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At least 1,045 records · Page 58

Effect of Strain Rate on Mechanical Properties of Wrought Sintered Tungsten at Temperatures above 2500 F

Specimens of wrought sintered commercially pure tungsten were made from 1/8-inch swaged rods. All the specimens were recrystallized at 4050 F for 1 hour prior to testing at temperatures from 2500 to 4000 F at various strain rates from 0.002 to 20 inches per inch per minute. Results showed that, at a constant temperature, increasing the strain rate increased the ultimate tensile strength significantly. The effects of both strain rate and temperature on the ultimate tensile strength of tungsten may be correlated by the linear parameter method of Manson and Haferd and may be used to predict the ultimate tensile strength at higher temperatures, 4500 and 5000 F. As previously reported, ductility, as measured by reduction of area in a tensile test, decreases with increasing temperature above about 3000 F. Increasing the strain rate at temperatures above 3000 F increases the ductility. Fractures are generally transgranular at the higher strain rates and intergranular at the lower strain rates.

Sikora, Paul F.↗

Experimental Observations on a Low Strain Counter-Flow Diffusion Flame: Flow and Bouyancy Effects

Diffusion flames are of great interest in fire safety and many industrial processes. The counter-flow configuration provides a constant strain flow, and therefore is ideal to study the structure of diffusion flames. Most studies have concentrated on the high velocity, high strain limit, since buoyantly induced instabilities will disintegrate the planar flame as the velocity decreases. Only recently, experimental studies in microgravity conditions have begun to explore the low strain regimes. Numerical work has shown the coupling between gas phase reaction rates, soot reaction rates, and radiation. For these programs, size, geometry and experimental conditions have been chosen to keep the flame unaffected by the physical boundaries. When the physical boundaries can not be considered infinitely far from the reaction zone discrepancies arise. A computational study that includes boundary effects and accounts for the deviations occurring when the major potential flow assumptions are relaxed was presented by Borlik et al. This development properly incorporates all heat loss terms and shows the possibility of extinction in the low strain regime. A major constraint of studying the low strain regime is buoyancy. Buoyant instabilities have been shown to have a significant effect on the nature of reactants and heat transport, and can introduce instabilities on the flow that result in phenomena such as flickering or fingering. The counter-flow configuration has been shown to provide a flame with no symmetry disrupting instabilities for inlet velocities greater than 50 mm/s. As the velocity approaches this limit, the characteristic length of the experiment has to be reduced to a few millimetres so as to keep the Rayleigh number (Ra L = (β g 0 L 3 ∆T)/(𝑎v)) below 2000. In this work, a rectangular counter-flow burner was used to study a two-dimensional counter-flow diffusion flame. Flow visualisation and Particle Image Velocimetry served to describe the nature of the stagnation plane for strain rates smaller than 100 (1/s). These experiments were conducted with a non-reacting flow. Video images of a propane air diffusion flame were used to describe the behaviour of a diffusion flame in this regime. Flame geometry and pulsation frequency are described.

J. A. Sutula↗

Ignition, Burning and Extinction of a Strained Fuel Strip with Complex Kinetics

Flame structure and ignition and extinction processes associated with a strained fuel strip are explored numerically using detailed transport and complex kinetics for a propane-air reaction. Ignition modes are identified that are similar to those predicted by one-step activation energy asymptotics, i.e., modes in which diffusion flames can ignite as independent or dependent interfaces and modes in which single premixed or partially premixed flames ignite and burn. These ignition modes have been found to be dependent on critical combinations of strain rate, fuel strip thickness and initial reactant temperatures. The formation of NO/NO2 is found to be strongly dependent on strain rate and the local molecular mixing of reactants which occurs as a consequence of strain. Extinction in this configuration is seen to occur due to fuel consumption by adjacent flames, although viscosity is seen to have the effect of delaying extinction by reducing the effective strain rate experienced by the flames. Response of the flames to oscillatory strain rates is seen to be strongly dependent on the amplitude and frequency of the oscillation.

Selerland, T.↗

Premixed Edge-Flames in Spatially-Varying Straining Flows

Flames subject to temporally and spatially uniform hydrodynamic strain are frequently used to model the local interactions of flame fronts with turbulent flow fields (Williams, 1985; Peters, 1986; Bradley, 1992). The applicability of laminar flamelet models in strongly turbulent flows have been questioned recently (Shay and Ronney, 1998) because in turbulent flows the strain rate (sigma) changes at rates comparable to sigma itself and the scale over which the flame front curvature and sigma changes is comparable to the curvature scale itself. Therefore quasi-static, local models of turbulent strain and curvature effects on laminar flamelets may not be accurate under conditions where the strain and curvature effects are most significant. The purpose of this study is to examine flames in spatially-varying strain and compare their properties to those of uniformly strained flames.

Liu, Jian-Bang↗

Characteristics of Extrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometric (EFPI) Fiber-Optic Strain Gages

The focus of this paper is a comparison of the strain-measuring characteristics of one type of commercially available fiber-optic strain sensor with the performance of conventional resistance strain gages. Fabry-Perot type fiber-optic strain sensors were selected for this testing program. Comparative testing is emphasized and includes load testing at room temperature with apparent strain characterization cryogenically and at elevated temperatures. The absolute accuracy of either of these types of strain gages is not addressed.

Hare, David A.↗

Application of a Fiber Optic Distributed Strain Sensor System to Woven E-Glass Composite

A distributed strain sensing system utilizing a series of identically written Bragg gratings along an optical fiber is examined for potential application to Composite Armored Vehicle health monitoring. A vacuum assisted resin transfer molding process was used to fabricate a woven fabric E-glass/composite panel with an embedded fiber optic strain sensor. Test samples machined from the panel were mechanically tested in 4-point bending. Experimental results are presented that show the mechanical strain from foil strain gages comparing well to optical strain from the embedded sensors. Also, it was found that the distributed strain along the sample length was consistent with the loading configuration.

Anastasi, Robert F.↗

Constituent Effects on the Stress-Strain Behavior of Woven Melt-Infiltrated SiC Composites

The stress-strain behavior of 2D woven SiC fiber reinforced, melt-infiltrated SiC matrix composites with BN interphases were studied for composites fabricated with different fiber tow ends per unit length, different composite thickness, and different numbers of plies. In general, the stress-strain behavior, i.e., the 'knee' in the curve and the final slope of the stress-strain curve, was controlled by the volume fraction of fibers. Some of the composites exhibited debonding and sliding in between the interphase and the matrix rather than the more common debonding and sliding interface between the fiber and the interphase. Composites that exhibited this 'outside debonding' interface, in general, had lower elastic moduli and higher ultimate strains as well as longer pull-out lengths compared to the 'inside debonding' interface composites. Stress-strain curves were modeled where matrix crack formation as a function of stress was approximated from the acoustic emission activity and the measured crack density from the failed specimens. Interfacial shear strength measurements from individual fiber push-in tests were in good agreement with the interfacial shear strength values used to model the stress-strain curves.

Morscher, Gregory N.↗

Tensile Strength of Carbon Nanotubes Under Realistic Temperature and Strain Rate

Strain rate and temperature dependence of the tensile strength of single-wall carbon nanotubes has been investigated with molecular dynamics simulations. The tensile failure or yield strain is found to be strongly dependent on the temperature and strain rate. A transition state theory based predictive model is developed for the tensile failure of nanotubes. Based on the parameters fitted from high-strain rate and temperature dependent molecular dynamics simulations, the model predicts that a defect free micrometer long single-wall nanotube at 300 K, stretched with a strain rate of 1%/hour, fails at about 9 plus or minus 1% tensile strain. This is in good agreement with recent experimental findings.

Wei, Chen-Yu↗

Calcium-independent activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 by cyclic strain

We have previously demonstrated that cyclic strain induces extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activation in endothelial cells (EC). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Ca2+ on the activation of ERK1/2. Bovine aortic EC were pretreated with a chelator of extracellular Ca2+, ethylaneglycol-bis(aminoethylether)-tetra-acetate (EGTA), a depleter of Ca2+ pools, 2,5-Di-(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (BHQ), or a Ca2+ channel blocker, GdCl3, and subjected to an average 10 % strain at a rate of 60 cycles/min for 10 min. BHQ and GdCl3 did not inhibit the strain-induced ERK1/2 activation. Chelation of normal extracellular Ca2+ (1.8 mM) medium with EGTA (3 mM) acutely stimulated baseline phosphorylation and activation of ERK1/2, thereby obscuring any strain-induced activation of ERK1/2. However, in EC preincubated for 24 hours in Ca2+-free medium, elevated baseline phosphorylation was minimally activated by EGTA (200 microM) such that cyclic strain stimulated ERK1/2 in the presence or absence of BHQ. These results suggest a Ca2+ independence of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway by cyclic strain. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗

Estrogen regulates the rate of bone turnover but bone balance in ovariectomized rats is modulated by prevailing mechanical strain

Estrogen deficiency induced bone loss is associated with increased bone turnover in rats and humans. The respective roles of increased bone turnover and altered balance between bone formation and bone resorption in mediating estrogen deficiency-induced cancellous bone loss was investigated in ovariectomized rats. Ovariectomy resulted in increased bone turnover in the distal femur. However, cancellous bone was preferentially lost in the metaphysis, a site that normally experiences low strain energy. No bone loss was observed in the epiphysis, a site experiencing higher strain energy. The role of mechanical strain in maintaining bone balance was investigated by altering the strain history. Mechanical strain was increased and decreased in long bones of ovariectomized rats by treadmill exercise and functional unloading, respectively. Functional unloading was achieved during orbital spaceflight and following unilateral sciatic neurotomy. Increasing mechanical loading reduced bone loss in the metaphysis. In contrast, decreasing loading accentuated bone loss in the metaphysis and resulted in bone loss in the epiphysis. Finally, administration of estrogen to ovariectomized rats reduced bone loss in the unloaded and prevented loss in the loaded limb following unilateral sciatic neurotomy in part by reducing indices of bone turnover. These results suggest that estrogen regulates the rate of bone turnover, but the overall balance between bone formation and bone resorption is influenced by prevailing levels of mechanical strain.

STS-62 Shuttle Project↗

Optical Fiber Distributed Sensing Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Strain Measurements Taken During Cryotank Y-Joint Test Article Load Cycling at Liquid Helium Temperatures

This paper outlines cryogenic Y-joint testing at Langley Research Center (LaRC) to validate the performance of optical fiber Bragg grating strain sensors for measuring strain at liquid helium temperature (-240 C). This testing also verified survivability of fiber sensors after experiencing 10 thermal cool-down, warm-up cycles and 400 limit load cycles. Graphite composite skins bonded to a honeycomb substrate in a sandwich configuration comprised the Y-joint specimens. To enable SHM of composite cryotanks for consideration to future spacecraft, a light-weight, durable monitoring technology is needed. The fiber optic distributed Bragg grating strain sensing system developed at LaRC is a viable substitute for conventional strain gauges which are not practical for SHM. This distributed sensing technology uses an Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometer (OFDR). This measurement approach has the advantage that it can measure hundreds of Bragg grating sensors per fiber and the sensors are all written at one frequency, greatly simplifying fiber manufacturing. Fiber optic strain measurements compared well to conventional strain gauge measurements obtained during these tests. These results demonstrated a high potential for a successful implementation of a SHM system incorporating LaRC's fiber optic sensing system on the composite cryotank and other future cryogenic applications.

Allison, Sidney G.↗

Application of High-Temperature Extrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometer Strain Sensor

In this presentation to the NASA Aeronautics Sensor Working Group the application of a strain sensor is outlined. The high-temperature extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) strain sensor was developed due to a need for robust strain sensors that operate accurately and reliably beyond 1800 F. Specifically, the new strain sensor would provide data for validating finite element models and thermal-structural analyses. Sensor attachment techniques were also developed to improve methods of handling and protecting the fragile sensors during the harsh installation process. It was determined that thermal sprayed attachments are preferable even though cements are simpler to apply as cements are more prone to bond failure and are often corrosive. Previous thermal/mechanical cantilever beam testing of EFPI yielded very little change to 1200 F, with excellent correlation with SG to 550 F. Current combined thermal/mechanical loading for sensitivity testing is accomplished by a furnace/cantilever beam loading system. Dilatometer testing has can also be used in sensor characterization to evaluate bond integrity, evaluate sensitivity and accuracy and to evaluate sensor-to-sensor scatter, repeatability, hysteresis and drift. Future fiber optic testing will examine single-mode silica EFPIs in a combined thermal/mechanical load fixture on C-C and C-SiC substrates, develop a multi-mode Sapphire strain-sensor, test and evaluate high-temperature fiber Bragg Gratings for use as strain and temperature sensors and attach and evaluate a high-temperature heat flux gauge.

Piazza, Anthony↗

Utilizing Photogrammetry and Strain Gage Measurement to Characterize Pressurization of Inflatable Modules

This paper focuses on integrating a large hatch penetration into inflatable modules of various constructions. This paper also compares load predictions with test measurements. The strain was measured by utilizing photogrammetric methods and strain gages mounted to select clevises that interface with the structural webbings. Bench testing showed good correlation between strain data collected from an extensometer and photogrammetric measurements, even when the material transitioned from the low load to high load strain region of the curve. The full-scale torus design module showed mixed results as well in the lower load and high strain regions. After thorough analysis of photogrammetric measurements, strain gage measurements, and predicted load, the photogrammetric measurements seem to be off by a factor of two.

Mohammed, Anil↗

Application of Temperature Sensitivities During Iterative Strain-Gage Balance Calibration Analysis

A new method is discussed that may be used to correct wind tunnel strain-gage balance load predictions for the influence of residual temperature effects at the location of the strain-gages. The method was designed for the iterative analysis technique that is used in the aerospace testing community to predict balance loads from strain-gage outputs during a wind tunnel test. The new method implicitly applies temperature corrections to the gage outputs during the load iteration process. Therefore, it can use uncorrected gage outputs directly as input for the load calculations. The new method is applied in several steps. First, balance calibration data is analyzed in the usual manner assuming that the balance temperature was kept constant during the calibration. Then, the temperature difference relative to the calibration temperature is introduced as a new independent variable for each strain--gage output. Therefore, sensors must exist near the strain--gages so that the required temperature differences can be measured during the wind tunnel test. In addition, the format of the regression coefficient matrix needs to be extended so that it can support the new independent variables. In the next step, the extended regression coefficient matrix of the original calibration data is modified by using the manufacturer specified temperature sensitivity of each strain--gage as the regression coefficient of the corresponding temperature difference variable. Finally, the modified regression coefficient matrix is converted to a data reduction matrix that the iterative analysis technique needs for the calculation of balance loads. Original calibration data and modified check load data of NASA's MC60D balance are used to illustrate the new method.

Ulbrich, N.↗

A Piezoelectric Passive Wireless Sensor for Monitoring Strain

Interest in passive wireless sensing has grown over the past few decades to meet demands in structural health monitoring.(Deivasigamani et al., 2013; Wilson and Juarez, 2014) This work describes a passive wireless sensor for monitoring strain, which does not have an embedded battery or chip. Without an embedded battery, the passive wireless sensor has the potential to maintain its functionality over long periods in remote/harsh environments. This work also focuses on monitoring small strain (less than 1000 micro-ɛ). The wireless sensing system includes a reader unit, a coil-like transponder, and a sensing unit. It operates in the Megahertz (MHz) frequency range, which allows for a few centimeters of separation between the reader and sensing unit during measurements. The sensing unit is a strain-sensitive piezoelectric resonator that maximizes the energy efficiency at the resonance frequency, so it converts nanoscale mechanical variations to detectable differences in electrical signal. In response to an external loading, the piezoelectric sensor breaks from its original electromechanical equilibrium, and the resonant frequency shifts as the system reaches a new balanced equilibrium. In this work, the fixture of the sensing unit is a small, sticker-like package that converts the surface strain of a test material to measurable shifts in resonant frequencies. Furthermore, electromechanical modeling provides a lumped-parameter model of the system to describe and predict the measured wireless signals of the sensor. Detailed characterization demonstrates how this wireless sensor has resolution comparable to that of conventional wired strain sensors for monitoring small strain.

Zou, Xiyue↗

Icing Formation Strains on Airfoil Skin

Aircraft icing has long presented a safety hazard to the aerospace industry. One problem inherent to aircraft icing is predicting the adhesive properties of the ice-aircraft interface; values commonly reported span multiple orders of magnitude, making shedding prediction and surface evaluation difficult. An effort has been undertaken at the NASA Glenn Research Center to understand the cause of the scatter in the data. Geometry dependencies, variation in testing procedures, and residual stresses in ice samples have previously been identified as significant contributors to the problem. Residual stresses were singled out for this study, which investigated the strains at the leading edge of a Common Research Model (CRM) wind tunnel model in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel. Sprays were conducted at a particle size median volumetric diameter (MVD) of 20 µm, with liquid water contents (LWC) spanning from 0.4 to 3.0 g/m3. Total temperatures were varied between 0 and -25 °C, and test section velocity between 51 and 118 m/s. The leading edge was instrumented with custom strain gages, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), optical fibers, and a pressure mat. Results indicate Δ strains, which were the difference between recorded strains and those predicted from isotropic thermal expansion of aluminum, below -400 µε with consistent patterns of strain across a wide variety of tunnel conditions. Isotropic, linear elastic finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted by varying the temperature of simplified airfoil and ice geometries, producing similar strains to those observed in testing. This allowed induced stresses to be predicted. Predicted stresses were above the expected tensile strength for ice, and suggest a source for previously observed cracking in tunnel ice.

Ice Adhesion↗

Ruggedness Evaluation of ASTM International Standard Test Methods for Shape Memory Materials: E3098 Standard Test Method for Mechanical Uniaxial Pre-strain and Thermal Free Recovery of Shape Memory Alloys

This paper evaluates the ruggedness testing of the recently released ASTM International E3098 Standard Test Method for Mechanical Uniaxial Pre-strain and Thermal Free Recovery of Shape Memory Alloys. The ruggedness experiment was designed with eight runs in two replicates, consisting of seven factors: strain rate (ė), heating and cooling rates (Ṫ heat and Ṫ cool , respectively), upper and lower cycle temperatures (UCT and LCT, respectively), hold time (t hold ), and minimum load (F min ) imparted on the samples. The results indicate that the strain rate factor had no effect on any result variable, whereas the minimum load factor had a large effect on several result variables including the austenite start and martensite finish temperatures as well as most of the strain measurements from the thermal cycle. The lower cycle temperature factor had a large effect on the stress at maximum strain during pre-straining (e i ), denoted by S i , at ~7.2 MPa, as well as the A f , at 5.47 °C. Closely following the LCT effect, Ṫ heat was found to have a large effect on the austenite start temperature (A s ), at a value of ~2.72 °C. The testing methodology, analysis techniques, and resulting conclusions on the ruggedness of the test method are presented.

Shape memory alloys↗

Direct Impact Split-Hopkinson Bar Experiment for Compression Testing at Strain Rate of 50,000 S-1

A direct impact Hopkinson compression bar experiment is used for compression testing at strain rates in the order of 50,000 s-1. A short specimen mounted on the cross-section surface of a transmitter bar is impacted directly by a projectile (the incident bar in the classical split Hopkinson bar is eliminated).The quantities measured in the test are the projectile impact velocity, the force in the transmitter bar and the strain on the surface of the specimen, which is measured using the digital image correlation method with high-speed cameras. The deformation measurements show a nonuniform deformation in the specimen. To study the strain rate sensitivity properties of the specimen’s material, the experiment is simulated using an assumed material model properties which is validated by comparing the calculated and measured quantities. For aluminum 2024-T351 the results show a small strain rate sensitivity (increase of stress with strain rate) at strain rates above 10,000 s-1.

Nathan Spulak↗