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At least 1,189 records · Page 66

Application of fiber bridging models to fatigue crack growth in unidirectional titanium matrix composites

Several fiber bridging models were reviewed and applied to study the matrix fatigue crack growth behavior in center notched (0)(sub 8) SCS-6/Ti-15-3 and (0)(sub 4) SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V laminates. Observations revealed that fatigue damage consisted primarily of matrix cracks and fiber matrix interfacial failure in the (0)(sub 8) SCS-6/Ti-15-3 laminates. Fiber-matrix interface failure included fracture of the brittle reaction zone and cracking between the two carbon rich fiber coatings. Intact fibers in the wake of the matrix cracks reduce the stress intensity factor range. Thus, an applied stress intensity factor range is inappropriate to characterize matrix crack growth behavior. Fiber bridging models were used to determine the matrix stress intensity factor range in titanium metal matrix composites. In these models, the fibers in the wake of the crack are idealized as a closure pressure. An unknown constant frictional shear stress is assumed to act along the debond or slip length of the bridging fibers. The frictional shear stress was used as a curve fitting parameter to available data (crack growth data, crack opening displacement data, and debond length data). Large variations in the frictional shear stress required to fit the experimental data indicate that the fiber bridging models in their present form lack predictive capabilities. However, these models provide an efficient and relatively simple engineering method for conducting parametric studies of the matrix growth behavior based on constituent properties.

Bakuckas, J. G., Jr.↗

Hazardous materials emergency response mobile robot

A simple or unsophisticated robot incapable of effecting straight-line motion at the end of its arm inserts a key held in its end effector or hand into a door lock with nearly straight-line motion by gently thrusting its back heels downwardly so that it pivots forwardly on its front toes while holding its arm stationary. The relatively slight arc traveled by the robot's hand is compensated by a complaint tool with which the robot hand grips the door key. A visible beam is projected through the axis of the hand or gripper on the robot arm end at an angle to the general direction in which the robot thrusts the gripper forward. As the robot hand approaches a target surface, a video camera on the robot wrist watches the beam spot on the target surface fall from a height proportional to the distance between the robot hand and the target surface until the beam spot is nearly aligned with the top of the robot hand. Holes in the front face of the hand are connected through internal passages inside the arm to an on-board chemical sensor. Full rotation of the hand or gripper about the robot arm's wrist is made possible by slip rings in the wrist which permit passage of the gases taken in through the nose holes in the front of the hand through the wrist regardless of the rotational orientation of the wrist.

Stone, Henry W.↗

Mantle downwelling and crustal convergence - A model for Ishtar Terra, Venus

Models of viscous crustal flow driven by gradients in topography are presented in order to explore quantitatively the implications of the hypothesis that Ishtar is a crustal convergence zone overlying a downwelling mantle. Assuming a free-slip surface boundary condition, it is found that, if the crustal convergence hypothesis is correct, then the crustal thickness in the plains surrounding Ishtar can be no more than about 25 km thick. If the geothermal gradient is larger or the rheology is weaker, the crust must be even thinner for net crustal convergence to be possible. This upper bound is in good agreement with the several independent estimates of crustal thickness of 15-30 km in the plains of Venus based on modeling of the spacing of tectonic features and of impact crater relaxation. Although Ishtar is treated as a crustal convergence zone, this crustal flow model shows that under some circumstances, near-surface material may actually flow away from Ishtar, providing a possible explanation for the grabenlike structures in Fortuna Tessera.

Kiefer, Walter S.↗

The dynamics of dense and dilute clusters of drops evaporating in large, coherent vortices

The behavior of evaporating clusters of drops embedded into large, coherent vortices is described using a formulation which is valid for both dense and dilute clusters. Drops and gas interact both dynamically and thermodynamically. Dynamic coupling occurs through a force on the drops due to drag resulting from a slip velocity between the two phases. The net interaction force on the gas with drops is due to a source thrust from evaporation plus drag on each drop. The drag coefficient accounts for blowing from the drop surface. Thermodynamic coupling is a result of drop heating and evaporation. Limitations due to drop proximity on heating and evaporation are taken into account. The vortical motion of the drops in the cluster results in the formation of a core region devoid of drops at the center of the vortex, and a shell region containing the drops and surrounding the inner core. Results are presented showing the dependence of the evaporation time, the final to initial volume ratio and the final to initial shell thickness ratio upon the initial air/fuel mass ratio and as a function of the initial tangential velocities, upon the initial Stokes number, initial drop radius and initial outer cluster radius. Differences in behavior between and control parameters of dense and dilute clusters are pointed out by these new results. It is found that for dense clusters the final to initial volume ratio and final to initial shell thickness scale with the initial Stokes number, a new result which must be validated experimentally.

Bellan, J.↗

Patterns of seismic activity preceding large earthquakes

A mechanical model of seismic faults is employed to investigate the seismic activities that occur prior to major events. The block-and-spring model dynamically generates a statistical distribution of smaller slipping events that precede large events, and the results satisfy the Gutenberg-Richter law. The scaling behavior during a loading cycle suggests small but systematic variations in space and time with maximum activity acceleration near the future epicenter. Activity patterns inferred from data on seismicity in California demonstrate a regional aspect; increased activity in certain areas are found to precede major earthquake events. One example is given regarding the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 which is located near a fault section associated with increased activity levels.

Shaw, Bruce E.↗

Arcing of negatively biased solar cells in low earth orbit

A set of experiments is described in which the arcing of negatively biased solar cells is examined and characterized in terms of the primary factors that cause such behavior. The experiments are conducted in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber, and an image-intensified CCD camera is employed to monitor UV emission from arc events at the interfacial edge between the cover slip and the solar cell. A bead of encapsulant along the interfacial edge is noted which can be removed to reduce arc frequency, and water contamination is found to further enhance arcing. Frequency of arcing is found to vary indirectly with temperature and directly with exposure to H2O, but no other significant correlations are noted. The sensitivity to H2O vapor is eliminated by simply removing the adhesive/encapsulant, and the corresponding arc-rate performance is low.

Upschulte, B. L.↗

Flow and fracture behavior of NiAl in relation to the brittle-to-ductile transition temperature

NiAl has only three independent slip systems operating at low and intermediate temperatures whereas five independent deformation mechanisms are required to satisfy the von Mises criterion for general plasticity in polycrystalline materials. Yet, it is generally recognized that polycrystalline NiAl can be deformed extensively in compression at room temperature and that limited tensile ductility can be obtained in extruded materials. In order to determine whether these results are in conflict with the von Mises criterion, tension and compression tests were conducted on powder-extruded, binary NiAl between 300 and 1300 K. The results indicate that below the brittle-to-ductile transition temperature (BDTT) the failure mechanism in NiAl involves the initiation and propagation of cracks at the grain boundaries which is consistent with the von Mises analysis. Furthermore, evaluation of the flow behavior of NiAl indicates that the transition from brittle to ductile behavior with increasing temperature coincides with the onset of recovery mechanisms such as dislocation climb. The increase in ductility above the BDTT is therefore attributed to the climb of the 001 line type dislocations which in combination with dislocation glide enable grain boundary compatibility to be maintained at the higher temperatures.

Noebe, R. D.↗

Fracture mechanics analysis for various fiber/matrix interface loadings

Fiber/matrix (F/M) cracking was analyzed to provide better understanding and guidance in developing F/M interface fracture toughness tests. Two configurations, corresponding to F/M cracking at a broken fiber and at the free edge, were investigated. The effects of mechanical loading, thermal cooldown, and friction were investigated. Each configuration was analyzed for two loadings: longitudinal and normal to the fiber. A nonlinear finite element analysis was performed to model friction and slip at the F/M interface. A new procedure for fitting a square-root singularity to calculated stresses was developed to determine stress intensity factors (K sub I and K sub II) for a bimaterial interface crack. For the case of F/M cracking at a broken fiber with longitudinal loading, crack tip conditions were strongly influenced by interface friction. As a result, an F/M interface toughness test based on this case was not recommended because nonlinear data analysis methods would be required. For the free edge crack configuration, both mechanical and thermal loading caused crack opening, thereby avoiding frictional effects. An F/M interface toughness test based on this configuration would provide data for K(sub I)/K(sub II) ratios of about 0.7 and 1.6 for fiber and radial normal loading, respectively. However, thermal effects must be accounted for in the data analysis.

Naik, R. A.↗

Formation and stability of polarization sheaths of a cross-field beam

A simple description is presented for a pure ion sheath formed on one side and a pure electron sheath formed on the other side of a neutral plasma beam. Both the ion and the electron sheath are found to be one-dimensionally stable and two-dimensionally unstable in a mode known as magnetron, slipping stream, and diocotron. This mode connects with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in neutral matter. The analytical results are confirmed both qualitatively and quantitatively by numerical simulations. The simulations help define the linear behavior of the long-wave instability generated in the electron (or ion) sheath, including a strong shear.

Cai, Dong S.↗

Compression failure mechanisms of single-ply, unidirectional, carbon-fiber composites

A single-ply composite compression test was used to study compression failure mechanisms as a function of fiber type, matrix type, and interfacial strength. Composites made with low- and intermediate-modulus fibers (Hercules AS4 and IM7) in either an epoxy (Hercules 3501-6) or a thermoplastic (ULTEM and LARC-TPI) matrix failed by kink banding and out-of-plane slip. The failures proceeded by rapid and catastrophic damage propagation across the specimen width. Composites made with high-modulus fibers (Hercules HMS4/3501-6) had a much lower compression strength. Their failures were characterized by kink banding and longitudinal splitting. The damage propagated slowly across the specimen width. Composites made with fibers treated to give low interfacial strength had low compression strength. These composites typically failed near the specimen ends and had long kink bands.

Ha, Jong-Bae↗

Fatigue damage accumulation in nickel prior to crack initiation

The accumulation of lattice defects during fatigue cycling of nickel was investigated by electrical resistivity measurements, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Dislocations and vacancy clusters were found to be the main defect types. During cycling of axial and flexural samples at constant load amplitude, the dislocations form a saturated structure early in the fatigue life. This saturated structure consists of a cellular dislocation matrix, in which persistent slip bands (PSBs) begin to operate after the saturation has been established. Vacancies and vacancy clusters are formed during fatigue as a consequence of repetitive dislocation glide in the PSB structure. When PSBs operate, the matrix is assumed to be dormant, allowing vacancies to accumulate preferentially in the PSBs. The increase in vacancy concentration then accounts for the monotonic accumulation of fatigue damage, which points to the importance of vacancy accumulation as a precursor to crack nucleation.

Grobstein, T. L.↗

Raman scattering of InGaAs/InP grown by uniform radial flow epitaxy

Uniform radial flow epitaxy, a novel growth technique, has been used to grown InGaAs films on InP. Epitaxial layers above and below the critical thickness for the onset of slip were grown. Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize the quality of epitaxial layers, determine alloy composition, and measure the strain. Raman spectra from both pseudomorphic (strained) and relaxed (unstrained) InGaAs films were obtained at 300 and 80 K. The difference in the frequencies of their GaAs-like longitudinal optical phonons was used to calculate stress for the strained InGaAs/InP, leading to a direct formula for the evaluation of the layer stress.

Feng, Z. C.↗

An application of synthetic seismicity in earthquake statistics - The Middle America Trench

The way in which seismicity calculations which are based on the concept of fault segmentation incorporate the physics of faulting through static dislocation theory can improve earthquake recurrence statistics and hone the probabilities of hazard is shown. For the Middle America Trench, the spread parameters of the best-fitting lognormal or Weibull distributions (about 0.75) are much larger than the 0.21 intrinsic spread proposed in the Nishenko Buland (1987) hypothesis. Stress interaction between fault segments disrupts time or slip predictability and causes earthquake recurrence to be far more aperiodic than has been suggested.

Ward, Steven N.↗

Correlation of deformation mechanisms with the tensile and compressive behavior of NiAl and NiAl(Zr) intermetallic alloys

To identify the mechanisms controlling strength and ductility in powder-extruded NiAl and NiAl + 0.05 at. pct Zr, tensile and compressive testing was performed from 300 to 1300 K for several grain sizes. Grain size refinement significantly increased yield stress in both alloys and, in some cases, slightly lowered the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT), although no room-temperature tensile ductility was observed even in the finest grain size specimens. The small Zr addition increased the DBTT and changed the low-temperature fracture mode from intergranular in NiAl to a combination of intergranular and transgranular in the Zr-doped alloy. Scanning electron microscopy of compression specimens deformed at room temperature revealed the presence of grain-boundary cracks in both alloys. These cracks were due to the incompatibility of strain in the polycrystalline material, owing to the lack of five independent slip systems. The tendency to form grain-boundary cracks, in addition to the low fracture stress of these alloys, contributed to the lack of tensile ductility at low temperatures.

Bowman, R. R.↗

Oligomeric baroeffect and gas aggregation states

The baroeffect is analyzed to include a gas that aggregates into higher-order polymers or oligomers. The resulting pressure change is found to vary independently of the molecular weight of the gas components and to depend only on the aggregation or oligomeric order of the gas. With increasing aggregation, diffusive slip velocities are found to increase. The calculations are extended to include general counterdiffusion of two distinct aggregation states (k-, j-mer) for the gas, and the pressure change is derived as a function that is independent of both molecular weight and the absolute aggregation. The only parameter that determines the baroeffect is the ratio of aggregated states, beta = k/j. For gases that reversibly aggregate, possible oscillatory behavior and complex dynamics for pressure are discussed. Gas aggregation may play a role for low-temperature crystal-growth conditions in which vapor concentrations of one (or more) species are high.

Noever, David A.↗

Global Positioning System measurements of strain accumulation across the Imperial Valley, California - 1986-1989

The Global Positioning System (GPS) data collected in southern California from 1986 to 1989 indicate considerable strain accumulation across the Imperial Valley. Displacements are computed at 29 stations in and near the valley from 1986 to 1988, and at 11 sites from 1988 to 1989. The earlier measurements indicate 5.9 =/- 1.0 cm/yr right-lateral differential velocity across the valley, although the data are heavily influenced by the 1987 Superstition Hills earthquake sequence. Some measurements, especially the east-trending displacements, are suspects for large errors. The 1988 to 1989 GPS displacements are best modeled by 5.2 =/- 0.9 cm/yr of valley crossing deformation, but rates calculated from conventional geodetic measurements (3.4 to 4.3 cm/yr) fit the data nearly as well. There is evidence from GPS and Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI) observations that the present slip rate along the southern San Andreas fault is smaller than the long-term geologic estimate, suggesting a lower earthquake potential than is currently assumed. Correspondingly, a higher earthquake potential is indicated for the San Jacinto fault. The Imperial Valley GPS sites form part of a 183 station network in southern California and northern Baja California, which spans a cross-section of the North American-Pacific plate boundary.

Larsen, Shawn↗

Vortex rings

The vortex-ring problem in fluid mechanics is examined generally in terms of formation, the steady state, the duration of the rings, and vortex interactions. The formation is studied by examining the generation of laminar and turbulent vortex rings and their resulting structures with attention given to the three stages of laminar ring development. Inviscid dynamics is addressed to show how core dynamics affects overall ring motion, and laminar vortex structures are described in two dimensions. Viscous and inviscid structures are related in terms of 'leapfrogging', head-on collisions, and collisions with a no-slip wall. Linear instability theory is shown to successfully describe observational data, although late stages in the breakdown are not completely understood. This study of vortex rings has important implications for key aerodynamic issues including sound generation, transport and mixing, and vortex interactions.

Shariff, Karim↗

Fracture mechanics analysis for various fiber/matrix interface loadings

Fiber/matrix (F/M) cracking was analyzed to provide better understanding and guidance in developing F/M interface fracture toughness tests. Two configurations, corresponding to F/M cracking at a broken fiber and at the free edge, were investigated. The effects of mechanical loading, thermal cooldown, and friction were investigated. Each configuration was analyzed for two loadings: longitudinal and normal to the fiber. A nonlinear finite element analysis was performed to model friction and slip at the F/M interface. A new procedure for fitting a square-root singularity to calculated stresses was developed to determine stress intensity factors (K sub I and K sub II) for a bimaterial interface crack. For the case of F/M cracking at a broken fiber with longitudinal loading, crack tip conditions were strongly influenced by interface friction. As a result, an F/M interface toughness test based on this case was not recommended because nonlinear data analysis methods would be required. For the free edge crack configuration, both mechanical and thermal loading caused crack opening, theory avoiding fractional effects. A F/M interface toughness test based on this configuration would provide data for K(sub I/K(sub II) ratios of about 0.7 and 1.6 for fiber and radial normal loading, respectively. However, thermal effects must be accounted for in the data analysis.

Naik, Rajiv A.↗