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At least 1,135 records · Page 63
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

An experimental and analytical investigation of the rail shear-test method as applied to composite materials

This report presents the results from an experimental and analytical investigation of the stress distributions occurring in a rail shear test. The effects of non-uniform stresses induced by differential thermal expansion, rail flexibility and specimen aspect ratio on measured shear modulus and ultimate strength of composite laminates are shown. A two-dimensional linearly elastic finite element model was used to analytically determine how various geometric parameters influenced the magnitude and distribution of inplane normal and shear stresses in a tensile rail shear specimen. Rail shear tests were conducted at room temperature and 589 K (600 F) on selected graphite-polyimide composite laminates using two titanium rail configurations. The analysis and test methods are discussed, and the results of the effects of the various parameters on shear modulus and ultimate strength are presented.

Garcia, R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Interaction of heat production, strain rate and stress power in a plastically deforming body under tensile test

At high strain rates the heat produced by plastic deformation can give rise to a rate dependent response even if the material has rate independent constitutive equations. This effect has to be evaluated when interpreting a material test, or else it could erroneously be ascribed to viscosity. A general thermodynamic theory of tensile testing of elastic-plastic materials is given in this paper; it is valid for large strain at finite strain rates. It enables discovery of the parameters governing the thermodynamic strain rate effect, provides a method for proper interpretation of the results of the tests of dynamic plasticity, and suggests a way of planning experiments in order to detect the real contribution of viscosity.

Paglietti, A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Application of Thin-Film Thermocouples to Localized Heat Transfer Measurements

The paper describes a proof-of-concept experiment on thin-film thermocouples used for localized heat transfer measurements applicable to experiments on hot parts of turbine engines. The paper has three main parts. The first part describes the thin-film sensors and manufacturing procedures. Attention is paid to connections between thin-film thermocouples and lead wires, which has been a source of problems in the past. The second part addresses the test arrangement and facility used for the heat transfer measurements modeling the conditions for upcoming warm turbine tests at NASA LeRC. The paper stresses the advantages of a modular approach to the test rig design. Finally, we present the results of bulk and local heat flow rate measurements, as well as overall heat transfer coefficients obtained from measurements in a narrow passage with an aspect ratio of 11.8. The comparison of bulk and local heat flow rates confirms applicability of thin-film thermocouples to upcoming warm turbine tests.

Lepicovsky, J.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Design and Evaluation of Composite Fuselage Panels Subjected to Combined Loading Conditions

Methodologies used in industry for designing transport aircraft composite fuselage structures are discussed. Several aspects of the design methodologies are based on assumptions from metallic fuselage technology which requires that full-scale structures be tested with the actual loading conditions to validate the designs. Composite panels which represent crown and side regions of a fuselage structure are designed using this approach and tested in biaxial tension. Descriptions of the state-of-the-art test facilities used for this structural evaluation are presented. These facilities include a pressure-box test machine and a D-box test fixture in a combined loads test machine which are part of a Combined Loads Test System (COLTS). Nonlinear analysis results for a reference shell and a stiffened composite panel tested in the pressure-box test machine with and without damage are presented. The analytical and test results are compared to assess the ability of the pressure-box test machine to simulate a shell stress state with and without damage. A combined loads test machine for testing aircraft primary structures is described. This test machine includes a D-box test fixture to accommodate curved stiffened panels and the design features of this test fixture are presented. Finite element analysis results for a curved panel to be tested in the D-box test fixture are also discussed.

Ambur, Damodar R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

FY12 End of Year Report for NEPP DDR2 Reliability

This document reports the status of the NEPP Double Data Rate 2 (DDR2) Reliability effort for FY2012. The task expanded the focus of evaluating reliability effects targeted for device examination. FY11 work highlighted the need to test many more parts and to examine more operating conditions, in order to provide useful recommendations for NASA users of these devices. In order to develop these approaches, it is necessary to develop test capability that can identify reliability outliers. To do this we must test many devices to ensure outliers are in the sample, and we must develop characterization capability to measure many different parameters. For FY12 we increased capability for reliability characterization and sample size. We increased sample size by moving from loose devices to DIMMs with an approximate reduction of 20 to 50 times in terms of per DUT cost. By increasing sample size we have improved our ability to characterize devices that may be considered reliability outliers. This report provides an update on the effort to improve DDR2 testing capability. Although focused on DDR2, the methods being used can be extended to DDR and DDR3 with relative ease.

temperature stress↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design and Scoping Tests on Alloy 617 Using Notched Specimen Geometry to Validate Methods for Multiaxial Stress Relaxation

In FY 2022, a development effort was initiated at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to examine the multiaxial stress-relaxation behavior and multiaxial stress-state effect on the creep-fatigue (CF) performance for Alloy 617 at elevated temperatures. This effort supported the development of the design rules in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC), Section III, Division 5. In this work, two types of the notch specimen geometries were designed. An inelastic constitutive model was used to investigate the stress triaxiality and elastic follow-up effects on the notch specimens under CF deformation in the finite element (FE) simulations. The numerical study demonstrated that the stress triaxiality and elastic follow-up caused by the notches both play significant roles in the stress-relaxation behavior. In addition, Alloy 617 CF experiments were designed, and the testing on the notch specimens is ongoing. CF test failure data will be generated on the specimens with notches under various conditions in FY 2023, and the results will be used to validate methods for accounting for the multiaxial stress relaxation effect in the design code.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2004

Gear Performance Improved by Coating

Gears, bearings, and other mechanical elements transmit loads through contacting surfaces. Even if properly designed, manufactured, installed, and maintained, gears and bearings will eventually fail because of the fatigue of the working surfaces. Economical means for extending the fatigue lives of gears and bearings are highly desired, and coatings offer the opportunity to engineer surfaces to extend the fatigue lives of mechanical components. A tungsten-containing diamondlike-carbon coating exhibiting high hardness, low friction, and good toughness was evaluated for application to spur gears. Fatigue testing was done at the NASA Glenn Research Center on both uncoated and coated spur gears. The results showed that the coating extended the surface fatigue lives of the gears by a factor of about 5 relative to the uncoated gears. For the experiments, a lot of spur test gears made from AISI 9310 gear steel were case-carburized and ground to aerospace specifications. The geometries of the 28-tooth, 8-pitch gears were verified as meeting American Gear Manufacturing Association (AGMA) quality class 12. One-half of the gears were randomly selected for coating. The method of coating was selected to achieve desired adherence, toughness, hardness, and low-friction characteristics. First the gears to be coated were prepared by blasting (vapor honing) with Al2O3 particles and cleaning. Then, the gears were provided with a thin adhesion layer of elemental chromium followed by magnetron sputtering of the outer coating consisting of carbon (70 at.%), hydrogen (15 at.%), tungsten (12 at.%), and nickel (3 at.%) (atomic percent at the surface). In total, the coating thickness was about 2.5 to 3 microns. As compared with the steel substrate, the coated surface was harder by a factor of about 2 and had a smaller elastic modulus. All gears were tested using a 5-centistoke synthetic oil, a 10,000-rpm rotation speed, and a hertzian contact stress of at least 1.7 GPa (250 ksi). Tests were run until either surface fatigue occurred or 300 million stress cycles were completed. Tests were run using either a pair of uncoated gears or a pair of coated gears (coated gears mated with uncoated gears were not evaluated). The fatigue test results, shown on Weibull coordinates in the graph, demonstrate that the coating provided substantially longer fatigue lives even though some of the coated gears endured larger stresses. The increase in fatigue life was a factor of about 5 and the statistical confidence for the improvement is high (greater than 99 percent). Examination of the tested gears revealed substantial reductions of total wear for coated gears in comparison to uncoated gears. The coated gear surface topography changed with running, with localized areas of the tooth surface becoming smoother with running. Theories explaining how coatings can extend gear fatigue lives are research topics for coating, tribology, and fatigue specialists. This work was done as a partnership between NASA, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, United Technologies Research Corporation, and Sikorsky Aircraft.

Krantz, Timothy L.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Fracture Analysis of Particulate Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites

A fracture analysis of highly loaded particulate reinforced composites was performed using laser moire interferometry to measure the displacements within the plastic zone at the tip of an advancing crack. Ten castings were made of five different particulate reinforcement-aluminum alloy combinations. Each casting included net-shape specimens which were used for the evaluation of fracture toughness, tensile properties, and flexure properties resulting in an extensive materials properties data. Measured fracture toughness range from 14.1 MPa for an alumina reinforced 356 aluminum alloy to 23.9 MPa for a silicon carbide reinforced 2214 aluminum alloy. For the combination of these K(sub Ic) values and the measured tensile strengths, the compact tension specimens were too thin to yield true plane strain K(sub Ic) values. All materials exhibited brittle behavior characterized by very small tensile ductility suggesting that successful application of these materials requires that the design stresses be below the elastic limit. Probabilistic design principles similar to those used with ceramics are recommended when using these materials. Such principles would include the use of experimentally determined design allowables. In the absence of thorough testing, a design allowable stress of 60 percent of the measured ultimate tensile stress is recommended.

Min, James B.↗
NASA NTRS2010

In-Situ Strain Analysis of Potential Habitat Composites Exposed to a Simulated Long-Term Lunar Radiation Exposure

NASA is studying the effects of long-term space radiation on potential multifunctional composite materials for habitats to better determine their characteristics in the harsh space environment. Two composite materials were selected for the study and were placed in a test stand that simulated the stresses of a pressure vessel wall on the material. The samples in the test stand were exposed to radiation at either a fast dose rate or a slow dose rate, and their strain and temperature was recorded during the exposure. It was found that during a fast dose rate exposure the materials saw a decreased strain with time, or a shrinking of the materials. Given previous radiation studies of polymers, this is believed to be a result of crosslinking occurring in the matrix material. However, with a slow dose rate, the materials saw an increase in strain with time, or a stretching of the materials. This result is consistent with scission or degradation of the matrix occurring, possibly due to oxidative degradation.

Rojdev, Kristina↗
DOE OSTI2022

Pellet Cladding Interaction In-Reactor Ramp Testing in a World without the Halden Boiling Water Reactor

One of the most crucial performance areas for fuel rods in water cooled nuclear power plants is interaction between cladding tubes and fuel pellets. Experimental programs in test reactors have provided key data to help fuel developers and plant operators understand Pellet Cladding Interaction (PCI) phenomena and optimize their strategies for reliable fuel performance. Approximately 50 years of “ramp” testing programs, where the fission heating rate is deliberately manipulated in test rods, have been performed in a handful of test reactors to reveal and understand PCI behaviors such as iodine-assisted stress corrosion cracking. Unfortunately, the test reactors most engaged in this type of work have all been retired over the years up to the recent and unexpected closure of the Halden Boiling Water Reactor which effectively caused a hiatus in PCI ramp testing programs. The need for ramp testing is crucial at this time to enable refined PCI understanding as more plants consider implementing flexible operations, increased fuel rod burnup limits, and new fuel technologies with enhanced accident tolerance. This paper reviews some of the key PCI phenomena that must be addressed with in-pile testing and surveys past test reactor’s methods for achieving the needed conditions. A strategic approach is then presented using test reactors and complimentary facilities which are still available today. Near term data opportunities are put forth along with capability development strategies that will ensure future longevity in this field of research.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1975

Critical aspect ratio for tungsten fibers in copper-nickel matrix composites

Stress-rupture and tensile tests were conducted at 816 C (1500 F) to determine the effect of matrix composition on the minimum fiber length to diameter ratio (critical aspect ratio) below which fibers in a tungsten fiber/copper-nickel alloy matrix composite could not be stressed to their ultimate load carrying capability. This study was intended to simulate some of the conditions that might be encountered with materials combinations used in high-temperature composites. The critical aspect ratio for stress-rupture was found to be greater than for short-time tension, and it increased as the time to rupture increased. The increase was relatively slight, and calculated fiber lengths for long service appear to be well within practical size limits for effective reinforcement and ease of fabrication of potential gas turbine components.

Jech, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Constituent-Based Life Models Being Developed for SiC/SiC Composites

For the successful utilization of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) as hot-section components in advanced aeropropulsion engines, the CMC constituents will need to be tailored and optimized to meet all the critical property demands of each component. Under the High-Speed Research (HSR) and Advanced High-Temperature Engine Materials Technology (HITEMP) Programs, the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field initiated research to develop mechanistic models for key CMC thermostructural properties. These models would describe the effects of different constituent factors (composition, geometry, and volume fraction) and of potential application conditions (stress, time, temperature, and environment) on these properties. Particular focus was placed on both analytical and numerical modeling of state-of-the-art SiC/SiC composites where the primary load-bearing constituents are stoichiometric SiC fibers in a complex multiphase SiC matrix produced by chemical vapor infiltration and melt infiltration. Recent studies have resulted in computer-based numerical models for the elastic modulus, thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity properties of the SiC/SiC system. Additional studies have generated analytical and empirical models for the time dependence of composite rupture strength at temperatures above 2200 F (1200 C), where CMC's have an important thermostructural advantage over current nickel-based superalloys. These life models utilize thermal activation theory and fiber stress-rupture results measured at Glenn to generate Larson-Miller (L M) plots of fiber rupture strength versus q, a single time- and temperature-dependent parameter. Assuming a worse case in which the SiC matrix is cracked, rupture is then controlled by the time-dependent fracture characteristics of the fiber bundles bridging the matrix cracks. With this as the controlling mechanism, one can then use simple composite theory and the fiber L M plots to predict CMC rupture strength versus the q parameter. The dashed line shows the predicted rupture strength of a SiC/SiC composite that is reinforced by a state-of-the-art stoichiometric SiC fiber. For the q parameter, time is in hours and temperature in degrees kelvin. To generate these predictions, a two-dimensional 0 /90 composite with approximately 16 percent fiber in the applied stress direction and an air test environment were assumed. As such, it is possible to compare the model predictions against limited stress-rupture data for this CMC as shown by the data points. The good agreement confirms the rupture model at least for the selected CMC and test conditions. Thus for this particular SiC/SiC composite, one can estimate a 1000-hr rupture strength of approximately 12 ksi at 2400 F (T = 1588 K and q = 39 700 K). At lower CMC application stresses, the SiC matrix is typically uncracked, so both the fiber and matrix constituents share the composite load. In this case, CMC rupture is controlled by the constituent with the longest rupture time based on the creep rate of the composite. Measured Monkman-Grant plots of rupture time versus creep rate for the two SiC constituents have been used to develop CMC life models for this important application condition. NASA and DOD are currently using this information to establish application and material goals for more advanced CMC's that can be used at even higher temperatures.

DiCarlo, James A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Electric Plasma Arc-Lamp Combustor Liner Durability Test System Developed

Silicon carbide matrix composites are candidate materials for high-temperature combustor liners. Because through-the-thickness thermal gradients are the primary cause of stress on combustor liners, a unique test facility was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field to simulate in-service pure thermal stress distributions in fiber reinforced silicon carbide cylinders. It was developed initially under Phase II of the High- Speed Research Program. This test stand can accommodate 8-in.-long test cylinders that have outer diameters of 4 in. and a wall thickness of about 0.08 to 0.12 in. One cylinder at a time is loaded vertically into the test stand. Water-cooled plates enclose the open ends of the cylinder and provide cooling. Load plates on the exterior side of the water-cooled plates provide support and compression loads. To evaluate a combustor liner material s potential performance, researchers induce thermal gradients with an axisymmetric, direct-current, electric arc within the cylinder while refrigerated air at a rate of 1.5 lb/sec impinges on the outside surface of the cylinder. The achievable through-the-thickness thermal gradient is predicted to be in excess of 200 C. The 8-in. long, 0.5-in.-diameter plasma arc emits full spectrum visible light; radiant intensity exceeds 300 Watts per square centimeters to produce temperatures in excess of 1500 C on materials with emissivity near unity. Because the system does not rely upon the combustion of fuels to achieve the related thermal conditions, ancillary environmental reactions with the sample are eliminated. The system incorporates a standard mechanical test frame, which can impose constant as well cyclical axial stresses up to 2200 lb upon the test piece. Silicon-carbide-fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composite cylinders were instrumented with thin-film thermocouples to obtain through-the-thickness thermal flux measurements. Inside wall temperatures reached 1200 C with only 250 A of current. One of the special features of this configuration is the creation of hoop stress states within the cylinder, which up this point have not been obtainable in planar coupon tests. This facility will allow various operational modes, including accelerated tests of thermal transients simulating the effects of repeated engine ignition as well as prescribed thermal and mechanical histories to simulate various duty cycle profiles. Tests can now be performed on thermal-barrier-coated metallic liners and ceramic composite liners that require a combination of high heat flux and controlled mechanical stresses.

Goldsby, Jon C.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Effect of Loading Rate on the Open Hole Compression Strength of Quasi-Isotropic Carbon/Epoxy Laminates

This study was undertaken to examine how well the 0.05 inch/min loading rate typically used to develop allowables for open hole compression strength of carbon/epoxy laminates represents structures that may experience a much lower loading rate (such as civil engineering structures) or a much higher loading rate (such as a rocket interstage at liftoff). The Composite Materials Handbook-17 (CMH-17) suggests developing strength allowables at the coupon level (lowest level of the “building block” approach) and using a rigorous statistical analysis to arrive at a strength allowable upon which the structure is to be further designed at higher levels of the building block pyramid. But do these coupon level tests truly represent meaningful stresses at which the composite in the final structure can withstand considering the effects of loading rate? Open hole compression (OHC) strength was chosen for this study since most structures are designed to some damage tolerance criteria and OHC strength testing is rather simple to perform. A quasi-isotropic lay-up was chosen since this is a very common lay-up sequence. The results show that for structures that experience a very small loading rate (0.0005 in/min) the allowables developed at the standard 0.05 in/min loading rate are higher than what the composite can withstand at this lower loading rate. Conversely, at a high loading rate of 10 in/min the strength values found at the standard test rate of 0.05 in/min are slightly lower and not “in family” using the statistics suggested in CMH-17. These results question if standardized test rates are reliable, at least to the fidelity of being “in family” per CMH-17. Some creep rupture tests were also performed to demonstrate that OHC strength values could be lower than the slowest test speed used in this study (0.0005 in/min).

open hole compression strength↗
NASA NTRS2000

Modeling Step-Strain Relaxation and Cyclic Deformations of Elastomers

Data for step-strain relaxation and cyclic compressive deformations of highly viscous short elastomer cylinders are modeled using a large strain rubber viscoelastic constitutive theory with a rate-independent friction stress term added. In the tests, both small and large amplitude cyclic compressive strains, in the range of 1% to 10%, were superimposed on steady state compressed strains, in the range of 5% to 20%, for frequencies of 1 and 10 Hz. The elastomer cylinders were conditioned prior to each test to soften them. The constants in the viscoclastic-friction constitutive theory are determined by employing a nonlinear least-squares method to fit the analytical stresses for a Maxwell model, which includes friction, to measured relaxation stresses obtained from a 20% step-strain compression test. The simulation of the relaxation data with the nonlinear model is successful at compressive strains of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. Simulations of hysteresis stresses for enforced cyclic compressive strains of 20% +/- 5% are made with the model calibrated by the relaxation data. The predicted hysteresis stresses are lower than the measured stresses.

Johnson, A.R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Mission adaptive wing soars at NASA Facility

Research pilots have flown the Mission Adaptive Wing (MAW) aircraft, a highly modified F-111 jet fighter, from subsonic speeds up to Mach 1.4 in initial flight tests. The inital test flights are clearing the envelope with the wings flexed at various curvatures. This process allows further research data to be safely gathered so that designers of future variable camber wing aircraft have the best information possible. The altitude envelope was cleared from 27,500 down to 7,500 feet where denser air can cause more stress on the aircraft. Testing with the aircraft was conducted with wing sweep angles of 26 and 58 degrees. At the conclusion of the performance tests in the manual configuration, the system will be reconfigured for automatic mode tests. The limited automatic modes include maneuver camber control where the wings are deflected automatically to the best lift versus drag combination for a particular speed; cruise camber control which can help protect the aircraft from high G stresses; and maneuver enhancement/gust alleviation which is designed to improve the aircraft's up and down movement response to pilot commands and reduce the aircraft response to turbulence.

Rahn, D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Lunar regolith densification

Core tube samples of the lunar regolith obtained during the Apollo missions showed a rapid increase in the density of the regolith with depth. Various hypotheses have been proposed for the possible cause of this phenomenon, including the densification of the loose regolith material by repeated shaking from the seismic tremors which have been found to occur at regular monthly intervals when the moon and earth are closest to one another. A test bed was designed to study regolith densification. This test bed uses Minnesota Lunar Simulant (MLS) to conduct shaking experiments in the geotechnical centrifuge with an inflight shake table system. By reproducing realistic in-situ regolith properties, the experiment also serves to test penetrator concepts. The shake table system was designed and used for simulation experiments to study effects of earthquakes on terrestrial soil structures. It is mounted on a 15 g-ton geotechnical centrifuge in which the self-weight induced stresses are replicated by testing an n-th scale model in a gravity field which is n times larger than Earth's gravity. A similar concept applies when dealing with lunar prototypes, where the gravity ratio required for proper simulation of lunar gravity effects is that between the centrifugal acceleration and the lunar gravity. Records of lunar seismic tremors, or moonquakes, were obtained. While these records are being prepared for use as the input data to drive the shake table system, records from the El Centro earthquake of 1940 are being used to perform preliminary tests, using a soil container which was previously used for earthquake studies. This container has a laminar construction, with the layers free to slide on each other, so that the soil motion during the simulated earthquake will not be constrained by the otherwise rigid boundaries. The soil model is prepared by pluviating the MLS from a hopper into the laminar container to a depth of 6 in. The container is mounted on the shake table and the centrifuge is operated to generate an acceleration of 10 times Earth's gravity or 60 times the lunar gravity, thus simulating a lunar regolith thickness of 30 ft. The shake table is then operated using the scaled 'moonquake' as the input motion. One or more model moonquakes are used in each experiment, after which the soil is analyzed for its density profile with depth. This is accomplished by removing from the soil bed a column of soil contained within a thin rubber sleeve which has been previously embedded vertically in the soil during pluviation. This column of soil is transferred to a gamma ray device, in which the gamma ray transmission transversely through the soil is measured and compared with standard calibration samples. In this manner, the density profile can be determined. Preliminary results to date are encouraging, and the Center plans to study the effects of duration of shaking, intensity of the shaking motion, and the frequency of the motion.

Ko, Hon-Yim↗