditional fabrication technique also provides an initial data source on which further investigations can be based. Results obtained from using two percent binder, a cold pressing pressure of 276 MPa, and 24 hours sintering time yielded the greatest compressive strength of 247 MPa. Analysis of each variable's influence on the compressive strength is also presented.

Effinger, Mike↗
NASA NTRS1986

Impact resistance and interlaminar fracture toughness of through-the-thickness reinforced graphite/epoxy

Five through-the-thickness stitch configurations are analyzed to determine the effect of impact resistance and interlaminar fracture toughness on T3000/3501-6 graphite/epoxy. The test specimens were stitched with either polyester or Kevlar yarns and with various stitch parameters. Tension and compression mechanical, impact and compression-after-impact, and double cantilever beam tests were conducted. It is observed that the stitched laminates have tension and compression strengths 20-25 percent lower than the strengths of unstitched laminates, the tension strength of stitched laminates is reduced with increasing number of stitches, and the compression strength increases as the number of stitches are increased. The impact data reveal that the Kevlar stitched laminates have less damage than unstitched laminates; the most effective configuration for suppressing impact damage and improving interlaminar fracture toughness consists of Kevlar yarns 1/4 inch apart with eight stitches per inch. The mode 1 critical strain energy release rate for the 1/4 inch Kevlar eight stitch laminate was calculated as 30 times higher than that of the unstitched.

Dexter, H. B.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Effects of through-the-thickness stitching on impact and interlaminar fracture properties of textile graphite/epoxy laminates

This study investigated the effects of through-the-thickness stitching on impact damage resistance, impact damage tolerance, and mode I and mode II fracture toughness of textile graphite/epoxy laminates. Uniweave resin-transfer-molded 48 ply graphite/epoxy (AS4/3501-6) laminates were stitched with Kevlar and glass yarns of different linear densities and stitch spacings. Delaminations were implanted during processing to simulate impact damage. Sublaminate buckling tests were performed to determine the effects of stitching on the compressive strength. The results showed outstanding improvements of up to 400 percent in the compression strength over the unstitched laminates. In impact and static indentation tests the onset of damage occurred at the same level, but the extent of damage was less in stitched laminates. Mode I fracture toughness of 24 ply Uniweave unidirectional (AS4/3501-6) stitched laminates was measured by conducting double-cantilever-beam tests. The critical strain energy release rate (G(sub Ic)) was found to be up to 30 times higher than the unstitched laminates. Mode II fracture toughness of the Uniweave laminates was measured by performing end-notched-flexure tests. Two new methods to compute the apparent G(sub IIc) are presented. The apparent G(sub IIc) was found to be at least 5-15 times higher for the stitched laminates.

Sharma, Suresh K.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Thermal Effects on the Compressive Behavior of IM7/PET15 Laminates

The effect of changing operating temperature on the compressive response of IM7/PETI5 composite laminates is investigated within this paper. The three temperatures evaluated for this study were 129 C, 21 C, and 177 C, a spectrum from cryogenic to an elevated operating temperature. Laminate compressive strength property testing was conducted using the Wyoming Combined Load Compression fixture to generate strength data at the three operating temperatures of interest for several lay-ups. A three-dimensional finite element analysis model of a [90/0]8s composite laminate subject to compressive loading is developed. The model is used to study the key attributes of the laminate that significantly influence the state of stress in the laminate. Both the resin rich layer located between lamina and the thermal residual stresses present in the laminate due to curing are included in the analysis model. For the laminate modeled, the effect of modeling temperature dependent material properties was determined to be insignificant for the operating temperatures studied. Simply using the material properties measured at the operating temperature of interest was sufficient for predicting stresses accurately in a linear analysis for the current problem. The three-dimensional analysis results revealed that the application of an applied compressive axial load in the 0-degree direction decreased the interlaminar stresses present in the laminate initially due to curing. Therefore, failure was concluded not be attributable to the interlaminar stresses in the composite laminate being studied when a compressive load is applied. The magnitude of the measured laminate compressive strength change with a change in temperature is concluded to be dominated by the change in the lamina compressive axial strength with a change in temperature.

Walker, Sandra Polesky↗
NASA NTRS1986

Compression failure mechanisms of composite structures

An experimental and analytical study was conducted to delineate the compression failure mechanisms of composite structures. The present report summarizes further results on kink band formation in unidirectional composites. In order to assess the compressive strengths and failure modes of fibers them selves, a fiber bundle was embedded in epoxy casting and tested in compression. A total of six different fibers were used together with two resins of different stiffnesses. The failure of highly anisotropic fibers such as Kevlar 49 and P-75 graphite was due to kinking of fibrils. However, the remaining fibers--T300 and T700 graphite, E-glass, and alumina--failed by localized microbuckling. Compressive strengths of the latter group of fibers were not fully utilized in their respective composite. In addition, acoustic emission monitoring revealed that fiber-matrix debonding did not occur gradually but suddenly at final failure. The kink band formation in unidirectional composites under compression was studied analytically and through microscopy. The material combinations selected include seven graphite/epoxy composites, two graphite/thermoplastic resin composites, one Kevlar 49/epoxy composite and one S-glass/epoxy composite.

Hahn, H. T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Impact damage tolerance of thin wall composite struts

An experimental investigation was made to study the impact damage tolerance of thin wall composite struts made of both brittle epoxy and toughened epoxy based composite materials. Damage parameters such as barely visible surface damage and internal damage represented by the ultrasonic C-scan, and residual compressive strengths were evaluated against impact energy for two impactor sizes. From both a damage resistance (internal damage vs. impact energy) and a damage tolerance (residual compressive strength vs. internal damage) point of view, the toughened IM7/977-2 struts exhibited better performance than the brittle epoxy based T50/934 struts. This is attributed to the toughening mechanism in 977-2 which impedes delamination initiation from impact, and delamination growth and subsequent buckling under a compression loading. At barely visible damage thresholds, regardless of the impactor sizes, a maximum strength reduction of 45-55 percent was observed for the T50/934 struts, and approximately 10 percent for IM7/977-2 struts. This is of great interest for developing a damage tolerance design approach and risk assessment methodology in which the design allowable would be defined by the residual strength at the threshold of barely visible damage.

Chen, G.-S.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Determining and analyzing the strength and impact resistance of high modulus glass

A number of new glass compositions have been prepared with increased emphasis on compositions without beryllia. Glass preparations have been much more broadly based and have included the eutectic glass fields, and the mullite-rare earth glass systems. Of the new glasses, the best non-toxic composition is UARL 472 with a bulk modulus of only 18.20 million psi. A second experimental glass, UARL 417, was chosen for research in making large quantities of fiber in monofilament form. Tests of these UARL 417 epoxy resin samples in comparison to similar composites made with the DuPont organic fiber, PRD-49-1, show that the UARL composites have a compressive strength 41/2 times higher and a specific compressive strength at least 21/2 times greater. Much of the research effort attempted to answer the question of why a given glass should have an impact strength superior to other glasses. No definitive answer to the question was found.

Bacon, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Mechanical strength and thermophysical properties of PM212: A high temperature self-lubricating powder metallurgy composite

A powder metallurgy composite, PM212, composed of metal bonded chromium carbide and solid lubricants is shown to be self-lubricating to a maximum application temperature of 900 C. The high temperature compressive strength, tensile strength, thermal expansion and thermal conductivity data needed to design PM212 sliding contact bearings and seals are reported for sintered and isostatically pressed (HIPed) versions of PM212. Other properties presented are room temperature density, hardness, and elastic modulus. In general, both versions appear to have adequate strength to be considered as sliding contact bearing materials, but the HIPed version, which is fully dense, is much stronger than the sintered version which contains about 20 percent pore volume. The sintered material is less costly to make, but the HIPed version is better where high compressive strength is important.

Edwards, Phillip M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The effect of resin on the impact damage tolerance of graphite-epoxy laminates

The effect of the matrix resin on the impact damage tolerance of graphite-epoxy composite laminates was investigated. The materials were evaluated on the basis of the damage incurred due to local impact and on their ability to retain compression strength in the presence of impact damage. Twenty-four different resin systems were evaluated. Five of the systems demonstrated substantial improvements compared to the baseline system including retention of compression strength in the presence of impact damage. Examination of the neat resin mechanical properties indicates the resin tensile properties influence significantly the laminate damage tolerance and that improvements in laminate damage tolerance are not necessarily made at the expense of room temperature mechanical properties. Preliminary results indicate a resin volume fraction on the order of 40 percent or greater may be required to permit the plastic flow between fibers necessary for improved damage tolerance.

Williams, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS2014

On Characterizing Particle Shape

It is well known that particle shape affects flow characteristics of granular materials, as well as a variety of other solids processing issues such as compaction, rheology, filtration and other two-phase flow problems. The impact of shape crosses many diverse and commercially important applications, including pharmaceuticals, civil engineering, metallurgy, health, and food processing. Two applications studied here include the dry solids flow of lunar simulants (e.g. JSC-1, NU-LHT-2M, OB-1), and the flow properties of wet concrete, including final compressive strength. A multi-dimensional generalized, engineering method to quantitatively characterize particle shapes has been developed, applicable to both single particle orientation and multi-particle assemblies. The two-dimension, three dimension inversion problem is also treated, and the application of these methods to DEM model particles will be discussed. In the case of lunar simulants, flow properties of six lunar simulants have been measured, and the impact of particle shape on flowability - as characterized by the shape method developed here -- is discussed, especially in the context of three simulants of similar size range. In the context of concrete processing, concrete construction is a major contributor to greenhouse gas production, of which the major contributor is cement binding loading. Any optimization in concrete rheology and packing that can reduce cement loading and improve strength loading can also reduce currently required construction safety factors. The characterization approach here is also demonstrated for the impact of rock aggregate shape on concrete slump rheology and dry compressive strength.

Ennis, Bryan J.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Repair of Sandwich Structure in Support of the Payload Adapter Fitting (PAF) Part II: Severe Damage Repair

As part of a program examining a Payload Adaptor Fitting (PAF) for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), a repair study of impact damage and misdrilled holes in composite sandwich structure was undertaken.1 In that study, it was shown that small holes and barely visible impact damage (BVID) could be repaired and all the measured undamaged in-plane compression strength recovered without removing the damaged material using a simple patch repair. It was noted that for more severe damage, either larger patches or removal of damage (or both) may be necessary to regain all of the measured undamaged compression strength. This Technical Memorandum (TM) presents the results of an experimental investigation into repair of more severely damaged sandwich structure than what was studied in reference 1.

Nettles, A. T.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Lunar cement and lunar concrete

Results of a study to investigate methods of producing cements from lunar materials are presented. A chemical process and a differential volatilization process to enrich lime content in selected lunar materials were identified. One new cement made from lime and anorthite developed compressive strengths of 39 Mpa (5500 psi) for 1 inch paste cubes. The second, a hypothetical composition based on differential volatilization of basalt, formed a mineral glass which was activated with an alkaline additive. The 1 inch paste cubes, cured at 100C and 100 percent humidity, developed compressive strengths in excess of 49 Mpa (7100 psi). Also discussed are tests made with Apollo 16 lunar soil and an ongoing investigation of a proposed dry mix/steam injection procedure for casting concrete on the Moon.

Lin, T. D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Computational Micromechanics Model for the Analysis of Fiber Kinking in Unidirectional FRP

A computational micromechanics (CMM) model is developed to analyze fiber kinking, which is a failure mechanism that takes place in fiber-reinforced composites when they are loaded under longitudinal compression. The CMM model consists of a single AS4 carbon fiber with an initial misalignment embedded in an 8552 polymer matrix. The deformation of the model is governed by periodic boundary conditions (PBC). The relatively simple CMM model enables the evaluation of the role played by initial misalignment of the fiber, shear yielding of the matrix and fiber-matrix debonding. A novel microscale experimental technique devoted to the characterization of the longitudinal compressive strength of the fibers, X(sup f)(sub c) , was developed. By exercising the model and comparing it with several existing models in the literature, the nonlinear shear response of the composite lamina was shown to play a fundamental role not only in the prediction of the compressive strength X(sub c), but also during the post-peak regime in terms of residual stress σ(sub r) and fiber rotation φ. Finally, the influence of the fiber-matrix interface damage (not considered in most other fiber kinking models) on the fiber kinking phenomenon was assessed through a parametric study.

Polymer-matrix composites (PMC)↗
NASA NTRS1997

Three-Dimensional Polybenzobisoxazoles and Polybenzobisthiazoles

Due to the poor compressive strength properties of high performance liquid crystalline polymers such as polybenzobisoxazoles (PBOs) and polybenzobisthiazoles (PBTs), we have prepared homopolymers and copolymers with PBO and PBT pendant groups on a central star-like unit, 2.7-diamino-9,9'-bis(4-aminophenyl)fluorene, in order to improve upon their compressive strength properties. The fluorene moiety was prepared by the reaction of 2,7-dinitro-9-fluorene with aniline and aniline hydrochloride, followed by reduction with palladium on carbon. The central star-like unit was characterized by FTIR, FTNMR, and elemental analysis. The PBO and PBT pendant groups were synthesized by the polycondensation of 4,6-diaminoresorcinol dihydrochloride with terephthaloyl chloride and 2,5-diamino-1,4-benzendithiol dihydrochloride with terephthaloyl chloride in poly(phosphoric acid), respectively. The resulting linear polymers containing the dicarboxylic end groups were attached to the central star-like unit by refluxing with 2,7-diamino-9,9'-bis(4-aminophenyl) fluorene to give the star-like polymers. The star-like PBO and PBT were soluble in methanesulfonic acid. Further characterization of the polymers is ongoing.

Bray, M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Modeling Fiber Kinking at the Microscale and Mesoscale

A computational micromechanics (CMM) model is employed to interrogate the assumptions of a recently developed mesoscale continuum damage mechanics (CDM) model for fiber kinking. The CMM model considers an individually discretized three dimensional fiber and surrounding matrix accounting for nonlinearity in the fiber, matrix plasticity, fiber/matrix interface debonding, and geometric nonlinearity. Key parameters of the CMM model were measured through experiments. In particular, a novel experimental technique to characterize the in situ longitudinal compressive strength of carbon fibers through indentation of micropillars is presented. The CDM model is formulated on the basis of Budiansky's fiber kinking theory (FKT) with a constitutive deformation-decomposition approach to alleviate mesh size sensitivity. In contrast to conventional mesoscale CDM models that prescribe a constitutive response directly, the response of the proposed model is an outcome of material nonlinearity and large rotations of the fiber direction following FKT. Comparison of the predictions from the CMM and CDM models shows remarkable correlation in strength, post-peak residual stress, and fiber rotation, with less than 10% difference between the two models in most cases. Additional comparisons are made with several fiber kinking models proposed in the literature to highlight the efficacy of the two models. Finally, the CMM model is exercised in parametric studies to explore opportunities to improve the longitudinal compression strength of a ply through the use of nonconventional microstructures.

Herraez, Miguel↗