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At least 1,063 records · Page 59

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NASA NTRS1974

Application of a substructuring technique to the problem of crack extension and closure

A substructuring technique, originally developed for the efficient reanalysis of structures, is incorporated into the methodology associated with the plastic analysis of structures. An existing finite-element computer program that accounts for elastic-plastic material behavior under cyclic loading was modified to account for changing kinematic constraint conditions - crack growth and intermittent contact of crack surfaces in two dimensional regions. Application of the analysis is presented for a problem of a centercrack panel to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the technique.

Armen, H., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Stress wave riveting

The stress wave riveter deforms the rivet material by a high amplitude stress wave. Thus, the entire rivet is set in motion radially. The rivet expands rapidly and impacts the hole surface before the rivet tail begins to form. Unlike the oversqueezed rivets, therefore, it sets up uniform interference without distortion in the skins. Furthermore, the radial velocity is so high (over 200 in./sec) that upon impact with the hole surface it deforms the surface plastically. This is especially effective in aluminum skins. Thus the SWR combines the advantages of plastically deforming the hole and the economic advantage of a relatively nonprecision hole and inexpensive rivets like those used in oversqueezing. The additional advantage SWR offers is that it is a portable tool.

Leftheris, B. P.↗

NASA NTRS1974

A finite element analysis of fatigue crack closure

Experiments have shown that fatigue cracks close at positive loads during constant-amplitude load cycling. The crack-closure phenomenon is caused by residual plastic deformations remaining in the wake of an advancing crack tip. The present paper is concerned with the application of a two-dimensional, nonlinear, finite-element analysis for predicting crack-closure and crack-opening stresses during cyclic loading. A two-dimensional finite-element computer program, which accounts for both elastic-plastic material behavior and changing boundary conditions associated with crack extension and intermittent contact of the crack surfaces under cyclic loading, has been developed. An efficient technique to account for changing boundary conditions was also incorporated into the nonlinear analysis program. This program was subsequently used to study crack extension and crack closure under constant-amplitude and two-level block loading. The calculated crack-closure and crack-opening stresses were qualitatively consistent with experimental observations.

Newman, J. C., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Molding apparatus

Apparatus for compression molding of thermosetting plastics compositions including interfitting hollow male and female components is reported. The components are adapted to be compressed to form a rocket nozzle in a cavity. A thermal jacket is provided exteriorly adjacent to the female component for circulating a thermal transfer fluid to effect curing of a thermosetting plastics material being molded. Each of the male and female components is provided with suitable inlets and outlets for circulating a thermal transfer fluid.

Heier, W. C.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Experiments on stiffened conical shell structures using cast epoxy models

Description of a casting technique for fabricating high-quality plastic structural models, and review of results regarding the use of such specimens to parametrically study the effect of base ring stiffness on the critical buckling pressure of a ring-stiffened conical shell. The fabrication technique involves machining a metal mold to the desired configuration and vacuum-drawing the plastic material into the mold. A room-temperature curing translucent thermoset epoxy was the casting material selected. A shell of revolution computer program which employs a nonlinear axisymmetric prebuckling strain field to obtain a bifurcation buckling solution was used to guide the selection of congifurations tested. The shell experimentally exhibited asymmetric collapse behavior, and the ultimate load was considerably higher than the analytical bifurcation prediction. The asymmetric buckling mode shape, however, initially appeared at a pressure near the analysis bifurcation solution.

Williams, J. G.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Elastoplastic transverse properties of a unidirectional fibre reinforced composite

An approximate theoretical study is made to predict the overall transverse elastoplastic properties of a unidirectional fibre reinforced composite. Based on the simplest deformation theory of plasticity, the overall transverse polyaxial elastoplastic constitutive equations for an incompressible composite are obtained. A simple formula is suggested to evaluate the average stress in the fibres. Furthermore, with the prediction of the overall transverse elastic moduli of a compressible composite, the overall transverse uniaxial stress-strain curve for a compressible composite in the entire elastic-plastic range is obtained. A detailed example is given for a Boron-Aluminum composite. Comparison is made with the experimental and theoretical work done by General Dynamics and Adams respectively.

Huang, W.-C.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Inelastic, nonlinear analysis of stiffened shells of revolution by numerical integration

This paper describes the latest addition to the STARS system of computer programs, STARS-2P, for the plastic, large deflection analysis of axisymmetrically loaded shells of revolution. The STARS system uses a numerical integration scheme to solve the governing differential equations. Several unique features for shell of revolution programs that are included in the STARS-2P program are described. These include orthotropic nonlinear kinematic hardening theory, a variety of shell wall cross sections and discrete ring stiffeners, cyclic and nonproportional mechanical and thermal loading capability, the coupled axisymmetric large deflection elasto-plastic torsion problem, an extensive restart option, arbitrary branching capability, and the provision for the inelastic treatment of smeared stiffeners, isogrid, and waffle wall constructions. To affirm the validity of the results, comparisons with available theoretical and experimental data are presented.

Levine, H. S.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Slow and fast motion of cracks in inelastic solids. Part 1: Slow growth of cracks in a rate sensitive tresca solid. Part 2: Dynamic crack represented by the Dugdale model

An extension is proposed of the classical theory of fracture to viscoelastic and elastic-plastic materials in which the plasticity effects are confined to a narrow band encompassing the crack front. It is suggested that the Griffith-Irwin criterion of fracture, which requires that the energy release rate computed for a given boundary value problem equals the critical threshold, ought to be replaced by a differential equation governing the slow growth of a crack prior to the onset of rapid propagation. A new term which enters the equation of motion in the dissipative media is proportional to the energy lost within the end sections of the crack, and thus reflects the extent of inelastic behavior of a solid. A concept of apparent surface energy is introduced to account for the geometry dependent and the rate dependent phenomena which influence toughness of an inelastic solid. Three hypotheses regarding the condition for fracture in the subcritical range of load are compared. These are: (1) constant fracture energy (Cherepanov), (2) constant opening displacement at instability (Morozov) and (3) final stretch criterion (Wnuk).

Wnuk, M. P.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Evacuated, displacement compression mold

A process of molding long thin-wall tubular bodies from thermosetting plastic molding compounds is described wherein the tubular body lengths may be several times the diameters. The process is accomplished by loading a predetermined quantity of molding compound into a female mold cavity closed at one end by a force mandrel. After closing the other end of the female mold with a balance mandrel, the loaded cavity is evacuated by applying a vacuum of from one-to-five mm pressure for a period of fifteen-to-thirty minutes. The mold temperature is raised to the minimum temperature at which the resin constituent of the compound will soften or plasticize and a pressure of 2500 psi is applied.

Heier, W. C.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Small-scale yielding analysis of mixed mode plane-strain crack problems

The small-scale yielding analysis of an elastic-plastic body with a line crack under plane-strain conditions subject to combinations of Mode I and II loadings is examined. The analysis of the near-tip field follows the works of Hutchinson and Rice and Rosengren. Dominant singularity solutions governing the asymptotic behavior of the stresses and strains at the crack tip are obtained for the complete range of loadings between Mode I and II. The results of an accurate finite element technique, which imbeds the dominant singularity solutions, directly relates the near-tip behavior to the elastic stress intensity factors K(I) and K(II). Implications of this study to mixed mode fracture mechanics is also discussed, particularly with respect to the direction of crack initiation and the relation of fracture toughness under mixed modes to that in Mode I. Details of the mixed mode plastic zone sizes and shapes are also given.

Shih, C. F.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Thin films for X-ray astronomy

A method is described for casting the commercial plastic known as Formvar directly on the surface of water and building up the desired thickness by a lamination of several layers. The thin, plastic films obtained can be used for the entrance window in the proportional counters normally used as X-ray detector in rocket-borne astrophysical experiments. Attention is given to three films, each of which has been flown several times on Aerobee sounding rockets.

Williamson, F.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Double-exposure holographic interferometer

Expensive optical-grade components in holographic interferometer are replaced with plastic test section and large-aperture spherical mirror to reduce distortions introduced by imperfections and cylindrical shape of plastic. Instrument is used for shock-tube gas density studies and is adaptable to wind-tunnel studies of vehicle windshields and other testing.

Livingston, F. R.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Reduced costs for solar-cell modules

Production expenses are decreased by embossing encapsulating plastic film to position and secure cells. Electric circuit is printed on plastic film simultaneously with cell encapsulation process. Procedure can be used with standard-contact and wraparound contact cells.

Forestieri, A. F.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Parylene coating for circuit components

Inexpensive internal coating improves reliability of plastic-packaged parts. Coating protects device from effects of humidity and heat and acts as barrier between device and harmful substances generated by plastic-packaging material.

Berkebile, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Experimental transient and permanent deformation studies of steel-sphere-impacted or impulsively-loaded aluminum beams with clamped ends

The sheet explosive loading technique (SELT) was employed to obtain elastic-plastic, large-deflection transient and/or permanent strain data on simple well-defined structural specimens and materials: initially-flat 6061-T651 aluminum beams with both ends ideally clamped via integral construction. The SELT loading technique was chosen since it is both convenient and provides forcing function information of small uncertainty. These data will be useful for evaluating pertinent structural response prediction methods. A second objective was to obtain high-quality transient-strain data for a well-defined structural/material model subjected to impact by a rigid body of known mass, impact velocity, and geometry; large-deflection, elastic-plastic transient response conditions are of primary interest. The beam with both ends clamped and a steel sphere as the impacting body were chosen. The steel sphere was launched vertically by explosive propulsion to achieve various desired impact velocities. The sphere/beam impact tests resulted in producing a wide range of structural responses and permanent deformations, including rupture of the beam from excessive structural response in two cases. The transient and permanent strain data as well as the permanent deflection data obtained are of high quality and should be useful for checking and evaluating methods for predicting the responses of simple 2-d structures to fragment (sphere) impact. Transient strain data very close to the point of impact were not obtained over as long a time as desirable because the gage(s) in that region became detached during the transient response.

Witmer, E. A.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Functioning of inorganic/organic battery separators in silver-zinc cells

The results of three experimental studies related to the inorganic/organic battery separator operating mechanism are described: saponification of the plasticizer, resistivity of the simulated separators, and zincate diffusion through the separators. The inorganic/organic separator appears to be a particular example of a general class of ionic conducting films composed of inorganic fillers and/or substrates bonded together by an organic polymer containing an incompatible plasticizer that may be leached by the electrolyte. The I/O separator functions as a microporous film of varying tortuosity with essentially no specific chemical inhibition to zincate diffusion.

Philipp, W. H.↗

NASA NTRS1976

An engineering procedure for calculating compressive strength of isogrid cylindrical shells with buckled skin

An engineering procedure is presented for calculating the compressive buckling strength of isogrid cylinders using shell of revolution techniques and accounting for loading beyond the material proportional limit and/or local buckling of the skin prior to general buckling. A general nondimensional chart is presented which can be used in conjunction with formulas based on simple deformation plasticity theory to calculate postbuckling stiffnesses of the skin. The stiffening grid system is treated as an equivalent isotropic grid layer. Stiffnesses are determined for this grid layer, when loaded beyond the proportional limit, by the same plasticity theory used for the skin and a nonlinear stress-strain curve constructed from simple isogrid-handbook formulas and standard-reference-manual stress-strain curves for the material involved. Comparison of prebuckling strains and buckling results obtained by this procedure with data from a large isogrid-cylinder test is excellent with the calculated buckling load no more than 4 percent greater than the test value.

Heard, W. L., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1975

A balloon measurement of the cosmic ray element abundances

The experiment described was flown from Thompson, Canada in August, 1973 to measure the cosmic ray element abundances in the atmosphere. All particles used in the analysis, including approximately 25,000 oxygen and 1600 iron nuclei, had sufficient energy at the top of the atmosphere to trigger the Cerenkov counter. Nuclei between beryllium and nickel were identified, using two plastic scintillators and an acrylic plastic Cerenkov counter. The relative composition and fluxes are determined. Agreement with earlier measurements in the atmosphere is within 5%; however, larger differences appear in composition extrapolated to the top of the atmosphere. In particular, the nitrogen abundance is almost 20% higher and the iron abundance is 20% lower than the generally accepted values.

Ormes, J. F.↗