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Richardson, David E.

Publications and source records attributed to Richardson, David E..

Method and apparatus for testing surface characteristics of a material

A method, apparatus and system for testing characteristics of a material sample is provided. The system includes an apparatus configured to house the material test sample while defining a sealed volume against a surface of the material test sample. A source of pressurized fluid is in communication with, and configured to pressurize, the sealed volume. A load applying apparatus is configured to apply a defined load to the material sample while the sealed volume is monitored for leakage of the pressurized fluid. Thus, the inducement of surface defects such as microcracking and crazing may be detected and their effects analyzed for a given material. The material test samples may include laminar structures formed of, for example, carbon cloth phenolic, glass cloth phenolic, silica cloth phenolic materials or carbon-carbon materials. In one embodiment the system may be configured to analyze the material test sample while an across-ply loading is applied thereto.

Johnson, David L.↗

Verification of the Multi-Axial, Temperature and Time Dependent (MATT) Failure Criterion

An extensive test and analytical effort has been completed by the Space Shuttle's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (KSKM) nozzle program to characterize the failure behavior of two epoxy adhesives (TIGA 321 and EA946). As part of this effort, a general failure model, the "Multi-Axial, Temperature, and Time Dependent" or MATT failure criterion was developed. In the initial development of this failure criterion, tests were conducted to provide validation of the theory under a wide range of test conditions. The purpose of this paper is to present additional verification of the MATT failure criterion, under new loading conditions for the adhesives TIGA 321 and EA946. In many cases, the loading conditions involve an extrapolation from the conditions under which the material models were originally developed. Testing was conducted using three loading conditions: multi-axial tension, torsional shear, and non-uniform tension in a bondline condition. Tests were conducted at constant and cyclic loading rates ranging over four orders of magnitude. Tests were conducted under environmental conditions of primary interest to the RSRM program. The temperature range was not extreme, but the loading ranges were extreme (varying by four orders of magnitude). It should be noted that the testing was conducted at temperatures below the glass transition temperature of the TIGA 321 adhesive. However for the EA946, the testing was conducted at temperatures that bracketed the glass transition temperature.

Richardson, David E.↗

Evaluation of a Linear Cumulative Damage Failure Model for Epoxy Adhesive

Recently a significant amount of work has been conducted to provide more complex and accurate material models for use in the evaluation of adhesive bondlines. Some of this has been prompted by recent studies into the effects of residual stresses on the integrity of bondlines. Several techniques have been developed for the analysis of bondline residual stresses. Key to these analyses is the criterion that is used for predicting failure. Residual stress loading of an adhesive bondline can occur over the life of the component. For many bonded systems, this can be several years. It is impractical to directly characterize failure of adhesive bondlines under a constant load for several years. Therefore, alternative approaches for predictions of bondline failures are required. In the past, cumulative damage failure models have been developed. These models have ranged from very simple to very complex. This paper documents the generation and evaluation of some of the most simple linear damage accumulation tensile failure models for an epoxy adhesive. This paper shows how several variations on the failure model were generated and presents an evaluation of the accuracy of these failure models in predicting creep failure of the adhesive. The paper shows that a simple failure model can be generated from short-term failure data for accurate predictions of long-term adhesive performance.

Richardson, David E.↗

Micro-mechanical analysis of damage growth and fracture in discontinuous fiber reinforced metal matrix composites

An experimental verification is presented for a new two parameter fracture model based on the equivalent remote biaxial stresses (ERBS). A detailed comparison is made between the new theory and the constant K(sub IC) approach of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM). Fracture is predicted through a failure curve representing the change in a variable fracture toughness K(sub IC) with the ERBS ratio B(sub E). The nonsingular term (T) in the series expansion of the near crack-tip transverse stress is included in the model. Experimental results for polymethyl methacrylate (PPMA) show that the theory can account for the effects of geometry on fracture toughness as well as indicate the initiation of crack branching. It is shown that the new criterion predicts failure for PMMA with a 95 percent confidence zone which is nearly three times smaller than that of the LEFM K(sub IC) approach.

Goree, James G.↗

Micro-mechanical analysis of damage growth and fracture in discontinuous fiber reinforced metal matrix composites

The near-crack-tip stresses in any planar coupon of arbitrary geometry subjected to mode 1 loading may be equated to those in an infinite center-cracked panel subjected to the appropriate equivalent remote biaxial stresses (ERBS). Since this process can be done for all such mode 1 coupons, attention may be focused on the behavior of the equivalent infinite cracked panel. To calculate the ERBS, the constant term in the series expansion of the crack-tip stress must be retained. It is proposed that the ERBS may be used quantitatively to explain different fracture phenomena such as crack branching.

Goree, James G.↗