Role of anions in mechanical failure Annual report
Evaluation of anion impurities effects on mechanical failure of polycrystalline ceramic materials
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Evaluation of anion impurities effects on mechanical failure of polycrystalline ceramic materials
Ball bearings (40-mm bore) with lead coated, aluminum-bronze retainers were operated successfully in liquid hydrogen at 30,000 rpm under a thrust load of 1780 newtons (400 lb) for running times up to 15 hours. The lead transfer films on the bearing surfaces prevented galling of bearing components. The lead coated retainers used in this investigation show promise for use in the high radiation environments, where polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based materials are not suitable. Failure was a result of the loss of lead lubricant on the retainer-inner-land and ball-pocket surfaces. The longest bearing life (15 hr) was achieved with a lead coating thickness of 50 micrometers (0.002 in.) on the retainer. Other bearings had lives of 2 to 6 hours.
Tubular specimens were potted in metal grips to determine the feasibility of this gripping method in applying multiaxial loads. Strain gage rosettes were used to assess grip transitional strains, through thickness strain variation and strain variations along the tube length and circumference. The investigation was limited to loading 0 deg, + or - 45 deg, and 90 deg graphite/epoxy and glass/epoxy tubes in axial tension. Results include modifications made to the grips to reduce transitional strains, illustrations of the tube failure modes, and some material properties. The gripping concept shows promise as a satisfactory technique for applying multiaxial loads to high strength, high modulus fiber composite tubes.
Tubular specimens were potted in metal grips to determine the feasibility of this gripping method in applying multiaxial loads. Strain gage rosettes were used to assess grip transitional strains, through thickness strain variation and strain variations along the tube length and circumference. The investigation was limited to loading 0, 45, plus or minus 45, and 90 deg graphite/epoxy and glass/epoxy tubes in axial tension. Results include modifications made to the grips to reduce transitional strains, illustrations of the tube failure modes, and some material properties. The gripping concept shows promise as a satisfactory technique for applying multiaxial loads to high-strength, high-modulus fiber composite tubes.
Tubular specimens were potted in metal grips to determine the feasibility of this gripping method in applying multiaxial loads. Strain gage rosettes were used to assess grip transitional strains, through thickness strain variation, and strain variations along the tube length and circumference. The investigation was limited to loading graphite/epoxy and glass/epoxy tubes in axial tension. Results include modifications made to the grips to reduce transitional strains, illustrations of the tube failure modes, and some material properties. The gripping concept shows promise as a satisfactory technique for applying multiaxial loads to high-strength, high-modulus fiber composite tubes.
A previously proposed cumulative fatigue damage law is extended to predict the probability of failure or fatigue life for structural materials with S-N fatigue curves represented as a scatterband of failure points. The proposed law applies to structures subjected to sinusoidal or random stresses and includes the effect of initial crack (i.e., flaw) sizes. The corrected cycle ratio damage function is shown to have physical significance.
The end notched flexure (ENF) specimen is examined as a candidate for measuring interlaminar fracture toughness in skew symmetric loading. A simple design study for sizing the ENF specimen to minimize geometric nonlinear response and to avoid nonlinear material behavior or flexural failure is presented. Results indicate that interlaminar shear effects may be significant for tough resin systems requiring large thickness-to-length geometries. The influences of interlaminar shear deformation and friction between the crack surfaces on the strain energy release rate are examined.
A number of computer codes are available for performing thermal analysis of solid rocket motor nozzles. Aerotherm Chemical Equilibrium (ACE) computer program can be used to perform one-dimensional gas expansion to determine the state of the gas at each location of a nozzle. The ACE outputs can be used as input to a computer program called Momentum/Energy Integral Technique (MEIT) for predicting boundary layer development development, shear, and heating on the surface of the nozzle. The output from MEIT can be used as input to another computer program called Aerotherm Charring Material Thermal Response and Ablation Program (CMA). This program is used to calculate oblation or decomposition response of the nozzle material. A code called Failure Analysis Nonlinear Thermal and Structural Integrated Code (FANTASTIC) is also likely to be used for performing thermal analysis of solid rocket motor nozzles after the program is duly verified. A part of the verification work on FANTASTIC was done by using one and two dimension heat transfer examples with known answers. An attempt was made to prepare input for performing thermal analysis of the CCT nozzle using the FANTASTIC computer code. The CCT nozzle problem will first be solved by using ACE, MEIT, and CMA. The same problem will then be solved using FANTASTIC. These results will then be compared for verification of FANTASTIC.
Constant amplitude tension-tension fatigue tests were conducted on AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy (02/ theta sub 2/ -(theta sub 2))sub s laminates, where theta was 15, 20, 25, or 30 degrees. Fatigue tests were conducted at a frequency of 5 Hz and an R-ratio of 0.1. Dye penetrant enhanced x-radiography was used to document the onset of matrix cracking in the central -(theta) degree plies, and the subsequent onset of local delaminations in the theta/ -(theta) interface at the intersection of the matrix cracks and the free edge, as a function of the number of fatigue cycles. Two strain energy release rate solutions for local delamination from matrix cracks were derived: one for a local delamination growing from an angle ply matrix crack with a uniform delamination growing from an angle ply matrix crack with a triangular shaped delamination area that extended only partially into the laminate width from the free edge. Plots of G(max) vs. N were generated to assess the accuracy of these G solutions. The influence of residual thermal and moisture stresses on G were also quantified. However, a detailed analysis of the G components and a mixed-mode fatigue failure criterion for this material may be needed to predict the fatigue behavior of these laminates.
Reviewed here is the state of the art of liquid lubrication for space applications. The areas discussed are types of liquid lubrication mechanisms, space environmental effects on lubrication, classification of lubricants, liquid lubricant additives, grease lubrication, mechanism materials, bearing anomalies and failures, lubricant supply techniques, and application types and lubricant needs for those applications.
A thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) high-temperature life prediction method has been evaluated using the experimental data. Bithermal fatigue (BTF), bithermal creep-fatigue (BTC-F), and TMF experiments were performed using two aerospace structural alloys, cast B1900 + Hf and wrought Haynes 188. The method which is based on the total strain version of strain range partitioning and unified cyclic constitutive modeling requires, as an input, information on the flow and failure behavior of the material of interest. Bithermal temperatures of 483 and 871 C were used for the cast B1900 + Hf nickel-base alloy and 316 and 760 C for the wrought Haynes 188 cobalt-base alloy. Maximum and minimum temperatures were also used in both TMF and BTF tests. Comparisons were made between the results of these tests and isothermal tensile and fatigue test data obtained previously. Qualitative correlations were observed between tensile and isothermal fatigue tests.
Reviewed here is the state of the art of liquid lubrication for space applications. The areas discussed are types of liquid lubrication mechanisms, space environmental effects on lubrication, classification of lubricants, liquid lubricant additives, grease lubrication, mechanism materials, bearing anomalies and failures, lubricant supply techniques, and application types and lubricant needs for those applications.
The program goal is to develop a computerized life prediction model capable of identifying present aging progress and predicting end of life for aircraft wiring. A summary is given in viewgraph format of progress made on phase 1 objectives, which were to identify critical aircraft wiring problems; relate most common failures identified to the wire mechanism causing the failure; assess wiring requirments, materials, and stress environment for fighter aircraft; and demonstrate the feasibility of a time-temperature-environment model.
The objective of this program is to develop rechargeable Li-ion cells for future NASA missions. Applications that would benefit from this project are: new millenium spacecraft; rovers; landers; astronaut equipment; and planetary orbiters. The approach of this program is: select electrode materials and electrolytes; identify failure modes and mechanisms and enhance cycle life; demonstrate Li-ion cell technology with liquid electrolyte; select candidate polymer electrolytes for Li-ion polymer cells; and develop Li-ion polymer cell technology.
The structural design, or the design of machine elements, has been traditionally based on deterministic design methodology. The deterministic method considers all design parameters to be known with certainty. This methodology is, therefore, inadequate to design complex structures that are subjected to a variety of complex, severe loading conditions. A nonlinear behavior that is dependent on stress, stress rate, temperature, number of load cycles, and time is observed on all components subjected to complex conditions. These complex conditions introduce uncertainties; hence, the actual factor of safety margin remains unknown. In the deterministic methodology, the contingency of failure is discounted; hence, there is a use of a high factor of safety. It may be most useful in situations where the design structures are simple. The probabilistic method is concerned with the probability of non-failure performance of structures or machine elements. It is much more useful in situations where the design is characterized by complex geometry, possibility of catastrophic failure, sensitive loads and material properties. Also included: Comparative Study of the use of AGMA Geometry Factors and Probabilistic Design Methodology in the Design of Compact Spur Gear Set.
Composites are currently used for a rapidly expanding number of applications including aircraft structures, rocket nozzles, thermal protection of spacecraft, high performance ablative surfaces, sports equipment including skis, tennis rackets and bicycles, lightweight automobile components, cutting tools, and optical-grade mirrors. Composites are formed from two or more insoluble materials to produce a material with superior properties to either component. Composites range from dispersion-hardened alloys to advanced fiber-reinforced composites. UV/VIS and FTIR spectroscopy currently is used to evaluate the bonding between the matrix and the fibers, monitor the curing process of a polymer, measure surface contamination, characterize the interphase material, monitor anion transport in polymer phases, characterize the void formation (voids must be minimized because, like cracks in a bulk material, they lead to failure), characterize the surface of the fiber component, and measure the overall optical properties for energy balances.
Intergranular fracture is a dominant mode of failure in ultrafine grained materials. In the present study, the atomistic mechanisms of grain-boundary debonding during intergranular fracture in aluminum are modeled using a coupled molecular dynamics finite element simulation. Using a statistical mechanics approach, a cohesive-zone law in the form of a traction-displacement constitutive relationship, characterizing the load transfer across the plane of a growing edge crack, is extracted from atomistic simulations and then recast in a form suitable for inclusion within a continuum finite element model. The cohesive-zone law derived by the presented technique is free of finite size effects and is statistically representative for describing the interfacial debonding of a grain boundary (GB) interface examined at atomic length scales. By incorporating the cohesive-zone law in cohesive-zone finite elements, the debonding of a GB interface can be simulated in a coupled continuum-atomistic model, in which a crack starts in the continuum environment, smoothly penetrates the continuum-atomistic interface, and continues its propagation in the atomistic environment. This study is a step towards relating atomistically derived decohesion laws to macroscopic predictions of fracture and constructing multiscale models for nanocrystalline and ultrafine grained materials.
A series of tests conducted recently at the NASA JSC arc -jet test facility demonstrated that a protruding tile material can survive the exposure to the high enthalpy flows characteristic of the Space Shuttle Orbiter re-entry environments. The tests provided temperature data for the protuberance and the surrounding smooth tile surfaces, as well as the tile bond line. The level of heating needed to slump the protuberance material was achieved. Protuberance failure mode was demonstrated.