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At least 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Fracture Toughness and Reliability in High-Temperature Structural Ceramics and Composites: Prospects and Challenges for the 21st Century

The importance of high fracture toughness and reliability in Si3N4, and SiC-based structural ceramics and ceramic matrix composites is reviewed. The potential of these ceramics and ceramic matrix composites for high temperature applications in defense and aerospace applications such as gas turbine engines, radomes, and other energy conversion hardware have been well recognized. Numerous investigations were pursued to improve fracture toughness and reliability by incorporating various reinforcements such as particulate-, whisker-, and continuous fiber into Si3N4 and SiC matrices. All toughening mechanisms, e.g. crack deflection, crack branching, crack bridging, etc., essentially redistribute stresses at the crack tip and increase the energy needed to propagate a crack through the composite material, thereby resulting in improved fracture toughness and reliability. Because of flaw insensitivity, continuous fiber reinforced ceramic composite (CFCC) was found to have the highest potential for higher operating temperature and longer service conditions. However, the ceramic fibers should display sufficient high temperature strength and creep resistance at service temperatures above 1000 'C. The greatest challenge to date is the development of high quality ceramic fibers with associate coatings able to maintain their high strength in oxidizing environment at high temperature. In the area of processing, critical issues are, preparation of optimum matrix precursors, precursor infiltration into fiber array, and matrix densification at a temperature, where grain crystallization and fiber degradation do not occur. A broad scope of effort is required for improved processing and properties with a better understanding of all candidate composite systems.

Dutta, Sunil↗
NASA NTRS2002

Slow Crack Growth of Brittle Materials With Exponential Crack-Velocity Formulation: Constant Stress and Cyclic Stress Experiments - Part 3

The previously determined life prediction analysis based on an exponential crack-velocity formulation was examined using a variety of experimental data on advanced structural ceramics tested under constant stress and cyclic stress loading at ambient and elevated temperatures. The data fit to the relation between the time to failure and applied stress (or maximum applied stress in cyclic loading) was very reasonable for most of the materials studied. It was also found that life prediction for cyclic stress loading from data of constant stress loading in the exponential formulation was in good agreement with the experimental data, resulting in a similar degree of accuracy as compared with the power-law formulation. The major limitation in the exponential crack-velocity formulation, however, was that the inert strength of a material must be known a priori to evaluate the important slow-crack-growth (SCG) parameter n, a significant drawback as compared with the conventional power-law crack-velocity formulation.

Choi, Sung R.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Investigation of Thermal High Cycle and Low Cycle Fatigue Mechanisms of Thick Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thick thermal barrier coating systems in a diesel engine experience severe thermal low cycle fatigue (LCF) and high cycle fatigue (HCF) during engine operation. In this paper, the mechanisms of fatigue crack initiation and propagation in a ZrO2-8wt% Y2O3 thermal barrier coating, under simulated engine thermal LCF and HCF conditions, are investigated using a high power CO2 laser. Experiments showed that the combined LCF-HCF tests induced more severe coating surface cracking, microspallation and accelerated crack growth, as compared to the pure LCF test. Lateral crack branching and the ceramic/bond coat interface delaminations were also facilitated by HCF thermal loads, even in the absence of severe interfacial oxidation. Fatigue damage at crack wake surfaces, due to such phenomena as asperity/debris contact induced cracking and splat pull-out bending during cycling, was observed especially for the combined LCF-HCF tests. It is found that the failure associated with LCF is closely related to coating sintering and creep at high temperatures, which induce tensile stresses in the coating after cooling. The failure associated with HCF process, however, is mainly associated with a surface wedging mechanism. The interaction between the LCF, HCF and ceramic coating creep, and the relative importance of LCF and HCF in crack propagation are also discussed based on the experimental evidence.

Zhu, Dongming↗
NASA NTRS1998

Oxidation of Boron Nitride in Composites

Boron nitride (BN) is a prime candidate for fiber coatings in silicon carbide (SiC) fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites. The properties of BN allow the fiber to impart beneficial composite properties to the matrix, even at elevated temperatures. The problem with BN is that it is readily attacked by oxygen. Although BN is an internal component of the composite, a matrix crack or pore can create a path for hot oxygen to attack the BN. This type of attack is not well understood. A variety of phenomena have been observed. These include borosilicate glass formation, volatilization of the BN, and under some conditions, preservation of the BN. In this study at the NASA Lewis Research Center, a series of BN materials and BN-containing model composites were methodically examined to understand the various issues dealing with the oxidation of BN in composites. Initial studies were done with a series of monolithic BN materials prepared by hot pressing and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). From these studies, we found that BN showed a strong orientation effect in oxidation and was extremely sensitive to the presence of water vapor in the environment. In addition, CVD material deposited at a high temperature showed much better oxidation behavior than CVD material deposited at a lower temperature.

Jacobson, Nathan S.↗
NASA NTRS1995

CVD silicon carbide monofilament reinforced SrO-Al2O3-2SiO2 (SAS) glass-ceramic composites

Unidirectional CVD SiC fiber-reinforced SrO.Al2O3.2SiO2 (SAS) glass-ceramic matrix composites have been fabricated by hot pressing at various combinations of temperature, pressure and time. Both carbon-rich surface coated SCS-6 and uncoated SCS-0 fibers were used as reinforcements. Almost fully dense composites have been obtained. Monoclinic celsian, SrAl2Si2O8, was the only crystalline phase observed in the matrix from x-ray diffraction. During three point flexure testing of composites, a test span to thickness ratio of approximately 25 or greater was necessary to avoid sample delamination. Strong and tough SCS-6/SAS composites having a first matrix crack stress of approximately 300 MPa and an ultimate bend strength of approximately 825 MPa were fabricated. No chemical reaction between the SCS-6 fibers and the SAS matrix was observed after high temperature processing. The uncoated SCS-0 fiber-reinforced SAS composites showed only limited improvement in strength over SAS monolithic. The SCS-0/SAS composite having a fiber volume fraction of 0.24 and hot pressed at 1400 deg C exhibited a first matrix cracking stress of approximately 231 +/- 20 MPa and ultimate strength of 265 +/- 17 MPa. From fiber push-out tests, the fiber/matrix interfacial debonding strength (tau(sub debond)) and frictional sliding stress (tau(sub friction)) in the SCS-6/SAS system were evaluated to be approximately 6.7 +/- 2.3 MPa and 4.3 +/- 0.6 MPa, respectively, indicating a weak interface. However, for the SCS-0/SAS composite, much higher values of approximately 17.5 +/- 2.7 MPa for tau(sub debond) and 11.3 +/- 1.6 MPa for tau(sub friction) respectively, were observed; some of the fibers were so strongly bonded to the matrix that they could not be pushed out. Examination of fracture surfaces revealed limited short pull-out length of SCS-0 fibers. The applicability of various micromechanical models for predicting the values of first matrix cracking stress and ultimate strength of these composites were examined.

Bansal, Narottam P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Evaluation of high temperature structural adhesives for extended service, phase 5

The evaluation of 3 experimental polymers from NASA-Langley and a commercially produced polymer from Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals as high temperature structural adhesives is presented. A polyphenylquinoxaline (PPQ), polyimide (STPI/LaRC-2), and a polyarylene ether (PAE-SO2) were evaluated as metal-to-metal adhesives. Lap shear, crack extension, and climbing drum peel specimens were fabricated from all three polymers and tested after thermal, combined thermal/humidity, and stressed hydraulic fluid (Skydrol) exposure. The fourth polymer, LARC-TPI was evaluated as an adhesive for titanium honeycomb sandwich structure. All three experimental polymers performed well as metal-to-metal adhesives from 219 K (-65 F) to 505 K (450 F), including humidity exposure. Structural adhesive strength was also maintained at 505 K for a minimum of 3000 hours. LaRC-TPI was evaluated as a high temperature (505 K) adhesive for titanium honeycomb sandwich structure. The LaRC-TPI bonding process development concentrated on improving the honeycomb core-to-skin bond. The most promising approach of those evaluated combined a LaRC-TPI polymer solution with a semi-crystalline LaRC-TPI powder for adhesive film fabrication and fillet formation.

Hendricks, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A model for life predictions of nickel-base superalloys in high-temperature low cycle fatigue

Extensive characterization of low-cycle fatigue damage mechanisms was performed on polycrystalline Rene 80 and IN100 tested in the temperature range from 871 to 1000 C. Low-cycle fatigue life was found to be dominated by propagation of microcracks to a critical size governed by the maximum tensile stress. A model was developed which incorporates a threshold stress for crack extension, a stress-based crack growth expression, and a failure criterion. The mathematical equivalence between this mechanistically based model and the strain-life low-cycle fatigue law was demonstrated using cyclic stress-strain relationships. The model was shown to correlate the high-temperature low-cycle fatigue data of the different nickel-base superalloys considered in this study.

Romanoski, Glenn R.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Fabrication of Turbine Disk Materials by Additive Manufacturing

Precipitation-strengthened, nickel-based superalloys are widely used in the aerospace and energy industries due to their excellent environmental resistance and outstanding mechanical properties under extreme conditions. Powder-bed additive manufacturing (AM) technologies offer the potential to revolutionize the processing of superalloy turbine components by eliminating the need for extensive inventory or expensive legacy tooling. Like selective laser melting (SLM), electron beam melting (EBM) constructs three-dimensional dense components layer-by-layer by melting and solidification of atomized, pre-alloyed powder feedstock within 50-200 micron layers. While SLM has been more widely used for AM of nickel alloys like 718, EBM offers several distinct advantages, such as less retained residual stress, lower risk of contamination, and faster build rates with multiple-electron-beam configurations. These advantages are particularly attractive for turbine disks, for which excessive residual stress and contamination can shorten disk life during high-temperature operation. In this presentation, we will discuss the feasibility of fabricating disk superalloy components using EBM AM. Originally developed using powder metallurgy forging processing, disk superalloys contain a higher refractory content and precipitate volume fraction than alloy 718, thus making them more prone to thermal cracking during AM. This and other challenges to produce homogeneous builds with desired properties will be presented. In particular, the quality of lab-scale samples fabricated via a design of experiments, in which the beam current, build temperature, and beam velocity were varied, will be summarized. The relationship between processing parameters, microstructure, grain orientation, and mechanical response will be discussed.

oxidation↗
NASA NTRS1976

Composite strengthening

The mechanical behavior of unidirectionally reinforced metals is examined, with particular attention to fabrication techniques for artificial composites and eutectic alloys and to principles of fiber reinforcement. The properties of artificial composites are discussed in terms of strength of fiber composites, strength of ribbon-reinforced composites, crack initiation, crack propagation, and creep behavior. The properties of eutectic composites are examined relative to tensile strength, compressive strength, fracture, high-temperature strength, and fatigue. In the case of artificial composites, parallelism of fibers, good bonding between fibers and matrix, and freedom of fibers from damage are all necessary to ensure superior performance. For many eutectic systems there are stringent boundary conditions relative to melt purity and superheat, atmosphere control, temperature gradient, and growth rate in order to provide near-perfect alignment of the reinforcements with a minimum of growth defects.

Stoloff, N. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Influence of engineered interfaces on residual stresses and mechanical response in metal matrix composites

Because of the inherent coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between fiber and matrix within metal and intermetallic matrix composite systems, high residual stresses can develop under various thermal loading conditions. These conditions include cooling from processing temperature to room temperature as well as subsequent thermal cycling. As a result of these stresses, within certain composite systems, radial, circumferential, and/or longitudinal cracks have been observed to form at the fiber matrix interface region. A number of potential solutions for reducing this thermally induced residual stress field have been proposed recently. Examples of some potential solutions are high CTE fibers, fiber preheating, thermal anneal treatments, and an engineered interface. Here the focus is on designing an interface (by using a compensating/compliant layer concept) to reduce or eliminate the thermal residual stress field and, therefore, the initiation and propagation of cracks developed during thermal loading. Furthermore, the impact of the engineered interface on the composite's mechanical response when subjected to isothermal mechanical load histories is examined.

Arnold, Steven M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Experiments with phase change thermal energy storage canisters for Space Station Freedom

The solar dynamic power module proposed for the Space Station Freedom (SSF) uses the heat of fusion of a phase change material (PCM) to efficiently store thermal energy for use during eclipse periods. The PCM, a LiF-20CaF2 salt, is contained in annular, metal canisters located in a heat receiver at the focus of a solar concentrator. PCM canister ground-based experiments and analytical heat transfer studies are discussed. The hardware, test procedures, and test results from these experiments are discussed. After more than 900 simulated SSF orbital cycles, no canister cracks or leaks were observed and all data were successfully collected. The effect of 1-g test orientation on canister wall temperatures was generally small while void position was strongly dependent on test orientation and canister cooling. In one test orientation, alternating wall temperature data were measured that supports an earlier theory of oscillating vortex flow in the PCM melt. Analytical canister wall temperatures compared very favorably with experimental temperature data. This illustrates that ground-based canister thermal performance can be predicted well by analyses that employ straight-forward, engineering models of void behavior and liquid PCM free convection.

Kerslake, Thomas W.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Estimation of Slow Crack Growth Parameters for Constant Stress-Rate Test Data of Advanced Ceramics and Glass by the Individual Data and Arithmetic Mean Methods

The two estimation methods, individual data and arithmetic mean methods, were used to determine the slow crack growth (SCG) parameters (n and D) of advanced ceramics and glass from a large number of room- and elevated-temperature constant stress-rate ('dynamic fatigue') test data. For ceramic materials with Weibull modulus greater than 10, the difference in the SCG parameters between the two estimation methods was negligible; whereas, for glass specimens exhibiting Weibull modulus of about 3, the difference was amplified, resulting in a maximum difference of 16 and 13 %, respectively, in n and D. Of the two SCG parameters, the parameter n was more sensitive to the estimation method than the other. The coefficient of variation in n was found to be somewhat greater in the individual data method than in the arithmetic mean method.

Choi, Sung R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Fatigue Crack Growth Rate Test Results for Al-Li 2195 Parent Metal, Variable Polarity Plasma Arc Welds and Friction Stir Welds

The fatigue crack growth rate of aluminum-lithium (Al-Li) alloy 2195 plate and weldments was determined at 200-F, ambient temperature and -320-F. The effects of stress ratio (R), welding process, orientation and thickness were studied. Results are compared with plate data from the Space Shuttle Super Lightweight Tank (SLWT) allowables program. Data from the current series of tests, both plate and weldment, falls within the range of data generated during the SLWT allowables program.

Hafley, Robert A.↗
NASA NTRS2026

Cryogenic Mixed Mode I – Mode II Fracture Toughness of Various Polymer Composite Materials

The present study investigates the mixed mode interlaminar fracture toughness of six polymer matrix composite materials at both room temperature and cryogenic liquid nitrogen temperature. The single leg bending test employed gives a mix of Mode I (opening) and Mode II (in-plane shearing) cracking. The tested thermoplastic-matrix composites were shown to have total mixed mode toughnesses 3.1–4.3 times higher than those of representative thermoset resin composites.

Carbon fiber↗
NASA NTRS2001

Room Temperature Creep Of SiC/SiC Composites

During a recent experimental study, time dependent deformation was observed for a damaged Hi-Nicalon reinforced, BN interphase, chemically vapor infiltrated SiC matrix composites subjected to static loading at room temperature. The static load curves resembled primary creep curves. In addition, acoustic emission was monitored during the test and significant AE activity was recorded while maintaining a constant load, which suggested matrix cracking or interfacial sliding. For similar composites with carbon interphases, little or no time dependent deformation was observed. Evidently, exposure of the BN interphase to the ambient environment resulted in a reduction in the interfacial mechanical properties, i.e. interfacial shear strength and/or debond energy. These results were in qualitative agreement with observations made by Eldridge of a reduction in interfacial shear stress with time at room temperature as measured by fiber push-in experiments.

Morscher, Gregory N.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Fracture behavior of a B2 Ni-30Al-20Fe-0.05Zr intermetallic alloy in the temperature range 300 to 1300 K

The fracture behavior of a B2 Ni-30Al-20Fe-0.05Zr (at. pct) alloy was investigated using results of tensile tests conducted in the temperature range 300-1300 K under initial strain rates that varied between 10 exp -6 and 10 exp -3/sec, together with results of deformation measurements reported by Raj et al. (1992). Microstructural observations revealed that the alloy had failed by transgranular cleavage fracture below 873 K and by ductile fracture, power-law cavitation, triple point cracking, and rupture above this temperautre. The fracture map constructed using fracture results is compared with those for other classes of materials, showing that the atomic bonding plays a significant role in the low-temperature ductility of NiAl-based alloys.

Raj, S. V.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Development of a closed pore insulation material

A closed pore ceramic foam insulation material (CPI) has been developed that offers possibilities for use as a reusable external heat shield for the NASA manned space shuttle. The outstanding characteristics of CPI are: (1) negligible water absorption due to a noninterconnecting network of cells; (2) high emittance at room and elevated temperature; (3) ability to survive at least 10 simulated reentry cycles to 1500 K using radiant heat lamps to simulate the reentry heat fluxes; (4) ability to survive, with no change in properties or appearance, at least 10 simulated plasma arc jet cycles to 1500 K (with the exception of some stress cracks induced either by the unduly severe nature of the initial arc splash heating pulse or by improper mechanical holding of the specimen in the test fixture); (5) strength (flexure); and (6) a low thermal conductivity throughout the temperature range of interest for the space shuttle.

Tobin, A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Wear studies on aircraft brake materials

An investigation of both worn surfaces of friction pads and steel rotors which are being applied in current aircraft brakes has been carried out by employing an X-ray diffraction technique. It consists of the analysis of chemical element distribution in the surface layers. The wear particles were also examined by using the scanning electron microscope. The initiation and growth of surface cracks and the oxidation were emphasized in this investigation. A wear model was proposed for the current aircraft brake materials. Essentially this model proposed that cracks are formed in the surface layer of the brake material due to the normal and frictional stresses. It is primarily surface temperature dependent.

Ho, T. L.↗