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At least 199 records · Page 11

Thermal residual stresses in silicon-carbide/titanium (0/90) laminate

The current work formulated a micromechanical analysis of a cross-ply laminate and calculated the thermal residual stress in a very thick (0/90)(sub 2n) silicon-carbide/titanium laminate. Results were also shown for a unidirectional laminate of the same material. Discrete fiber-matrix models assuming a rectangular array of fibers with a fiber volume fraction of 32.5 percent and a three-dimensional, finite-element analysis were used. Significant differences in the trends and magnitudes for the fiber, matrix, and interface stresses were calculated for unidirectional and (0/90) models. Larger hoop stresses calculated for the (0/90) model indicate that it may be more susceptible to radial cracking when subjected to mechanical loading than the unidirectional model. The axial stresses in the matrix were calculated to be slightly larger for the (0/90) model. The compressive axial stresses in the fiber were significantly larger in the (0/90) model. The presence of the cross-ply in the (0/90) model reduced the constraint on the fiber, producing radial interface stresses that were less compressive, which could lead to earlier failure of the fiber-matrix interface.

Bigelow, C. A.↗

Design detail verification tests for a lightly loaded open-corrugation graphite-epoxy cylinder

Flat corrugated graphite-epoxy panels were tested in compression to verify selected design details of a ring-stiffened cylinder that was designed to support an axial compressive load of 157.6 kN/m without buckling. Three different sizes of subcomponent panels, with the same basic corrugation geometry, were tested: (1) 60.96-cm-long by 45.72-cm-wide panels to evaluate the local buckling strength of the shell wall design; (2) 91.44-cm-long by 45.72-cm-wide panels to evaluate a longitudinal joint and the load-introduction method; and (3) 254.0-cm-long by 91.44-cm-wide panels with four simulated-ring stiffeners to evaluate the ring-attachment method. The test results indicate that the modified shell-wall design, the longitudinal joint, the load-introduction method, and the stiffener-attachment method for the proposed cylinder have adequate strength to support the design load.

Davis, R. C.↗

Prebuckling and Postbuckling Response of Tailored Composite Stiffened Panels with Axial-Shear Coupling

Results of a numerical parametric study of the prebuckling and postbuckling response of tailored composite stiffened panels with axial-shear coupling are presented. In the stiffened panels, axial-shear stiffness coupling is created by rotating the stiffener orientation and tailoring the skin laminate anisotropy. The panels are loaded in axial compression and the effects of stiffener orientation and skin anisotropy on the panel stiffness, buckling parameters, and axial-shear coupling response are described. Results are obtained from a nonlinear general shell finite element analysis computer code. The prebuckling and postbuckling responses can be affected by both the stiffener orientation and skin laminate anisotropy, and the effects are different and load dependent. The results help identify different mechanisms for axial-shear coupling, and show that a load-dependent structural response can be controlled by selecting appropriate stiffener and skin parameters.

Young, Richard D.↗

Importance of anisotropy on design of compression-loaded composite corrugated panels

An investigation is conducted of the importance of anisotropic terms in the design of composite corrugated panels, for a range of axial compressive load intensities. The two panel configurations treated were panels with tailored laminates and panels with a continuous laminate; both are of interest to aircraft designers and prone to anisotropic effects which are of as-yet undetermined extent. The importance of the anisotropic terms is measured by the difference between the design load and the buckling load obtained from the ultimate structural analysis.

Gurdal, Zafer↗

The effect of impact damage and circular holes on the compressive strength of a graphite-epoxy laminate

Specimens were impacted by 1.27-cm-diameter aluminum spheres with speeds ranging from 52 to 101 m/s. Some specimens were impacted without any applied compressive load and then loaded to failure to determine their residual strength. Other specimens were loaded to a prescribed axial compressive strain and impacted while at that applied load. Loaded specimens that did not fail catastrophically on impact were subsequently loaded to failure to determine their residual strength. Low-velocity impact damage was found to degrade seriously the laminate static compressive strength. Low-strain compression-compression cyclic loading was found to degrade further the compressive strength of impact-damaged specimens. Specimens with circular holes having diameters up to a third of the specimen width were loaded to failure in compression. It was found that circular holes can also degrade the static compressive strength of the laminate. The effects of circular holes and impact damage on the compressive strength of the laminate are compared.

Starnes, J. H., Jr.↗

Evaluation of a Compression-Loaded-Stitched-Multi-Bay Fuselage Panel With Barely Visible Impact Damage

The experimental results from a stitched VaRTM carbon-epoxy composite panel tested under uni-axial compression loading are presented along with nonlinear finite element analysis prediction of the response. The curved panel is divided by frames and stringers into six bays with a column of three bays along the compressive loading direction. The frames are supported at the frame ends to resist out-of-plane translation. Back-to-back strain gages are used to record the strain and displacement transducers were used to record the out-of-plane displacements. In addition a full-field-displacement measurement technique that utilizes a camera-based-stereo-vision system was used to record the displacements. The panel was loaded to 1.5 times the predicted initial buckling load (1st bay buckling load, P(sub er) from the nonlinear finite element analysis and then was removed from the test machine for impact testing. After impacting with 20 ft-lbs of energy using a spherical impactor to produce barely visible damage the panel was loaded in compression until failure. The buckling load of the first bay to buckle was 97% of the buckling load before impact. The stitching constrained the impact damage from growing during the loading to failure. Impact damage had very little overall effect on panel stiffness. Panel stiffness measured by the full-field-displacement technique indicated a 13% loss in stiffness after impact. The panel failed at 1.64 times the first panel buckling load. The barely visible impact damage did not grow noticeably as the panel failed by global instability due to stringer-web terminations at the frame locations. The predictions from the nonlinear analysis of the finite element modeling of the entire specimen were very effective in the capture of the initial buckling and global behavior of the panel. In addition, the prediction highlighted the weakness of the panel under compression due to stringer web terminations. Both the test results and the nonlinear predictions serve to reinforce the severe penalty in structural integrity caused by the low cost manufacturing technique to terminate the stringer webs, and demonstrates the importance of this type of sub-component testing and high fidelity failure analysis in the design of a composite fuselage.

Baker, Donald J.↗

Evaluation of the Behavior of Technova Corporation Rod-Stiffened Stitched Compression Specimens

Under Space Act Agreement 1347 between NASA and Technova Corporation, Technova designed and fabricated two carbon-epoxy crippling specimens and NASA loaded them to failure in axial compression. Each specimen contained a pultruded rod stiffener which was held to the specimen skin with through-the-thickness stitches. One of these specimens was designed to be nominally the same as pultruded rod stitched specimens fabricated by Boeing under previous programs. In the other specimen, the rod was prestressed in a Technova manufacturing process to increase its ability to carrying compressive loading. Experimental results demonstrated that the specimen without prestressing carried approximately the same load as the similar Boeing specimens and that the specimen with prestressing carried significantly more load than the specimen without prestressing.

Jegley, Dawn C.↗

Simulated performance results of the OMV video compression telemetry system

The control system of NASA's Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) will employ range/range-rate radar, a forward command link, and a compressed video return link. The video data is compressed by sampling every sixth frame of data; a rate of 5 frames/sec is adequate for the OMV docking speeds. Further axial compression is obtained, albeit at the expense of spatial resolution, by averaging adjacent pixels. The remaining compression is achieved on the basis of differential pulse-code modulation and Huffman run-length encoding. A concatenated error-correction coding system is used to protect the compressed video data stream from channel errors.

Ingels, Frank↗

Buckling Of Long Compression-Loaded Anisotropic Plates Restrained Against Inplane Lateral and Shear Deformations

An approach for synthesizing buckling results and behavior for thin balanced and unbalanced symmetric laminates that are subjected to uniform axial compression loads and elastically restrained against inplane expansion, contraction, and shear deformation is presented. This approach uses a nondimensional analysis for infinitely long, flexurally anisotropic plates (coupling between bending and twisting) that are subjected to combined mechanical loads and is based on nondimensional parameters. In addition, nondimensional loading parameters are derived that account for the effects of the elastic inplane deformation restraints, membrane orthotropy, and membrane anisotropy on the induced prebuckling stress state. The loading parameters are used to determine buckling coefficients that include the effects of flexural orthotropy and flexural anisotropy. Many results are presented, for some selected laminates, that are intended to facilitate a structural designer's transition to the use of the generic buckling design curves that are presented and discussed in the paper. Several buckling response curves are presented that provide physical insight into the behavior for combined loads, in addition to providing useful design data. An example is presented that demonstrates the use of the generic design curves, which are applicable to a wide range of laminate constructions. The analysis approach and generic results indicate the effects and characteristics of laminate orthotropy and anisotropy in a very general and unifying manner.

Nemeth, Michael P.↗

Passive Orbital Disconnect Strut (PODS 3), structural and thermal test program

A test program is undertaken to verify that the lifetime of a shuttle launchable dewar can be increased by using passive orbital disconnect struts (PODS). A detailed design is performed on the cold end (PODS-III) portion of the strut. Structural analysis of the thin-wall fiberglass tube allows selection of the optimum winding angle and tube dimensions. Structural tests on the thin-wall fiberglass tube measure both the tension and compression modulus at ambient and LN2 temperatures, the radial deflection versus side load, and the ultimate compression strength of the tube at LN2 temperature. The thermal expansion of the fiberglass tube plus Invar is also measured down to 78 K. The axial gap at the wedge portion of the stem is set based on these data. The PODS-III test article parts are fabricated and assembled using a detailed assembly procedure. The thermal conductants in the orbital configuration was measured for body temperatures between 5 and 40 K. This temperature range covers the predicted ground hold and orbit temperatures for vapor-cooled supports. The test results are then compared with heat leak values predicted before the test began. Side load, axial compression load, and tension load tests conclude the test program.

Parmley, R. T.↗

Analytical and experimental studies of graphite-epoxy and boron-epoxy angle ply laminates in compression

The applicability and adequacy of several computer techniques in predicting satisfactorily the nonlinear/inelastic response of angle ply laminates were evaluated. The analytical predictions were correlated with the results of a test program on the inelastic response under axial compression of a large variety of graphite-epoxy and boron-epoxy angle ply laminates. These comparison studies indicate that neither of the abovementioned analyses can satisfactorily predict either the mode of response or the ultimate stress value corresponding to a particular angle ply laminate configuration. Consequently, also the simple failure mechanisms assumed in the analytical models were not verified.

Weller, T.↗

A Finite Element Analysis for Predicting the Residual Compressive Strength of Impact-Damaged Sandwich Panels

A simple analysis method has been developed for predicting the residual compressive strength of impact-damaged sandwich panels. The method is tailored for honeycomb core-based sandwich specimens that exhibit an indentation growth failure mode under axial compressive loading, which is driven largely by the crushing behavior of the core material. The analysis method is in the form of a finite element model, where the impact-damaged facesheet is represented using shell elements and the core material is represented using spring elements, aligned in the thickness direction of the core. The nonlinear crush response of the core material used in the analysis is based on data from flatwise compression tests. A comparison with a previous analysis method and some experimental data shows good agreement with results from this new approach.

Ratcliffe, James G.↗

A Finite Element Analysis for Predicting the Residual Compression Strength of Impact-Damaged Sandwich Panels

A simple analysis method has been developed for predicting the residual compression strength of impact-damaged sandwich panels. The method is tailored for honeycomb core-based sandwich specimens that exhibit an indentation growth failure mode under axial compression loading, which is driven largely by the crushing behavior of the core material. The analysis method is in the form of a finite element model, where the impact-damaged facesheet is represented using shell elements and the core material is represented using spring elements, aligned in the thickness direction of the core. The nonlinear crush response of the core material used in the analysis is based on data from flatwise compression tests. A comparison with a previous analysis method and some experimental data shows good agreement with results from this new approach.

Ratcliffe, James G.↗

Behavior of Compression-Loaded Composite Panels with Stringer Terminations and Impact Damage

The results of an analytical and experimental study of graphite-epoxy stiffened panels with impact-damaged stringer terminations are presented. Five stitched graphite-epoxy panels with stiffeners with a gradual reduction in either thickness or height were examined. Panels were analyzed using finite element analysis and tested by loading them in axial compression to a predetermined load. The panels were then subjected to impact damage and loaded to failure. Axial midplane strains, surface strains, interlaminar strains and failure results are discussed.

Jegley, Dawn C.↗

Structural Performance of Advanced Composite Tow-Steered Shells With Cutouts

The structural performance of two advanced composite tow-steered shells with cutouts, manufactured using an automated fiber placement system, is assessed using both experimental and analytical methods. The shells' fiber orientation angles vary continuously around their circumference from +/-10 degrees on the crown and keel, to +/-45 degrees on the sides. The raised surface features on one shell result from application of all 24 tows during each fiber placement system pass, while the second shell uses the system's tow drop/add capability to achieve a more uniform wall thickness. These unstiffened shells were previously tested in axial compression and buckled elastically. A single cutout, scaled to represent a passenger door on a commercial aircraft, is then machined into one side of each shell. The prebuckling axial stiffnesses and bifurcation buckling loads of the shells with cutouts are also computed using linear finite element structural analyses for initial comparisons with test data. When retested, large deflections were observed around the cutouts, but the shells carried an average of 92 percent of the axial stiffness, and 86 percent of the buckling loads, of the shells without cutouts. These relatively small reductions in performance demonstrate the potential for using tow steering to mitigate the adverse effects of typical design features on the overall structural performance.

Wu, K. Chauncey↗

Nonlinear response of graphite-epoxy wide columns subject to eccentric load

It is shown that including the effects of bend-twist coupling and material nonlinearity on the large displacement flexural response of graphite-epoxy wide columns is necessary to adequately model their response. Results from static tests on 0(30)T and (30/0/-30 sub 5)s laminated specimens under eccentric axial compression are compared to a nonlinear analysis. The analysis is based on a Kantrovich expansion of the displacements in the width coordinate and a finite element representation in the axial coordinate. An incremental, updated Lagrangian formulation and element corotational coordinates are employed. Nonlinear elastic material behavior was measured in a separate set of material characterization tests, and these data are used to compute tangent stillnesses in the updated configuration.

Griffin, O. H., Jr.↗

Structural Characterization of Advanced Composite Tow-Steered Shells with Large Cutouts

The structural performance of two advanced composite tow-steered shells with large cutouts, manufactured using an automated fiber placement system, is assessed using both experimental and analytical methods. The fiber orientation angles of the shells vary continuously around their circumference from +/- 10 degrees on the crown and keel, to +/- 45 degrees on the sides. The raised surface features on one shell result from application of all 24 tows during each fiber placement system pass, while the second shell uses the tow drop/add capability of the system to achieve a more uniform wall thickness. These unstiffened shells, both without and with small cutouts, were previously tested in axial compression and buckled elastically. In this study, a single unreinforced cutout, scaled to represent a cargo door on a commercial aircraft, is machined into one side of each shell. The prebuckling axial stiffnesses and bifurcation buckling loads of these shells with large cutouts are also computed using linear finite element structural analyses for preliminary comparisons with test data. During testing, large displacements are observed around the large cutouts, but the shells maintain an average of 91 percent of the axial stiffness, and also carry 85 percent of the buckling loads, when compared to the pristine shells without cutouts. These relatively small reductions indicate that there is great potential for using tow steering to mitigate the adverse effects of large cutouts on the overall structural performance.

Wu, K. Chauncey↗

Validation of Lower-Bound Estimates for Compression-Loaded Cylindrical Shells

The traditional approach used in the design of stability critical thin-walled circular cylin- ders, is to reduce unconservative buckling load predictions with an empirical knockdown factor. An alternative analysis-based approach to determine a lower bound buckling load for cylinders under axial compression is to use a lateral perturbation load to create an initial imperfection and determine the buckling load while that load is applied. This paper describes a preliminary e ort to develop a test capability to verify this approach. Results from tests of three aluminum alloy cylinders are described and compared to nite element predictions.

Haynie, Waddy T.↗