Elastic Wave Analyzer for Icy Sub-Surfaces (EWAIS) In the Solar System
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Lih, S-S..
No abstract provided
The sub-surface structures of water-bearing icy worlds (e.g., Europa, Enceladus, and Titan) and the structures of icy regions on Mars contain critical information about their origin and evolution. These bodies have been identified as high-priority targets in the NRC Planetary Science Decadal Survey, which noted a lack of technology readiness as one impediment to related missions. An Elastic Wave Analyzer for Icy Sub-surfaces (EWAIS) instrument is being developed to acquire data that can provide answers to fundamental science questions related to these bodies. The EWAIS instrument generates and receives elastic waves using an array of piezoelectric transducers capable of operating at temperatures as low as 30K. A developed breadboard acquires reflected signals from discontinuities in the traveled materials’ impedance (the product of wave velocity and density) along the wave path. Analysis of the acquired data can be used to determine the elastic properties, presence of cracks, locations of cavities and other discontinuities, as well as the thicknesses of ice and liquid layers. The EWAIS instrument is being developed with a novel dual-frequency transmitter array that will enable reaching distances of kilometers through ice, as well as resolving smaller acoustic reflectors nearer the EWAIS instrument. The selected dual frequencies correspond to two depth ranges that can be analyzed, with resolutions of tens of centimeters in the region of tens to hundreds of meters and tens of meters on the kilometers scale, respectively. The EWAIS will be applicable for operation from any in-situ platform, including surface assets (e.g., lander and rover) and sub-surface assets (e.g., melting probes).
The leaky Lamb wave (LLW) technique is approaching a maturity level that is making it an attactive quantitative NDE tool for composites and bonded joints.
The leaky Lamb wave (LLW) technique is approaching a maturity level that is making it an attractive quantitative NDE tool for composites and bonded joints.
Conventional destructive techniques for the determination of the elastic stiffness constants of composite materials can be costly and often inaccurate. Reliable nondestructive evaluation methods for monitoring the integrity of composite materials and structures are needed. Guided wave propagation in isotropic plate have been studied. Studies on the low frequency symmetric guide waves are presented.
Reported on is the development of a quantitative NDE method, using stiffness analysis, for the determination of the degradation of composite materials that are exposed to elevated temperatures, prior to the formation of delaminations or other defects. Methods of testing describe a specimen immersed in water and subjected to ultra- sound, with reflected pulses or tone-burst (leaky Lamb wave) analysis.
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The critical role played by interface zones in the fracture and failure of composites and other bonded materials is well known. The existing nondestructive evaluation methods are generally not capable of yielding useful quantitative information of the strength of an interface.
The critical role played by adhesive bonds in the fracture and failure of composites and other bonded materials is well known. A good knowledge of the mechanical properties of these adhesion joints is a prerequisite to reliable design and reliable prediction of the performance of these bonded structures.