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At least 253 records · Page 14

Static test of an ultralight airplane

This paper describes all of the work necessary to perform the static test of an ultralight airplane. A steel reaction gantry was designed first, then all of the loading whiffletrees, the hydraulic actuation system, and instrumentation systems were designed. Loads and stress analyses were performed on the airplane and the gantry and whiffletrees. Components tested to date are: tubing samples, cables, and two-by-four whiffletrees. A hydraulic system consisting of a 3000-psi hand pump, 10,000-pound actuator, pressure gage and lines, and a Barksdale valve are described. Load cell calibration and pressure indicator calibration procedures are also described. A description of the strain and deflection measurement system is included. Preliminary data obtained to date are compared to the analytical predictions.

Smith, H. W.↗

Theoretical Elastic Stress Distributions Arising from Discontinuities and Edge Loads in Several Shell-Type Structures

The deformation and complete stress distribution are determined for each of the following edge loaded thin shells of revolution: (1) a right circular cylinder, (2) a frustum of a right circular cone, and (3) a portion of a sphere. The locations of the maximum circumferential and meridional stresses on both the inner and outer surfaces are also found. The basic equations for the above were selected from the published literature on the subject and expanded to produce to resultant-stress equations in closed from where practicable to do so. Equations are also developed for the discontinuity shear force and bending moment at each of the following junction: (1) axial change of thickness in a circular cylinder, (2) axial change of thickness in a cone, (3) change of thickness in a portion of a sphere, (4) a cylinder and a cone, (5) a cylinder and a portion of a sphere(6) a cylinder and a flat head, and (7) a cone and a portion of a sphere.

Johns, Robert H.↗

Mechanics of load transfer at the interface

The mechanism of load transfer from matrix to fiber though the interface and, as a consequence, the effects of the interface on composite structural integrity are discussed. Specifically, the present work deals with the role of interfacial bonding in composite strength, the dependence of fracture surface on interface bond strength, and methods of measuring and predicting the stress at the interface, the microresidual stress, and load condition effects on the interface bond. The possibility of designing composites with specified bond properties is examined. Many of these effects are illustrated graphically to indicate general trends and to illustrate significant points. The discussion is based on theoretical considerations and is supplemented with pertinent experimental data.

Chamis, C. C.↗

Fixture for environmental exposure of structural materials under compression load

A device for stressing a deformable material specimen consists of top plate and a bottom plate sandwiching a guide cylinder. The specimen is positioned on the bottom plate and attached to a load piston. Force is applied through the top plate into the guide cylinder. Once the specimen is loaded, the stress is maintained by tightening tie bolt nuts.

Clark, R. K.↗

C-Coupon Studies of SiC/SiC Composites: Acoustic Emission Monitoring - Part 1

Modal acoustic emission (AE) was used to monitor the acoustic activity during room temperature and elevated temperature c-coupon tests for a variety of SiC/SiC systems including composites containing Sylramic (trademark), ZMI (trademark), or Hi-Nicalon (trademark) fibers with melt-infiltrated or polymer-infiltrated SiC matrices. Modal AE proved excellent at monitoring matrix cracking in the curved portion of the C-coupon specimen with increasing load. This included the load at which the first AE event occurred and the location of AE events during the test that were, presumably, caused by the formation and growth of interlaminar cracks and, at higher loads, transverse cracks. Graphical techniques were employed to estimate the load for first AE. It was determined that for this test with these material systems, the first AE could be estimated within the load range bounded by the load at which initial deviation from linearity of the load-displacement curve occurs and the load where the 98% offset of the linear regression fit intercepted the load-displacement curve. The calculation of interlaminar tensile (ILT) stress from the load for first AE was determined for all the systems. Ultimate ILT strength usually corresponded to ILT stress determined from the ultimate load to failure of the C-coupon test, which was considerably higher than the first cracking stress.

Morscher, Gregory N.↗

Effect of High-Speed Rotation on High-Temperature Superconducting Coils for High Efficiency Megawatt Motor

The use of a superconducting rotor in the High Efficiency Megawatt Motor (HEMM) comes with a number of challenges. The HEMM’s rotor must be designed so that the superconducting coil can tolerate the forces it will encounter during operation. These forces introduce considerable risk to the design of the HEMM. Because this risk cannot be adequately addressed through refined analysis, a set of experiments was deemed necessary to demonstrate that the HEMM’s superconducting coils can survive the stresses imparted by the centrifugal forces acting on the coil during full-speed operation of the machine. These experiments required spin testing a full-scale HEMM coil on a representative rotor structure at room temperature and sequentially higher rotation speeds and measuring the superconductivity response of the coil in liquid nitrogen (LN2) before and after each spin test. Tests were carried out to the full centripetal loading of a recent HEMM design. According to finite element analysis, this load produced stress components in the coil that exceed their design limit by a factor of 1 to 7.4. Although not yet confirmed, the current HEMM design is expected to produce even smaller stresses in the coil due to a 20 percent reduction in the coil’s mass and an increased volume of structural material. The only degradation of the coil that occurred during this testing resulted from a test rig failure and from the voltage taps, which are not part of the final coil design.

Electrified Aircraft Propulsion↗

Thermomechanical Fatigue Damage/Failure Mechanisms in SCS-6/Timetal 21S [0/90](Sub S) Composite

The thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) deformation, damage, and life behaviors of SCS6/Timetal 21S (0/90)s were investigated under zero-tension conditions. In-phase (IP) and out-of-phase (OP) loadings were investigated with a temperature cycle from 150 to 650 deg C. An advanced TMF test technique was used to quantify mechanically damage progression. The technique incorporated explicit measurements of the macroscopic (1) isothermal static moduli at the temperature extremes of the TMF cycle and (2) coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) as functions of the TMF cycles. The importance of thermal property degradation and its relevance to accurate post-test data analysis and interpretation is briefly addressed. Extensive fractography and metallography were conducted on specimens from failed and interrupted tests to characterize the extent of damage at the microstructure level. Fatigue life results indicated trends analogous to those established for similar unidirectional(0) reinforced titanium matrix composite systems. High stress IP and mid to low stress OP loading conditions were life-limiting in comparison to maximum temperature isothermal conditions. Dominant damage mechanisms changed with cycle type. Damage resulting from IP TMF conditions produced measurable decreases in static moduli but only minimal changes in the CTE. Metallography on interrupted and failed specimens revealed extensive (0) fiber cracking with sparse matrix damage. No surface initiated matrix cracks were present. Comparable OP TMF conditions initiated environment enhanced surface cracking and matrix cracking initiated at (90) fiber/matrix (F/M) interfaces. Notable static moduli and CTE degradations were measured. Fractography and metallography revealed that the transverse cracks originating from the surface and (90) F/M interfaces tended to converge and coalesce at the (0) fibers.

Castelli, Michael G.↗

Structural Design and Aeromechanical Analysis of Unconventional Blades for Future Mars Rotorcraft

The structural design for rotor blades with thin, unconventional airfoils for Earth-based testing is obtained using three-Dimensional (3D) aeromechanical analysis in support of the NASA ROAMX project. The outer mold line was provided by NASA, but the internal structural design was developed at the University of Maryland and is presented here along with a thorough aeromechanical analysis. The main objectives are to verify the structural integrity of the design and understand the unique aeroelastic behavior of the non-conventional airfoils designed for low-Reynolds number and high subsonic Mach number. Four different blade models are considered, with the pitch axis varied from quarter-chord to mid-chord to determine the effect of C.G. offset on natural frequencies, blade deformations, root loads, and 3D stresses. First, torsional stability is calculated for each of the designs – especially important due to the low Lock number on Mars. All four blade designs are studied under rotation in vacuum, and significant reductions in root loads and 3D stresses are achieved by moving the pitch axis closer to mid-chord to reduce the C.G. offset. Based on the vacuum analysis, the blade design with the pitch axis at 40% chord is selected for aeromechanical analysis. The blade control load, airloads, deformations, and 3D stresses are studied for steady hover. Dynamic control load and dynamic 3D stresses are studied for unsteady hover achieved using cyclic. Significant elastic twist is observed due to the trapeze effect and propeller moment, affecting the spanwise distribution of aerodynamic loads on the blades. The dynamic control load is found to increase significantly due to inertial coupling from the C.G. offset. The dynamic stresses also increase, although still have factors of safety greater than two for both tensile and compressive stress.

Structural Design↗

Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites (IPMCs) as Biomimetic Sensors, Actuators and Artificial Muscles: A Review

This paper presents an introduction to ionic polymer-metal composites and some mathematical modeling pertaining to them. It further discusses a number of recent findings in connection with ion-exchange polymer-metal composites (IPMCS) as biomimetic sensors and actuators. Strips of these composites can undergo large bending and flapping displacement if an electric field is imposed across their thickness. Thus, in this sense they are large motion actuators. Conversely by bending the composite strip, either quasi-statically or dynamically, a voltage is produced across the thickness of the strip. Thus, they are also large motion sensors. The output voltage can be calibrated for a standard size sensor and correlated to the applied loads or stresses. They can be manufactured and cut in any size and shape. In this paper first the sensing capability of these materials is reported. The preliminary results show the existence of a linear relationship between the output voltage and the imposed displacement for almost all cases. Furthermore, the ability of these IPMCs as large motion actuators and robotic manipulators is presented. Several muscle configurations are constructed to demonstrate the capabilities of these IPMC actuators. This paper further identifies key parameters involving the vibrational and resonance characteristics of sensors and actuators made with IPMCS. When the applied signal frequency varies, so does the displacement up to a critical frequency called the resonant frequency where maximum deformation is observed, beyond which the actuator response is diminished. A data acquisition system was used to measure the parameters involved and record the results in real time basis. Also the load characterizations of the IPMCs were measured and it was shown that these actuators exhibit good force to weight characteristics in the presence of low applied voltages. Finally reported are the cryogenic properties of these muscles for potential utilization in an outer space environment of a few Torrs and temperatures of the order of - 140 degrees Celsius. These muscles are shown to work quite well in such harsh cryogenic environments and thus present a great potential as sensors and actuators that can operate at cryogenic temperatures.

Shahinpoor, M.↗

MSC/NASTRAN Stress Analysis of Complete Models Subjected to Random and Quasi-Static Loads

Space payloads, such as those which fly on the Space Shuttle in Spacelab, are designed to withstand dynamic loads which consist of combined acoustic random loads and quasi-static acceleration loads. Methods for computing the payload stresses due to these loads are well known and appear in texts and NASA documents, but typically involve approximations such as the Miles' equation, as well as possible adjustments based on "modal participation factors." Alternatively, an existing capability in MSC/NASTRAN may be used to output exact root mean square [rms] stresses due to the random loads for any specified elements in the Finite Element Model. However, it is time consuming to use this methodology to obtain the rms stresses for the complete structural model and then combine them with the quasi-static loading induced stresses. Special processing was developed as described here to perform the stress analysis of all elements in the model using existing MSC/NASTRAN and MSC/PATRAN and UNIX utilities. Fail-safe and buckling analyses applications are also described.

Hampton, Roy W.↗

Propagation of the transverse normal stress in a thick plate due to distributed lateral impulsive loadings

A theoretical study of the elastic stresses produced in an infinite plate when struck by a high-speed object is presented. The solution is obtained by means of linear elasticity. Laplace transformation techniques are employed to solve the axisymmetric problem. The plate is loaded normal to its surface with a uniform load over a circular area. The normal stress at the wave front of the unreflected dilatation wave along the axis and its variation with the radius of loading are determined. Various facets of the problem are discussed.

Oline, L. W.↗

Measurements of the stress supported by the crush zone in open hole composite laminates loaded in compression

Measurements of the stress supported by the crush zone in open hole specimens loaded in compression were carried out on two composite laminates, AS4/PEEK and IM6/HST-7, containing circular holes of three different diameters. Compression tests were conducted in a specially designed high-axial-alignment material test system machine. Results indicated that the local stress supported in the crush zone is much less than the stress required to initiate the crush, providing the reason for the finding of Guynn et al. (1987) that the Dugdale model does not accurately predict the load-damage size relationship of open hole composite specimens loaded in compression.

Guynn, E. Gail↗

Computer program simplifies selection of structural steel columns

Computer program rapidly selects appropriate size steel columns and base plates for construction of multistory structures. The program produces a printed record containing the size of a section required at a particular elevation, the stress produced by the loads, and the allowable stresses for that section.

Vissing, G. S.↗