Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “PLATES, STRUCTURAL”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 451 records · Page 25

Two fault tolerant toggle-hook release

A coupling device is disclosed which is mechanically two fault tolerant for release. The device comprises a fastener plate and fastener body, each of which is attachable to a different one of a pair of structures to be joined. The fastener plate and body are coupled by an elongate toggle mounted at one end in a socket on the fastener plate for universal pivotal movement thereon. The other end of the toggle is received in an opening in the fastener body and adapted for limited pivotal movement therein. The toggle is adapted to be restrained by three latch hooks arranged in symmetrical equiangular spacing about the axis of the toggle, each hook being mounted on the fastener body for pivotal movement between an unlatching non-contact position with respect to the toggle and a latching position in engagement with a latching surface of the toggle. The device includes releasable lock means for locking each latch hook in its latching position whereby the toggle couples the fastener plate to the fastener body and means for releasing the lock means to unlock each said latch hook from the latch position whereby the unlocking of at least one of the latch hooks from its latching position results in the decoupling of the fastener plate from the fastener body.

Graves, Thomas Joseph↗

Low velocity impact analysis with NASTRAN

A nonlinear elastic force-displacement relationship is used to calculate the transient impact force and local deformation at the point of contact between impactor and target. The nonlinear analysis and transfer function capabilities of NASTRAN are used to define a finite element model that behaves globally linearly elastic, and locally nonlinear elastic to model the local contact behavior. Results are presented for two different structures: a uniform cylindrical rod impacted longitudinally; and an orthotropic plate impacted transversely. Calculated impact force and transient structural response of the targets are shown to compare well with results measured in experimental tests.

Trowbridge, Daniel A.↗

Low velocity impact analysis with NASTRAN

A nonlinear elastic force-displacement relationship is used to calculate the transient impact force and local deformation at the point of contact between impactor and target. The nonlinear analysis and transfer function capabilities of NASTRAN are used to define a finite element model that behaves globally linearly elastic, and locally nonlinear elastic to model the local contact behavior. Results are presented for two different structures: a uniform cylindrical rod impacted longitudinally; and an orthotropic plate impacted transversely. Calculated impact force and transient structural response of the targets are shown to compare well with results measured in experimental tests.

Trowbridge, Daniel A.↗

Low velocity impact analysis with NASTRAN

A nonlinear elastic force-displacement relationship is used to calculate the transient impact force and local deformation at the point of contact between impactor and target. The nonlinear analysis and transfer function capabilities of NASTRAN are used to define a finite element model that behaves globally linearly elastic, and locally nonlinear elastic to model the local contact behavior. Results are presented for two different structures: a uniform cylindrical rod impacted longitudinally; and an orthotropic plate impacted transversely. Calculated impact force and transient structural response of the targets are shown to compare well with results measured in experimental tests.

Trowbridge, D. A.↗

Analysis of the Hessian for aeroelastic optimization

The symbol of the Hessian for an aeroelastic optimization model problem is analyzed. The flow is modeled by the small-disturbance full potential equation and the structure is modeled by an isotropic (von Karman) plate equation. The cost function consists of both aerodynamic and structural terms. In the new analysis the symbol of the cost function Hessian near the minimum is computed. The result indicates that under some conditions, which are likely fulfilled in most applications, the system is decoupled for the non-smooth components. The result also shows that the structure part in the Hessian is well-conditioned while the aerodynamic part is ill-conditioned. Applications of the result to optimization strategies are discussed.

Arian, Eyal↗

Mechanical Properties of Aged A709

A709 plate is in the process of being developed and qualified through a collaboration by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The goal is to qualify A709 plate in Section III, Division 5 of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC). This would permit the construction of A709 plate for fast-reactor structural applications. A tradeoff between creep and creep-fatigue properties was established in prior work. A processing route was identified as providing the optimal balance between creep-rupture and elevated-temperature cyclic properties for the solution annealed condition. This condition, however, resulted in a shorter than desired creep-rupture life. Aging is probed to evaluate its potential at further improving mechanical properties. Aging statically precipitates the solutes in solution prior to service. The processing routes identified as providing the best creep-rupture properties and best balance in mechanical properties are investigated. This report discloses the results from tensile, creep, and elevated-temperature cyclic testing performed at INL on the aged material. The aged properties are compared to solution annealed properties. A709 offers improvement in performance compared to 316H particularly at high temperatures; 316H is a material qualified in Section III, Division 5 of the ASME BPVC. For certain high-temperature fast-reactor design conditions, 316H cannot be used while A709 can.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Structural efficiencies of various aluminum, titanium, and steel alloys at elevated temperatures

Efficient temperature ranges are indicated for two high-strength aluminum alloys, two titanium alloys, and three steels for some short-time compression-loading applications at elevated temperatures. Only the effects of constant temperatures and short exposure to temperature are considered, and creep is assumed not to be a factor. The structural efficiency analysis is based upon preliminary results of short-time elevated-temperature compressive stress-strain tests of the materials. The analysis covers strength under uniaxial compression, elastic stiffness, column buckling, and the buckling of long plates in compression or in shear.

COLUMNS, STRUCTURAL↗

Determination of the effects of heating on modal characteristics of an aluminum plate with application to hypersonic vehicles

The structural integrity of proposed high speed aircraft can be seriously affected by the extremely high surface temperatures and large temperature gradients throughout the vehicle's structure. Variations in the structure's elastic characteristics as a result of thermal effects can be seen by changes in vibration characteristics. Analysis codes that predict these changes must be correlated and verified with experimental data. Analytical and experimental modal test results are given from uniform, nonuniform, and transient thermoelastic vibration tests of a 12 x 50 x 0.19 aluminum plate. The data show the effect of heat on the modal characteristics of the plate. The results showed that frequencies decreased, damping increased, and mode shapes remained unchanged as the temperature of the plate increased. Analytical predictions provided good correlation with experimental results.

Snyder, H. Todd↗

Optimization of Adaptive Intraply Hybrid Fiber Composites with Reliability Considerations

The reliability with bounded distribution parameters (mean, standard deviation) was maximized and the reliability-based cost was minimized for adaptive intra-ply hybrid fiber composites by using a probabilistic method. The probabilistic method accounts for all naturally occurring uncertainties including those in constituent material properties, fabrication variables, structure geometry, and control-related parameters. Probabilistic sensitivity factors were computed and used in the optimization procedures. For actuated change in the angle of attack of an airfoil-like composite shell structure with an adaptive torque plate, the reliability was maximized to 0.9999 probability, with constraints on the mean and standard deviation of the actuation material volume ratio (percentage of actuation composite material in a ply) and the actuation strain coefficient. The reliability-based cost was minimized for an airfoil-like composite shell structure with an adaptive skin and a mean actuation material volume ratio as the design parameter. At a O.9-mean actuation material volume ratio, the minimum cost was obtained.

Shiao, Michael C.↗

Laser Shock Modeling Archival Discussion

The purpose of this discussion is to provide archival information related to the Laser Shock finite element modeling effort. As discussed in Laser Shock System, Assessing bond strength in layered materials (see Section 8.0), the Laser Shock System creates a high-amplitude shockwave on the frontside of a structure (i.e. an aluminum 6061-T6 plate for this discussion) via a high-energy pulsed laser. The shock wave is monitored on the back surface of the structure as a velocity time history. It is a compressive wave as it comes to the back surface but reflects as a tensile wave. If a bond exists in the structure and the reflected tensile wave exceeds its interface threshold stress, then bond rupture occurs. The desire of the Laser Shock effort is to establish (with multiple tests) an ultimate bond strength which can be used for fuel plate design calculations. In this process, the finite element modeling effort is the catalyst to mimic the Laser Shock tests and provide the damage information at the bond that is useful for fuel plate design calculations.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Laser Based Remote and Rapid Inspection for Composite Plates

Composites have been extensively used in aero structure and become the predominate components in the new airframes. Thus, rapid and effective inspection for composite structures is highly desired in aerospace engineering in order to shorten the certificate cycle for new structures or provide safety guarantee for existing ones. In this paper, a laser based remote Lamb wave inspection system is presented and implemented on composite plates for simulated damage detection. The system employs pulsed laser (PL) and scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) for noncontact and remote Lamb wave actuation and wavefield sensing. A composite plate with simulated defect (surface bonded quartz rod) is inspected with the PL-SLDV laser system. Wave scattering are observed in the SLDV acquired wavefield and the damage is further evaluated with wavefield imaging and frequency wavenumber analysis. Potential application towards automatic PL Lamb wave excitation is also explored through employing an industry robotic arm towards rapid inspection.

Lamb waves↗

Monitoring of mechanical changes in a pipe assembly with complex geometry using multi-mode acoustic signals

Guided wave ultrasonic testing has been widely used for nondestructive and long-range evaluation of diverse mechanical structures, such as pipes and plates. In general, a large number of guided wave modes exist even in the simplest geometries, and they exhibit highly dispersive characteristics. Thus, sophisticated excitation methods and elaborate modal analyses need to be implemented to excite, acquire, and process well-defined pure modes as part of such a measurement method. If the interrogated structure has complex geometry, for example, with cross-sectional variations or multiple joints, the utilization of pure modes becomes significantly more difficult. To overcome this difficulty, this paper proposes the use of multi-mode, multi-frequency guided waves for long-range inspection of structures with arbitrarily complex geometries. Furthermore, using broadband chirp signals and multi-mode time–frequency analysis in a prototypical complex pipe assembly that includes multiple pipe diameters, elbows, and flange connections, we experimentally show sensitive detection of mechanical changes (both material addition and loss). In addition, we demonstrate that the complexity of the structure can be modeled in the digital domain with sufficient detail to allow accurate numerical simulation of the acoustic response using this method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

An Efficient Inverse Finite Element Method for Shape and Stress Sensing of Laminated Composite and Sandwich Plates and Shells

The inverse Finite Element Method (iFEM) is a revolutionary methodology for real-time reconstruction of full-field structural displacements and stresses in structures that are instrumented with strain sensors. This inverse problem is commonly referred to as shape and stress sensing, which is well-recognized as an enabling technology for structural health monitoring systems. In this study, an improved iFEM formulation is proposed for shape and stress sensing of laminated composite and sandwich plates and shells. The formulation includes the kinematics of a shear deformation plate theory known as Refined Zigzag Theory (RZT) as its baseline. The present iFEM formulation is based upon the minimization of a weighted-least-squares functional that uses the complete set of section strains of RZT. The improved iFEM methodology is applicable for shape and stress sensing of thin and moderately thick plate and shell structures involving a relatively small number of strain gauges. The main advantage of the current formulation is that highly accurate through-the-thickness distributions of displacements, strains, and stresses are attainable using an element based on simple C0-continuous displacement interpolation functions. A three-node inverseshell element, named i3-RZT, is developed. Two example problems are examined in detail: (1) a simply supported rectangular laminated composite plate and (2) a wedge structure with a hole near one of the clamped ends. For both problems, the experimental strain data are generated numerically by the direct finite element analysis using high-fidelity discretizations. These strains are then regarded as the experimental strains obtained from surface mounted strain gauges or embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. The numerical results demonstrate the superior capability and potential applicability of the i3- RZT/iFEM methodology for performing accurate shape and stress sensing of complex composite structures.

Kefal, Adnan↗

Visualization of Hemispherical Post‐Detonation Fireball Internal Structures

Hemispherical charges are initiated above a transparent plate in a half‐plane configuration, allowing optical access to the internal regions of the luminous fireball. High‐speed visualization enables characterization of the internal luminous structure, showing clearly the bright shell and dark core regions. Spectroscopic and pyrometric diagnostics are applied to these flows, generating quantitative information on the spatial distribution of temperature inside the fireball. Both cased and uncased charges can be examined using this methodology, and several different high explosives are tested. This approach can be useful in validation of detailed explosive fireball models. Initial comparisons with such models are presented.

detonation↗

Attaching of strain gages to substrates

A method and apparatus for attaching strain gages to substrates is described. A strain gage having a backing plate is attached to a substrate by using a foil of brazing material between the backing plate and substrate. A pair of electrodes that are connected to a current source, are applied to opposite sides of the backing plate, so that heating of the structure occurs primarily along the relatively highly conductive foil of brazing material. Field installations are facilitated by utilizing a backing plate with wings extending at an upward incline from either side of the backing plate, by attaching the electrodes to the wings to perform the brazing operation, and by breaking off the wings after the brazing is completed.

Lemcoe, M. M.↗

Fiber Optic Bragg Grating Sensors for Thermographic Detection of Subsurface Anomalies

Conventional thermography with an infrared imager has been shown to be an extremely viable technique for nondestructively detecting subsurface anomalies such as thickness variations due to corrosion. A recently developed technique using fiber optic sensors to measure temperature holds potential for performing similar inspections without requiring an infrared imager. The structure is heated using a heat source such as a quartz lamp with fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors at the surface of the structure to detect temperature. Investigated structures include a stainless steel plate with thickness variations simulated by small platelets attached to the back side using thermal grease. A relationship is shown between the FBG sensor thermal response and variations in material thickness. For comparison, finite element modeling was performed and found to agree closely with the fiber optic thermography results. This technique shows potential for applications where FBG sensors are already bonded to structures for Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring (IVHM) strain measurements and can serve dual-use by also performing thermographic detection of subsurface anomalies.

Allison, Sidney G.↗

Modification in drag of turbulent boundary layers resulting from manipulation of large-scale structures

The effects of placing a parallel-plate turbulence manipulator in a boundary layer are documented through flow visualization and hot wire measurements. The boundary layer manipulator was designed to manage the large scale structures of turbulence leading to a reduction in surface drag. The differences in the turbulent structure of the boundary layer are summarized to demonstrate differences in various flow properties. The manipulator inhibited the intermittent large scale structure of the turbulent boundary layer for at least 70 boundary layer thicknesses downstream. With the removal of the large scale, the streamwise turbulence intensity levels near the wall were reduced. The downstream distribution of the skin friction was also altered by the introduction of the manipulator.

Corke, T. C.↗

Design oriented structural analysis

Desirable characteristics and benefits of design oriented analysis methods are described and illustrated by presenting a synoptic description of the development and uses of the Equivalent Laminated Plate Solution (ELAPS) computer code. ELAPS is a design oriented structural analysis method which is intended for use in the early design of aircraft wing structures. Model preparation is minimized by using a few large plate segments to model the wing box structure. Computational efficiency is achieved by using a limited number of global displacement functions that encompass all segments over the wing planform. Coupling with other codes is facilitated since the output quantities such as deflections and stresses are calculated as continuous functions over the plate segments. Various aspects of the ELAPS development are discussed including the analytical formulation, verification of results by comparison with finite element analysis results, coupling with other codes, and calculation of sensitivity derivatives. The effectiveness of ELAPS for multidisciplinary design application is illustrated by describing its use in design studies of high speed civil transport wing structures.

Giles, Gary L.↗