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Miller, Sandi

Publications and source records attributed to Miller, Sandi.

12 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

Materials and Processes for New Propulsion Systems with Reduced Environmental Impact

Aeronautics research at NASA Glenn Research Center includes development, characterization and modeling of high temperature, lightweight materials and fabrication processes for aircraft propulsion systems with increased efficiency and reduced emissions, fuel burn and noise. Current propulsion materials research includes Ceramic Matrix Composites and Environmental Barrier Coatings, Polymer Matrix Composites and Additive Manufacturing processes. This presentation will summarize recent progress and plans in these areas.

Propulsion↗
NASA NTRS2019

Materials and Processes for New Propulsion Systems with Reduced Environmental Impact

Aeronautics research at NASA Glenn Research Center includes development, characterization and modeling of high temperature, lightweight materials and fabrication processes for aircraft propulsion systems with increased efficiency and reduced emissions, fuel burn and noise. Current propulsion materials research includes Ceramic Matrix Composites and Environmental Barrier Coatings, Polymer Matrix Composites and Additive Manufacturing processes. This presentation will summarize recent progress and plans in these areas. Ceramic Matrix Composites for Turbine Components: As part of NASA's Aeronautics research, Glenn Research Center has developed Ceramic Matrix Composites for 2700 degrees Fahrenheit turbine engine applications in the next generation of ultra-efficient aircraft. In this presentation, the development of advanced fiber and matrix constituents that enabled this advancement will be reviewed, and characterization of the resulting improvements in mechanical properties and durability will be summarized. Progress toward the development and validation of models predicting the effects of the engine environment on durability of Ceramic Matrix Composites and Environmental Barrier Coatings will be summarized. Progress and plans for collaborative research with industry and other government agencies will be reviewed. Polymer Matrix Composites for Powertrain and Impact Protection: A lightweight, hybrid polymer matrix composite/steel gear concept for rotorcraft power transmission applications was evaluated at realistic speed, torque, and power conditions. Dynamic testing was performed at 5000 horsepower and 5400 revolutions per minute with no performance degradation. Test results demonstrated the potential of hybrid composite / metal gears to reduce gear weight by approximately 15 percent, enabling the implementation of multi-speed drive systems, which would otherwise have a weight penalty, for increased speed and efficiency. Results of post-test inspection and endurance tests will be presented. Separately, ballistic impact tests demonstrated improved damage tolerance in polymer matrix composites by incorporating lightweight, thermoplastic veil materials between selected composite plies during the composite fabrication process. Results of impact tests and post-test inspection will be presented. Additive Manufacturing for Electric Propulsion: Additive Manufacturing processes offer the potential to fabricate new, high power density electric motor designs with complex geometries, multi-material components and optimally designed components that would not be feasible with traditional manufacturing processes. High performance stator components using advanced 3-phase conductive coils were fabricated using direct printing with optimized silver pastes. Additional additive manufacturing methods are being used to fabricate rotors and motor housing components. Systems studies show that the higher performance and lower weight motors offer improved energy efficiency and reduced emissions. Improvements to motor performance resulting from optimized materials and component designs will be presented.

Additive Manufacturing↗
NASA NTRS2019

Evaluation of Temperature Gradients During Cure of a Thick Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the development of thermal gradients throughout thick (1") carbon fiber composites and determine the effect of internal temperature distribution during cure on the observed mechanical properties in those composites. Composites up to 1.5" thick (56 plies) were fabricated with T700S/TC380 braided prepreg from Tencate following a modified vacuum bag layup procedure to include embedded thermocouples within the plies of the composite. Composite panels were cured in a programmable oven with thermocouple reading embedded throughout the panel thickness. Maximum temperature gradients measured between regions of the composite did not exceed 10 degrees C for any given composite thickness. The most significant temperature variation was measured between the mid-thickness plies and the tool-side surface plies. Although through thickness temperature variation during cure was small, a measureable variation in coupon glass transition temperature was recorded between the tool side plies and the remainder of the part, prior to post cure. Thermal and mechanical behavior of coupons taken from segments through the thickness of the part were comparable following a post-cure cycle.

Miller, Sandi↗
NASA NTRS2019

Development of Composite Sandwich Bonded Longitudinal Joints for Space Launch Vehicle Structures

The NASA Composite Technology for Exploration (CTE) Project is developing and demonstrating critical composite technologies with a focus on composite bonded joints; incorporating materials, design/analysis, manufacturing, and tests that utilize NASA’s expertise and capabilities. The project has goals of advancing composite technologies and providing lightweight structures to support future NASA exploration missions. In particular, the CTE project will demonstrate weight-saving, performance-enhancing composite bonded joint technology for Space Launch System (SLS)-scale composite hardware. Advancements from the CTE project may be incorporated as future block upgrades for SLS structural components. This paper discusses the details of the development of a composite sandwich bonded longitudinal joint for a generic space launch vehicle structure called the CTE Point Design. The paper includes details of the design, analysis, materials, manufacturing, and testing of sub-element joint test articles to test the capability of the joint design. The test results show that the composite longitudinal bonded joint design significantly exceeds the design loads with a 2.0 factor of safety. Analysis pre-test failure predictions for all sub-element bonded joint test coupons were all within 10% of the average test coupon failure load. This testing and analysis provides confidence in the potential use of composite bonded joints for future launch vehicle structures.

Segal, Kenneth N.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Through Thickness Thermal Gradients in Thick Laminates During Cure, Influence on Tg and Modulus

Carbon fiber composites are materials of great interest to the aerospace industry because of their light weight and high strength properties. Composite use in high load bearing applications such as roto-craft gearing requires manufacturing parts that are 1.5 inches thick and beyond. Very thick composite parts (laminates) produce thermal gradients and temperature spikes due to the heat released by resin polymerization and cross-linking during composite cure. It is believed that these thermal gradients will cause internal stresses to build-up inside these ultra-thick laminates during the cure-cycle, yielding parts with non-uniform mechanical properties throughout the thickness of the laminate. The goal of this study is to identify these thermal gradients and determine the magnitude of difference in mechanical properties generated by them.

Mechanical Properties↗
NASA NTRS2018

Polymer Matrix Composites Fabrication and Testing

This project involves two separate processes for fabricating carbon fiber composite parts using Hexcel’s RTM6 resin system and Kaneka’s IR-6070 toughened resin system to impregnate carbon fiber tow and weave. These two resins were chosen to model microcracking in parts using RTM6 compared to parts using IR-6070. Plies of the composites were made by painting resin onto 8 harness satin weave or impregnating IM7 12k tow in a prepregging machine. Plies were consolidated using an out-of-autoclave oven or a heat press. Fabrication of the composite parts were conducted with the end goal of sending the composites to be tested and modeled for microcracking. The data will be used for computer modeling in the future.

Miller, Sandi↗
NASA NTRS2018

Re-Certification and Equivalency Test Results for IM7/8552-1 Following Extended Freezer Storage

In 2015, the Composites for Exploration Upper Stage (CEUS) Project established an equivalency test program to reduce the scope of laminate coupon tests within the project. The material selected was IM7/8552-1, a variant of the IM7/8552 prepreg used to populate a National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) database. The CEUS successor program, Composites Technology for Exploration (CTE), kicked off in 2017 with the remaining CEUS prepreg planned for use. The IM7/8552-1 prepreg was recertified through an in-house defined set of pass/fail criteria then evaluated for equivalency to the NCAMP database. Over the course of recertification and equivalency panel fabrication, the time of freezer storage ranged from 19-23 months. Panels for recertification and equivalency tests were fiber placed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and NASA Langley Research Center (LARC).

equivalency↗
NASA NTRS2012

Stress Free Temperature Testing and Residual Stress Calculations on Out-of-Autoclave Composites

Future launch vehicles will require the incorporation large composite parts that will make up primary and secondary components of the vehicle. NASA has explored the feasibility of manufacturing these large components using Out-of-Autoclave impregnated carbon fiber composite systems through many composites development projects. Most recently, the Composites for Exploration Project has been looking at the development of a 10 meter diameter fairing structure, similar in size to what will be required for a heavy launch vehicle. The development of new material systems requires the investigation of the material properties and the stress in the parts. Residual stress is an important factor to incorporate when modeling the stresses that a part is undergoing. Testing was performed to verify the stress free temperature with two-ply asymmetric panels. A comparison was done between three newly developed out of autoclave IM7 /Bismalieimide (BMI) systems. This paper presents the testing results and the analysis performed to determine the residual stress of the materials.

Cox, Sarah↗
NASA NTRS2011

Effect of Graphene Addition on Shape Memory Behavior of Epoxy Resins

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) and composites are a special class of smart materials known for their ability to change size and shape upon exposure to an external stimulus (e.g. light, heat, pH, or magnetic field). These materials are commonly used for biomedical applications; however, recent attempts have been made towards developing SMPs and composites for use in aircraft and space applications. Implementing SMPs and composites to create a shape change effect in some aircraft structures could potentially reduce drag, decrease fuel consumption, and improve engine performance. This paper discusses the development of suitable materials to use in morphing aircraft structures. Thermally responsive epoxy SMPs and nanocomposites were developed and the shape memory behavior and thermo-mechanical properties were studied. Overall, preliminary results from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that thermally actuated shape memory epoxies and nanocomposites possessed Tgs near approximately 168 C. When graphene nanofiller was added, the storage modulus and crosslinking density decreased. On the other hand, the addition of graphene enhanced the recovery behavior of the shape memory nanocomposites. It was assumed that the addition of graphene improved shape memory recovery by reducing the crosslinking density and increasing the elasticity of the nanocomposites.

Williams, Tiffany↗
NASA NTRS2006

Clay Nanocomposite/Aerogel Sandwich Structures for Cryotanks

GRC research has led to the development of epoxy-clay nanocomposites with 60-70% lower gas permeability than the base epoxy resin. Filament wound carbon fiber reinforced tanks made with this nanocomposite had a five-fold lower helium leak rate than the corresponding tanks made without clay. More recent work has produced new composites with more than a 100-fold reduction in helium permeability. Use of these advanced, high barrier composites would eliminate the need for a liner in composite cryotanks, thereby simplifying construction and reducing propellant leakage. Aerogels are attractive materials for use as cryotank insulation because of their low density and low thermal conductivity. However, aerogels are fragile and have poor environmental stability, which have limited their use to certain applications in specialized environments (e.g., in certain types of nuclear reactors as Cerenkov radiation detectors, and as thermal insulators aboard space rovers on Mars). New GRC developed polymer crosslinked aerogels (X-Aerogels) retain the low density of conventional aerogels, but they demonstrate a 300-fold increase in their mechanical strength. Currently, our strongest materials combine a density of approx. 0.45 g/cc, a thermal conductivity of approx. 0.04 W/mK and a compressive strength of ~185 MPa. Use of these novel aerogels as insulation materials/structural components in combination with the low permeability of epoxy-clay nanocomposites could significantly reduce cryotank weight and improve durability.

Miller, Sandi↗