Engineering topics

Long, Edward R., Jr.

Publications and source records attributed to Long, Edward R., Jr..

13 records

NASA NTRS1993

Simulated space environmental effects on a polyetherimide and its carbon fiber-reinforced composites

The selection of materials for spacecraft construction requires identification of candidate materials which can perform reliably in the space environment. Understanding the effects of the space environment on the materials is an important step in the selection of candidate materials. This work examines the effects of energetic electrons, thermal cycling, electron radiation in conjunction with thermal cycling, and atomic oxygen on a thermoplastic polyetherimide and its carbon-fiber-reinforced composites. Composite materials made with non-sized fibers as well as materials made with fibers sized with an epoxy were evaluated. The mechanical and thermomechanical properties of the materials were studied and spectroscopic techniques were used to investigate the mechanisms for the observed effects. Considerations for future material development are suggested.

Kern, Kristen T.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Effects Of Irradiation By Electrons On Two Polyimides

Polyimides of new class, known as polyetherimides, used for composites and castings. Study undertaken to compare effects of electron radiation, in doses expected for 30-year missions in geosynchronous orbit, on molecular structures and tensile properties of two commercially available polyimides: polypyromellitimide and polyetherimide. Findings helpful in development of new polymers that endure radiation, leading to synthesis of polymers not having methyl groups or other moieties that are sources of hydrogen, inhibiting self-mending. Significance of study for polymer industry relating to structures in outer space considerable.

Long, Edward R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Thermal and ultrasonic evaluation of porosity in composite laminates

The effects of porosity on damage incurred by low-velocity impact are investigated. Specimens of graphite/epoxy composite were fabricated with various volume fractions of voids. The void fraction was independently determined using optical examination and acid resin digestion methods. Thermal diffusivity and ultrasonic attenuation were measured, and these results were related to the void volume fraction. The relationship between diffusivity and fiber volume fraction was also considered. The slope of the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient was found to increase linearly with void content, and the diffusivity decreased linearly with void volume fraction, after compensation for an approximately linear dependence on the fiber volume fraction.

Johnston, Patrick H.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Analytical modeling and sensor monitoring for optimal processing of polymeric composite material systems

Process simulation models and cure monitoring sensors are discussed for use in optimal processing of fiber-reinforced composites. Analytical models relate the specified temperature and pressure cure cycle to the thermal, chemical, and physical processes occurring in the composite during consolidation and cure. Frequency-dependent electromagnetic sensing (FDEMS) is described as an in situ sensor for monitoring the composite curing process and for verification of process simulation models. A model for resin transfer molding of textile composites is used to illustrate the predictive capabilities of a process simulation model. The model is used to calculate the resin infiltration time, fiber volume fraction, resin viscosity, and resin degree of cure. Results of the model are compared with in situ FDEMS measurements.

Loos, Alfred C.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Infiltration/cure modeling of resin transfer molded composite materials using advanced fiber architectures

A model was developed which can be used to simulate infiltration and cure of textile composites by resin transfer molding. Fabric preforms were resin infiltrated and cured using model generated optimized one-step infiltration/cure protocols. Frequency dependent electromagnetic sensing (FDEMS) was used to monitor in situ resin infiltration and cure during processing. FDEMS measurements of infiltration time, resin viscosity, and resin degree of cure agreed well with values predicted by the simulation model. Textile composites fabricated using a one-step infiltration/cure procedure were uniformly resin impregnated and void free. Fiber volume fraction measurements by the resin digestion method compared well with values predicted using the model.

Loos, Alfred C.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Ultrasonic detection and identification of fabrication defects in composites

Methods for deliberate fabrication of porosity into carbon/epoxy composite panels and the influence of three-dimensional stitching on the detection of porosity were investigated. Two methods of introducing porosity were investigated. Porosity was simulated by inclusion of glass microspheres, and a more realistic form of porosity was introduced by using low pressure during consolidation. The panels were ultrasonically scanned and the frequency slope of the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient was used to evaluate the two forms of porosity. The influence of stitching on the detection of porosity was studied using panels which were resin transfer molded from stitched plies of knitted carbon fabric and epoxy resin.

Long, Edward R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Studies of molecular properties of polymeric materials

Aerospace environment effects (high energy electrons, thermal cycling, atomic oxygen, and aircraft fluids) on polymeric and composite materials considered for structural use in spacecraft and advanced aircraft are examined. These materials include Mylar, Ultem, and Kapton. In addition to providing information on the behavior of the materials, attempts are made to relate the measurements to the molecular processes occurring in the material. A summary and overview of the technical aspects are given along with a list of the papers that resulted from the studies. The actual papers are included in the appendices and a glossary of technical terms and definitions is included in the front matter.

Harries, W. L.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Absorbed dose thresholds and absorbed dose rate limitations for studies of electron radiation effects on polyetherimides

The threshold values of total absorbed dose for causing changes in tensile properties of a polyetherimide film and the limitations of the absorbed dose rate for accelerated-exposure evaluation of the effects of electron radiation in geosynchronous orbit were studied. Total absorbed doses from 1 kGy to 100 MGy and absorbed dose rates from 0.01 MGy/hr to 100 MGy/hr were investigated, where 1 Gy equals 100 rads. Total doses less than 2.5 MGy did not significantly change the tensile properties of the film whereas doses higher than 2.5 MGy significantly reduced elongation-to-failure. There was no measurable effect of the dose rate on the tensile properties for accelerated electron exposures.

Long, Edward R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Effects of postcuring on mechanical properties of pultruded fiber-reinforced epoxy composites and the neat resin

The effects of postcuring on mechanical properties of pultruded fiber-reinforced epoxy-resin composites have been investigated. Composites with carbon, glass, and aramid reinforcement fibers were individually studied. The epoxy was a commercially-available resin that was especially developed for pultrusion fabrication. The pultrusions were conducted at 400 F with postcures at 400, 450, 500, and 550 F. Measurements of the flexural, shear, and interlaminar fracture-toughness properties showed that significant postcuring can occur during the pultrusion process. All three mechanical properties were degraded by the higher (500 and 550 F) temperatures; photomicrographs suggest that the degradation was caused at the fiber-resin interface for all three fiber types.

Long, Edward R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Stand For Infrared Multiple-Internal-Reflection Mount

Infrared MIR spectra more reproducible, and MIR crystal suffers less damage. Technique prevents lateral movement between elements in multiple-internal-reflection (MIR) cell during assembly. Reproducibility of infrared MIR spectra relies on ability to maintain condition of crystal, which is MIR element, and to control contact between crystal and sample. Cell used in infrared spectroscopy.

Long, Edward R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1988

The effects of fluids in the aircraft environment on a polyetherimide

Fluid absorption studies have been made for a polyetherimide thermoplastic film and a unidirectional composite of the thermoplastic with graphite fibers immersed in water. JP4 jet fuel, ethylene glycol, and hydraulic fluid. The changes in the weight, thickness, and tensile properties were measured for the film. The changes in the flexural properties of the composite were measured for specimens whose fiber orientation was transverse to their length. Only the hydraulic fluid, which caused an erosion or dissolving of the resin at the specimen surface, affected the film's properties. Both the water and the hydraulic fluid affected the flexural properties of the composite, due to capillary absorption along the fiber-resin interface.

Long, Edward R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Spectroscopic comparison of effects of electron radiation on mechanical properties of two polyimides

The differences in the radiation durabilities of two polyimide materials, Du Pont Kapton and General Electric Ultem, are compared. An explanation of the basic mechanisms which occur during exposure to electron radiation from analyses of infrared (IR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic data for each material is provided. The molecular model for Kapton was, in part, established from earlier modeling for Ultem (pp. 1293-1298 of IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, December 1984). Techniques for understanding the durability of one complex polymer based on the understanding of a different and equally complex polymer are demonstrated. The spectroscopic data showed that the primary radiation-generated change in the tensile properties of Ultem (a large reduction in tensile elongation) was due to crosslinking, which followed the capture by phenyl radicals of hydrogen atoms removed from gem-dimethyl groups. In contrast, the tensile properties of Kapton remained unchanged because radical-radical recombination, a self-mending process, took place.

Long, Edward R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Electron-radiation effects on the ac and dc electrical properties and unpaired electron densities of three aerospace polymers

The effects of gigarad-level total absorbed doses from 1-MeV electrons on the post-irradiation alternating-current (ac) and direct-current (dc) electrical properties and the unpaired electron densities have been studied for Kapton, Ultem, and Mylar. The unpaired electron densities (determined from electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy) and the dc electrical conductivities of the irradiated materials were monitored as functions of time following the exposures to determine their decay characteristics at room temperature. The elevated-temperature ac electrical dissipations of the Ultem and Mylar were affected by the radiation. The dc conductivity of the Kapton increased by five orders of magnitude, while the dc conductivities of the Ultem and Mylar increased by less than an order of magnitude, due to the radiation. The observed radiation-generated changes in the ac electrical dissipations are explained in terms of known radiation-generated changes in the molecular structures of the three materials. A preliminary model relating the dc electrical conductivity and the unpaired electron density in the Kapton is proposed.

Long, Sheila Ann T.↗