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At least 685 records · Page 38

Analysis of the ASME Code Rules for Subsection III-5-HHB (Composite Materials) for Current HTR Design Requirements

This document includes the critical analysis review of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Section III Division 5 Subsection HH Subpart B (HHB), including Mandatory Appendices, that was published in 2023. In the context of this document, reference to “the code” is specific to this subsection unless otherwise specified. A specific composites task group within the ASME Nonmetallic Design and Materials Working Group, with the support of external experts, was established to perform a gap analysis review. The significant findings are summarized here. The committee response with suggested action items are detailed in the body of the report.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fiber composite materials: A survey of fiber matrix interface mechanics

Report is described which discusses mechanism of load transfer from matrix to fiber through interface and effects of interface on composite structural integrity. Theoretical considerations are supplemented with experimental data. General trends and significant points are illustrated graphically.

Chamis, C. C.↗

The Effect of Scale Dependent Discretization on the Progressive Failure of Composite Materials Using Multiscale Analyses

A multiscale modeling methodology, which incorporates a statistical distribution of fiber strengths into coupled micromechanics/ finite element analyses, is applied to unidirectional polymer matrix composites (PMCs) to analyze the effect of mesh discretization both at the micro- and macroscales on the predicted ultimate tensile (UTS) strength and failure behavior. The NASA code FEAMAC and the ABAQUS finite element solver were used to analyze the progressive failure of a PMC tensile specimen that initiates at the repeating unit cell (RUC) level. Three different finite element mesh densities were employed and each coupled with an appropriate RUC. Multiple simulations were performed in order to assess the effect of a statistical distribution of fiber strengths on the bulk composite failure and predicted strength. The coupled effects of both the micro- and macroscale discretizations were found to have a noticeable effect on the predicted UTS and computational efficiency of the simulations.

Ricks, Trenton M.↗

Properties of Two Carbon Composite Materials Using LTM25 Epoxy Resin

In this report, the properties of two carbon-epoxy prepreg materials are presented. The epoxy resin used in these two materials can yield lower manufacturing costs due to its low initial cure temperature, and the capability of being cured using vacuum pressure only. The two materials selected for this study are MR50/LTM25, and CFS003/LTM25 with Amoco T300 fiber; both prepregs are manufactured by The Advanced Composites Group. MR50/LTM25 is a unidirectional prepreg tape using Mitsubishi MR50 carbon fiber impregnated with LTM25 epoxy resin. CRS003/LTM25 is a 2 by 2 twill fabric using Amoco T300 fiber and impregnated with LTM25 epoxy resin. Among the properties presented in this report are strength, stiffness, bolt bearing, and damage tolerance. Many of these properties were obtained at three environmental conditions: cold temperature/dry (CTD), room temperature/dry (RTD), and elevated temperature/wet (ETW). A few properties were obtained at room temperature/wet (RTW), and elevated temperature/dry (ETD). The cold and elevated temperatures used for testing were -125 F and 180 F, respectively. In addition, several properties related to processing are presented.

Cruz, Juan R.↗

Composite material application for liquid rocket engines

With increasing emphasis on improving engine thrust-to-weight ratios to provide improved payload capabilities, weight reductions achievable by the use of composites have become attractive. Of primary significance is the weight reduction offered by composites, although high temperature properties and cost reduction were also considered. The potential for application of composites to components of Earth-to-orbit hydrocarbon engines and orbit-to-orbit LOX/H2 engines was assessed. The components most likely to benefit from the application of composites were identified, as were the critical technology areas where developed would be required. Recommendations were made and a program outlined for the design, fabrication, and demonstration of specific engine components.

Heubner, S. W.↗

Status and New Directions for Solid Lubricant Coatings and Composite Materials

At one time, solid lubricants were used almost entirely in aerospace applications. Today there is a pronounced trend to use them over a much broader range of applications. For example, self-lubricating polymer-based composites have displaced traditional oil-lubricated, metallic composites for many journal bearings and thrust, washers in applications as diverse as earthmoving machinery and snow blowers to aircraft applications. For moderate temperatures below 200° C, glass filament-wound epoxy bearings with PTFE lubricating liners are useful; for temperatures up to 350° C, graphite fiber reinforced polyimide bearing materials are finding applications. Molybdenum disulfide, graphite, and PTFE are the most widely known and used solid lubricants, and there is increasing interest in the relatively new solid lubricant graphite fluoride. Advanced technology engines such as the adiabatic diesel and the small, efficient gas turbine have severe lubrication and wear problems at temperatures beyond the capabilities of any of these lubricants. Here, self-lubricating ceramics and inorganic composites for use at I000° C or higher are of interest. However, perhaps the most significant new direction for solid lubricant coatings and self-lubricating composites is their steadily increasing use in dry bearings for large volume, moderate temperature applications. This can be attributed to their simplicity of use (no supporting lubricant system needed), light weight, convenience, and general cost effectiveness.

Harold E Sliney↗

Delamination growth in composite materials

The Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) and the End Notched Flexure (ENF) specimens are employed to characterize MODE I and MODE II interlaminar fracture resistance of graphite/epoxy (CYCOM 982) and graphite/PEEK (APC2) composites. Sizing of test specimen geometries to achieve crack growth in the linear elastic regime is presented. Data reduction schemes based upon beam theory are derived for the ENF specimen and include the effects of shear deformation and friction between crack surfaces on compliance, C, and strain energy release rate, G sub II. Finite element (FE) analyses of the ENF geometry including the contact problem with friction are presented to assess the accuracy of beam theory expressions for C and G sub II. Virtual crack closure techniques verify that the ENF specimen is a pure Mode II test. Beam theory expressions are shown to be conservative by 20 to 40 percent for typical unidirectional test specimen geometries. A FE parametric study investigating the influence of delamination length and depth, span, thickness and material properties on G sub II is presented. Mode I and II interlaminar fracture test results are presented. Important experimental parameters are isolated, such as precracking techniques, rate effects, and nonlinear load-deflection response. It is found that subcritical crack growth and inelastic materials behavior, responsible for the observed nonlinearities, are highly rate-dependent phenomena with high rates generally leading to linear elastic response.

Gillespie, J. W., Jr.↗

Scale-up of Next Generation Nano-Enhanced Composite Materials for Longer Lasting Consumer Goods

The objective for this project was to create an industrial-scale manufacturing operation for Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Forests (VACNTs), which make up N12 Technologies’ (N12) NanoStitch® product, a prepreg additive that makes advanced composites tougher, lighter, and more durable. This was achieved using University of Dayton Research Institute’s (UDRI) 60-inch Nano Adaptive Hybrid Fabric (NAHF-X) reactor system. N12 had a unique and effective nanomaterial-based product that they were manufacturing on small-scale 1-inch wide substrate machines in Boston, MA. UDRI had a large-scale 60-inch wide nanomaterial growth reactor available for scaling up 2nd party products in Dayton, OH. Thanks to the successful cooperation between both parties, this project resulted in the world’s first industrial-scale continuous VACNT film pilot plant in Dayton, OH with an increase in VACNT supply production rate of >10X. This scale up enabled market validation via testing programs and pilot manufacturing operations with a number of customers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development of a new generation of high-temperature composite materials

There are ever-increasing demands to develop low-density materials that maintain high strength and stiffness properties at elevated temperatures. Such materials are essential if the requirements for advanced aircraft, space power generation, and space station plans are to be realized. Metal matrix composites and intermetallic matrix composites are currently being investigated at NASA Lewis for such applications because they offer potential increases in strength, stiffness, and use temperature at a lower density than the most advanced single-crystal superalloys presently available. Today's discussion centers around the intermetallic matrix composites proposed by Lewis for meeting advanced aeropropulsion requirements. The fabrication process currently being used at Lewis to produce intermetallic matrix composites will be reviewed, and the properties of one such composite, SiC/Ti3Al+Nb, will be presented. In addition, the direction of future research will be outlined, including plans for enhanced fabrication of aluminide composites by the arc spray technique and fiber development by the floating-zone process.

Brindley, Pamela K.↗

Program for establishing long-time flight service performance of composite materials in the center wing structure of C-130 aircraft. Phase 3: Fabrication

The manufacturing plan for three C-130 aircraft center wing box test articles, selectively reinforced with boron-epoxy composites, is outlined for the following tasks: (1) tooling; (2) metal parts fabrication: (3) reinforcing laminate fabrication; (4) laminate-to-metal parts bonding; and (5) wing box assembly. The criteria used for reliability and quality assurance are discussed, and several solutions to specific manufacturing problems encountered during fabrication are given. For Vol. 1, see N73-13011; for Vol. 2, see N73-22929.

Harvill, W. E.↗

Carbon/graphite composite material study, appendix A and appendix B

A comprehensive assessment of the possible damage to electrical and electronic equipment caused by accidental release of carbon fibers from burning civil aircraft with carbon composite parts was completed. The study concluded that the amount of fiber likely to be released is much lower than initially predicted. Carbon fiber released from an aircraft crash fire was found (from atmospheric dissemination models) to disperse over a much larger area than originally estimated, with correspondingly lower fiber concentrations. Long term redissemination of fiber was shown to be insignificant if reasonable care is exercised in accident cleanup. The vulnerability of electrical equipment to structural fibers in current use was low. Consumer appliances, industrial electronics, and avionics were essentially invulnerable to carbon fibers. Shock hazards (and thus potential injury or death) were found to be extremely unlikely.

Source record↗

Fatigue in Composite Materials

The deformation and failure behavior of graphite/epoxy tubes under biaxial loading was investigated. The increase of basic understanding of and provide design information for the bi-axial response of graphite/epoxy composites to fatigue loads are considered.

Source record↗

Selective modifiers for composite material property enhancement

A laminate comprising a first ply, a second ply, and a plurality of interfacial modifiers arranged between opposing faces of the first ply and the second ply. A chemical composition of an interfacial modifier of the plurality of interfacial modifiers can be selected based on a resulting bond strength between the interfacial modifier of the plurality of interfacial modifiers and at least one of the first ply or the second ply. The plurality of interfacial modifiers can be arranged in a pattern to selectively modify toughness of a portion of the laminate based on the bond strength of the interfacial modifier of the plurality of interfacial modifiers.

Briggs, Timothy↗

Development of an Input Suite for an Orthotropic Composite Material Model

An orthotropic three-dimensional material model suitable for use in modeling impact tests has been developed that has three major components elastic and inelastic deformations, damage and failure. The material model has been implemented as MAT213 into a special version of LS-DYNA and uses tabulated data obtained from experiments. The prominent features of the constitutive model are illustrated using a widely-used aerospace composite the T800S3900-2B[P2352W-19] BMS8-276 Rev-H-Unitape fiber resin unidirectional composite. The input for the deformation model consists of experimental data from 12 distinct experiments at a known temperature and strain rate: tension and compression along all three principal directions, shear in all three principal planes, and off axis tension or compression tests in all three principal planes, along with other material constants. There are additional input associated with the damage and failure models. The steps in using this model are illustrated composite characterization tests, verification tests and a validation test. The results show that the developed and implemented model is stable and yields acceptably accurate results.

finite element method↗

Innovative fabrication processing of advanced composite materials concepts for primary aircraft structures

The autoclave based THERM-X(sub R) process was evaluated by cocuring complex curved panels with frames and stiffeners. The process was shown to result in composite parts of high quality with good compaction at sharp radius regions and corners of intersecting parts. The structural properties of the postbuckled panels fabricated were found to be equivalent to those of conventionally tooled hand laid-up parts. Significant savings in bagging time over conventional tooling were documented. Structural details such as cocured shear ties and embedded stiffener flanges in the skin were found to suppress failure modes such as failure at corners of intersecting members and skin stiffeners separation.

Kassapoglou, Christos↗

Buckling of Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Polymer Laminated Composite Materials Subjected to Axial Compression and Shear Loadings

A multi-scale method to predict the stiffness and stability properties of carbon nanotube-reinforced laminates has been developed. This method is used in the prediction of the buckling behavior of laminated carbon nanotube-polyethylene composites formed by stacking layers of carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer with the nanotube alignment axes of each layer oriented in different directions. Linking of intrinsic, nanoscale-material definitions to finite scale-structural properties is achieved via a hierarchical approach in which the elastic properties of the reinforced layers are predicted by an equivalent continuum modeling technique. Solutions for infinitely long symmetrically laminated nanotube-reinforced laminates with simply-supported or clamped edges subjected to axial compression and shear loadings are presented. The study focuses on the influence of nanotube volume fraction, length, orientation, and functionalization on finite-scale laminate response. Results indicate that for the selected laminate configurations considered in this study, angle-ply laminates composed of aligned, non-functionalized carbon nanotube-reinforced lamina exhibit the greatest buckling resistance with 1% nanotube volume fraction of 450 nm uniformly-distributed carbon nanotubes. In addition, hybrid laminates were considered by varying either the volume fraction or nanotube length through-the-thickness of a quasi-isotropic laminate. The ratio of buckling load-to-nanotube weight percent for the hybrid laminates considered indicate the potential for increasing the buckling efficiency of nanotube-reinforced laminates by optimizing nanotube size and proportion with respect to laminate configuration.

Riddick, J. C.↗

Studies of Matrix/Fiber Reinforced Composite Materials for the High Speed Research (HSR) Program

The research on the curing mechanism of the phenylethynyl terminated imide matrix resins was the primary focus of this research. The ability to process high performance polymers into useful adhesives and high quality composites has been significantly advanced by synthetic techniques in which oligomers terminated with reactive groups cure or crosslink at elevated temperature after the article has been fabricated. The research used a variety of analytical techniques. Many stable products were isolated, and attempts at identification were made. This research was intended to provide fundamental insight into the molecular structure of these new engineering materials.

Orwoll, Robert A.↗