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Phosphine oxide-containing polyimide resins modified by elastomers, are disclosed which have improved mechanical properties. These products are particularly useful in the production of fiber or fabric-reinforced composites or laminates.
Acoustic shock waves in a variable area duct which contains near sonic flows are considered. The problem is modeled after an aeroengine inlet. Area variation of a duct and high Mach number mean the flow reduces acoustical energy yielding substantial noise reduction. One possible reason for this is acoustic shock. The use of an explicit accurate numerical method which captures shocks is described. Comparison of the results are made with an existing asymptotic theory for Mach numbers close to unity. When shock occurs reduction of sound pressure levels are shown by example.
As part of an effort on tougher/solvent resistant matrix resins for composites, research was directed towards exploring methods to improve the solvent resistance of linear amorphous thermoplastics. Ethyl reactive groups were placed on the ends of oligomers and pendent along the polymer chain and subsequently thermally reacted to provide crosslinking and thus improvement in solvent resistance. This concept is extended to another thermoplastic, a phenoxy resin. A commercially available phenoxy resin (PKHH) was systematically modified by reaction of the pendent hydroxyl groups on the phenoxy resin with various amounts of 4-ethynylbenzoyl chloride. As the pendent ethynyl group content in the phenoxy resin increased, the cured resin exhibited a higher glass transition temperature, better solvent resistance and less flexibility. The solvent resistance was further improved by correcting a low molecular weight diethynyl compound, 2,2-bis(4-ethynylbenzoyloxy-4'-phenyl)propane, with a phenoxy resin containing pendent ethynyl groups.
An apparatus and method for destructively removing particles from a flowing gas containing the particles is described. In the specific embodiments disclosed the apparatus is adapted to remove carbon particles from diesel engine exhaust products. The exhaust products are directed to a predetermined location where they are rapidly vaporized and combine with oxygen in the exhaust products to form carbon dioxide. Vaporization in one embodiment is effected by a discharge grid located within an exhaust conduit, the grid being chosen so that alternate conductors defining the grid are spaced apart a distance approximately 125 times the mean diameter of the particles to be removed. A voltage differential of approximately 690 volts is applied across adjacent conductors.
The transient thermal stress problem in a hollow cylinder or a disk containing a radial crack is considered. It is assumed that the cylinder is reinforced on its inner boundary by a membrane which has thermoelastic constants different than those of the base material. The transient temperature, thermal stresses and the crack tip stress intensity factors are calculated in a cylinder which is subjected to a sudden change of temperature on the inside surface. The results are obtained for various dimensionless parameters and material constants. The special cases of the crack terminating at the cylinder-membrane interface and of the broken membrane are separately considered and some examples are given.
The stability of finite difference models of hyperbolic initial boundary value problems is connected with the propagation and reflection of parasitic waves. Wave propagation ideas are applied to models containing two boundaires or interfaces, where repeated reflection of trapped wave packets is a potential new source of instability. Various known instability phenomena are accounted for in a unified way. Results show: (1) dissipativity does not ensure stability when three or more formulas are concatenated at a boundary or internal interface; (2) algebraic GKS instabilities can be converted by a second boundary to exponential instabilities only when an infinite numerical reflection coefficient is present; and (3) GKS-stability and P-stability can be established in certain problems by showing that all numerical reflection coefficients have modulus less than 1.
Mechanical properties and stress-strain behavior for several types of commercially fabricated aluminum matrix composites, containing up to 40 vol % discontinuous SiC whisker, nodule, or particulate reinforcement were evaluated. It was found that the elastic modulus of the composites was isotropic, to be independent of type of reinforcement, and to be controlled solely by the volume percentage of SiC reinforcement present. The yield/tensile strengths and ductility were controlled primarily by the matrix alloy and temper condition. Ductility decreased with increasing reinforcement content, however, the fracture strains observed were higher than those reported in the literature for this type of composite. This increase in fracture strain is attributed to cleaner matrix powder and increased mechanical working during fabrication. Conventional aluminum and titanium structural alloys were compared and have shown that the properties of these low cost, lightweight composites have good potential for application to aerospace structures.
Phosphorus containing polyamides and copolyamides were prepared from 1-(dialkoxyphosphinyl)methyl-2,4- and -2,6-diaminobenzenes. The polymers produced were characterized by infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Their thermal properties were compared with those of the corresponding common polyamides. In addition, by determining the limiting oxygen index value of some of these polyamides, their fire resistance was evaluated.
The spectral properties from 0.4 to 3 microns of montmorillonite plus dark carbon grains (called opaques) of various sizes are studied as a function of the weight fraction of opaques present. The reflectance level and band depths of the 1.4-, 1.9-, 2.2-, and 2.8-micron water and/or OH absorption features are analyzed using derived empirical relationships and scattering theory. It is found that the absorption band depths and reflectance level are a very nonlinear function of the weight fraction of opaques present but can be predicted in many cases by simple scattering theory. The 2.8-micron bound water fundamental band is the most difficult absorption feature to suppress. The overtone absorptions are suppressed a greater amount than the fundamental but are still apparent even when 10-20 wt pct opaques are present. The relationships observed and the simple scattering theory presented show that quantitative compositional remote sensing studies are feasible for surfaces containing complex mineral mixtures.
In the present design methodology for nonlinear systems containing parameter uncertainty, a generalized sensitivity analysis is incorporated which employs parameter space sampling and statistical inference. For the case of a system with j adjustable and k nonadjustable parameters, this methodology (which includes an adaptive random search strategy) is used to determine the combination of j adjustable parameter values which maximize the probability of those performance indices which simultaneously satisfy design criteria in spite of the uncertainty due to k nonadjustable parameters.
The elasticity problem for a long hollow circular cylinder containing an axisymmetric circumferential crack subjected to general nonaxisymmetric external loads is considered. The problem is formulated in terms of a system of singular integral equations with the Fourier coefficients of the derivative of the crack surface displacement as density functions. The stress intensity factors and the crack opening displacement are calculated for a cylinder under uniform tension, bending by end couples, and self-equilibrating residual stresses.
Two optical reference coatings containing tetrafluorethylene have been formulated using silicone binders. One of the silicones used is an oligomer of methyl silanol supplied at 48 percent solids in a mixture of butanol and ethanol. The other silicone is a proprietory silicone tethered ethyl silicate based colloidal silica binder supplied at 22 and 36 percent solids in a mixture of low molecular weight aliphatic alcohols. The coatins are characterized by high durability and have an overall reflectance in the visible part of the spectrum of about 90 percent. The substrate preparation and application procedures are described.
Phosphorus-based flame retardants have been effectively used in a wide variety of polymeric materials. Such additives, however, may either influence the decomposition reaction in polymers or lack durability due to a tendency to be leached out by solvents. Attention is given to the synthesis, characterization, thermal stability and degradation mechanisms of bisimide resins, and an evaluation is conducted of the flammability and mechanical properties of graphite cloth-reinforced laminates fabricated from one of the six phosphorus-containing bisimide resins considered.
A numerical algorithm based on Eddington's second approximation to the equation of radiative transfer has been developed in order to compute the radiances with horizontal and vertical polarization that emerge from precipitating clouds. This algorithm yields a rapid solution to problems pertaining to clouds with vertically inhomogeneous structure. Precipitating clouds containing liquid, mixtures of phases, and ice hydrometeors are modelled. It is shown that the lower-frequency radiances are sensitive to liquid precipitation at low altitudes while the higher-frequency radiances are more sensitive to the ice hydrometeors at the cloud tops. The extinction coefficients of aspherical hydrometeors are presented as a function of rainfall rates. The fact that vertically polarized radiances are warmer than horizontally polarized ones at high rainfall rates, with the difference diminishing at lower frequencies, is due to aspherical ice hydrometeors in the upper regions of precipitating clouds.
The transient thermal stress problem in a hollow cylinder or a disk containing a radial crack is considered. It is assumed that the cylinder is reinforced on its inner boundary by a membrane which has thermoelastic constants different than those of the base material. The transient temperature, thermal stresses and the crack tip stress intensity factors are calculated in a cylinder which is subjected to a sudden change of temperature on the inside surface. The results are obtained for various dimensionless parameters and material constants. The special cases of the crack terminating at the cylinder-membrane interface and of the broken membrane are separately considered and some examples are given.
Flywheel safety and containment design technology are discussed. The effects of axial loading resulting from composite rotor burst tests are considered. Analysis of the radial burst problem is also included.
Tethers used in conjunction with containers offer a means of enhanced control of basic variables such as local acceleration, pointing and orientation, and protected or controlled environments against particle or electromagnetic radiation. Permanent occupancy of space will require the rapid exploration of the short and long term responses of many living organisms to the space environment or separated components of that environment. Tethers and ET facilities could provide the rapid establishment of laboratories in LEO within which to study living systems in a wide range of separate controlled environments for long periods of time, support large optical arrays; provide orbiting laboratories; and provide controlled environments within which the application of advanced manufacturing, assembly, control, and robotics could be developed to aid off-Earth industry and science and the conduct of more complex space operations.
The stress wave factor (SWF) signal is utilized for the nondestructive evaluation of plates containing perpendicular edge cracks. The effects of the existence lateral location and depth of the crack on the magnitude spectra of individual reflections in the SWF signal are studied. If the reflections in the SWF signal are not overlapped the short time Fourier analysis is applied. If the reflections are overlapped the short time homomorphic analysis (cepstrum analysis) is applied. Several reflections which have average resonant frequencies approximately at 0.9, 1.3, and 1.7 MHz are analyzed. It is observed that the magnitude ratios evaluated at average resonant frequencies decrease more with increasing d/h if the crack is located between the transducers, where h is plate thickness and d is crack depth. Moreover, for the plates, crack geometries, reflections, and frequencies considered, the average decibel drop depends mainly on the dimensionless parameter d/h and it is approximately -1 dB per 0.07 d/h. Changes in the average resonant frequencies of the magnitude spectra are also observed due to changes in the location of the crack.