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At least 217 records · Page 12

TPSAS-NF1676L-32030-DND

Composite structures are often difficult to inspect due to the anisotropic nature of the material systems and the range of flaws and defects that can arise in the manufacturing process. NASA?s Advanced Composites Project, a public-private partnership between government, universities and industry, seeks to address improved methods, tools, and protocols to reduce the development and certification timeline for composite materials and structures. The rapid inspection of composites is one of the three focused research areas of the project. One deliverable of the project is to develop an NDE Methods and Capabilities Handbook. This Handbook provides a publically available guidance document that facilitates the selection of appropriate NDE techniques and provides recommended protocols for detecting and characterizing common flaw types in solid laminate polymer matrix composite (PMC) structures. The Handbook will reduce the time required to develop qualified inspection processes for composite aircraft structures during the development, certification, and manufacturing phases by providing a reference that helps minimize trial and error and provides guidance on best practices, techniques, and settings, for specific flaw types and geometries. The Handbook will include an NDE Guidance Matrix that provides an applicability rating for NDE techniques as they apply to given flaw types. NDE techniques will include, but is not limited to ultrasound, laser based ultrasound, infrared thermography, and x-ray CT. Flaw types will include, but are not limited to porosity, delamination, voids, AFP defects and impact damage. The Handbook will contain details that support the applicability rating including, but not limited to, specimen details, inspection parameters, data analysis techniques, inspection efficiency (speed & cost), and limitations. This presentation will describe key Handbook activities with examples of the techniques and flaw types examined by the Advanced Composite Consortium members.

Patricia A Howell↗

NDE Methods and Capabilities Handbook – Resources for the Composites NDE Community

Composite structures are often difficult to inspect due to the anisotropic nature of the material systems and the range of flaws and defects that can arise in the manufacturing process. NASA’s Advanced Composites Project, a public-private partnership between government, universities and industry, sought to address improved methods, tools, and protocols to reduce the development and certification timeline for composite materials and structures. The rapid inspection of composites was one of the three focused research areas of the project. One deliverable of the project was to develop an NDE Methods and Capabilities Handbook. This Handbook provides a publicly available guidance document that facilitates the selection of appropriate NDE techniques and provides recommended protocols for detecting and characterizing common flaw types in solid laminate carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite (CFRP) structures. The Handbook seeks to reduce the time required to develop qualified inspection processes for composite aircraft structures during the development, certification, and manufacturing phases by providing a reference that helps minimize trial and error and provides guidance on best practices, techniques, and settings, for specific flaw types and geometries. NDE techniques include, but are not limited to ultrasound, laser based ultrasound, infrared thermography, and x-ray CT. Flaw types include, but are not limited to porosity, delamination, voids, AFP defects and impact damage. The Handbook contains details such as inspection parameters, data analysis techniques, inspection efficiency (speed & cost), and limitations. This presentation will describe key Handbook activities with examples of the techniques and flaw types examined by the Advanced Composite Consortium members. Availability of the fabricated NDE standards as well as the raw data collected on the standards by the Consortium members to the NDE community is discussed.

Patricia A Howell↗

NDE Methods and Capabilities Handbook - Resources for the Composites NDE Community

Composite structures are often difficult to inspect due to the anisotropic nature of the material systems and the range of flaws and defects that can arise in the manufacturing process. NASA’s Advanced Composites Project, a public-private partnership between government, universities and industry, sought to address improved methods, tools, and protocols to reduce the development and certification timeline for composite materials and structures. The rapid inspection of composites was one of the three focused research areas of the project. One deliverable of the project was to develop an NDE Methods and Capabilities Handbook. This Handbook provides a publicly available guidance document that facilitates the selection of appropriate NDE techniques and provides recommended protocols for detecting and characterizing common flaw types in solid laminate carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite (CFRP) structures. The Handbook seeks to reduce the time required to develop qualified inspection processes for composite aircraft structures during the development, certification, and manufacturing phases by providing a reference that helps minimize trial and error and provides guidance on best practices, techniques, and settings, for specific flaw types and geometries. Techniques include, but are not limited to ultrasound, laser based ultrasound, infrared thermography, and x-ray CT. Flaw types include, but are not limited to porosity, delaminations, voids, Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) defects and impact damage. The Handbook contains details such as inspection parameters, data analysis techniques, inspection efficiency and limitations. This presentation will describe key Handbook activities with examples of the techniques and flaw types examined by the Advanced Composite Consortium members. Availability to the NDE community of the fabricated NDE standards as well as the raw data collected on the standards by the Consortium members is discussed.

Nondestructive Evaluation↗

NDE Methods and Capabilities Handbook - Resources for the Composites NDE Community

Composite structures are often difficult to inspect due to the anisotropic nature of the material systems and the range of flaws and defects that can arise in the manufacturing process. NASA’s Advanced Composites Project, a public-private partnership between government, universities and industry, sought to address improved methods, tools, and protocols to reduce the development and certification timeline for composite materials and structures. The rapid inspection of composites was one of the three focused research areas of the project. One deliverable of the project was to develop an NDE Methods and Capabilities Handbook. This Handbook provides a publicly available guidance document that facilitates the selection of appropriate NDE techniques and provides recommended protocols for detecting and characterizing common flaw types in solid laminate carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite (CFRP) structures. The Handbook seeks to reduce the time required to develop qualified inspection processes for composite aircraft structures during the development, certification, and manufacturing phases by providing a reference that helps minimize trial and error and provides guidance on best practices, techniques, and settings, for specific flaw types and geometries. Techniques include, but are not limited to ultrasound, laser based ultrasound, infrared thermography, and x-ray CT. Flaw types include, but are not limited to porosity, delaminations, voids, Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) defects and impact damage. The Handbook contains details such as inspection parameters, data analysis techniques, inspection efficiency and limitations. This paper describes key Handbook activities with examples of the techniques and flaw types examined by the Advanced Composite Consortium members. Availability to the NDE community of the fabricated NDE standards as well as the raw data collected on the standards by the Consortium members is discussed.

nondestructive evaluation↗

Mechanics of failure of composite materials

Composite materials are both inhomogeneous and anisotropic. Both of these characteristics affect the internal stress distributions since inhomogeneity involves variations in both strength and stiffness. The fracture mechanics of nonuniform materials are considered, taking into account the effect of nonuniformity on stress distributions near the crack tip, predicted yield zones in nonuniform and uniform materials, and the fracture of a center-notched unidirectional specimen. The mechanics of failure of laminated materials is discussed. It is found that the development of damage in a laminate with increasing load and, possibly, increasing numbers of cycles of loading is peculiar to the laminate in question, i.e., the material system, the stacking sequence, and the geometry. Approaches for monitoring damage development are also described.

Reifsnider, K. L.↗

Piezoceramic Actuator Placement for Acoustic Control of Panels

Optimum placement of multiple traditional piezoceramic actuators is determined for active structural acoustic control of flat panels. The structural acoustic response is determined using acoustic radiation filters and structural surface vibration characteristics. Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control is utilized to determine the optimum state feedback gain for active structural acoustic control. The optimum actuator location is determined by minimizing the structural acoustic radiated noise using a modified genetic algorithm. Experimental tests are conducted and compared to analytical results. Anisotropic piezoceramic actuators exhibit enhanced performance when compared to traditional isotropic piezoceramic actuators. As a result of the inherent isotropy, these advanced actuators develop strain along the principal material axis. The orientation of anisotropic actuators is investigated on the effect of structural vibration and acoustic control of curved and flat panels. A fully coupled shallow shell finite element formulation is developed to include anisotropic piezoceramic actuators for shell structures.

Bevan, Jeffrey S.↗

Piezoceramic Actuator Placement for Acoustic Control of Panels

Optimum placement of multiple traditional piezoceramic actuators is determined for active structural acoustic control of flat panels. The structural acoustic response is determined using acoustic radiation filters and structural surface vibration characteristics. Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control is utilized to determine the optimum state feedback gain for active structural acoustic control. The optimum actuator location is determined by minimizing the structural acoustic radiated noise using a modified genetic algorithm. Experimental tests are conducted and compared to analytical results. Anisotropic piezoceramic actuators exhibits enhanced performance when compared to traditional isotropic piezoceramic actuators. As a result of the inherent isotropy, these advanced actuators develop strain along the principal material axis. The orientation of anisotropic actuators is investigated on the effect of structural vibration and acoustic control of curved and flat panels. A fully coupled shallow shell finite element formulation is developed to include anisotropic piezoceramic actuators for shell structures.

Bevan, Jeffrey S.↗

Unified constitutive model development for metal matrix composites at high temperature

Structural alloys used in high temperature applications exhibit complex thermomechanical behavior that is time dependent and hereditary. Recent attention is being focused on metal matrix composite materials for high temperature applications where they exhibit all the complexities of conventional alloys and their strong anisotropy adds further complexities. Here, a proven constitutive model for isotropic materials in which the inelastic strain rate and internal state are expressible as gradients of a dissipation potential is taken to depend on invariants that reflect local transverse isotropy. Applications illustrate the capability of the theory of representing the time dependent, hereditary, anisotropic behavior typical of these materials at high temperature.

Robinson, D. N.↗

Formulation of boundary integral equations for three-dimensional elasto-plastic flow.

A general theory of elastoplastic flow is formulated for work-hardening materials that may be both anisotropic and compressible. Because the theory is quasi-linear, it may be cast in terms of integral equations and the result is an extended form of Somigliana's identity. When these relations are evaluated on the boundary of a solid, their dimensionality is reduced. Previous experience with simpler materials shows that arbitrary problems may be solved in a direct manner.

Swedlow, J. L.↗

Active Damping Using Distributed Anisotropic Actuators

A helicopter structure experiences substantial high-frequency mechanical excitation from powertrain components such as gearboxes and drive shafts. The resulting structure-borne vibration excites the windows which then radiate sound into the passenger cabin. In many cases the radiated sound power can be reduced by adding damping. This can be accomplished using passive or active approaches. Passive treatments such as constrained layer damping tend to reduce window transparency. Therefore this paper focuses on an active approach utilizing compact decentralized control units distributed around the perimeter of the window. Each control unit consists of a triangularly shaped piezoelectric actuator, a miniature accelerometer, and analog electronics. Earlier work has shown that this type of system can increase damping up to approximately 1 kHz. However at higher frequencies the mismatch between the distributed actuator and the point sensor caused control spillover. This paper describes new anisotropic actuators that can be used to improve the bandwidth of the control system. The anisotropic actuators are composed of piezoelectric material sandwiched between interdigitated electrodes, which enables the application of the electric field in a preferred in-plane direction. When shaped correctly the anisotropic actuators outperform traditional isotropic actuators by reducing the mismatch between the distributed actuator and point sensor at high frequencies. Testing performed on a Plexiglas panel, representative of a helicopter window, shows that the control units can increase damping at low frequencies. However high frequency performance was still limited due to the flexible boundary conditions present on the test structure.

Schiller, Noah H.↗

Temperature effect on stress concentration around circular hole in a composite material specimen representative of X-29A forward-swept wing aircraft

The theory of anisotropic elasticity was used to evaluate the anisotropic stress concentration factors of a composite laminated plate containing a small circular hole. This advanced composite was used to manufacture the X-29A forward-swept wing. It was found for composite material, that the anisotropic stress concentration is no longer a constant, and that the locations of maximum tangential stress points could shift by changing the fiber orientation with respect to the loading axis. The analysis showed that through the lamination process, the stress concentration factor could be reduced drastically, and therefore the structural performance could be improved. Both the mixture rule approach and the constant strain approach were used to calculate the stress concentration factor of room temperature. The results predicted by the mixture rule approach were about twenty percent deviate from the experimental data. However, the results predicted by the constant strain approach matched the testing data very well. This showed the importance of the inplane shear effect on the evaluation of the stress concentration factor for the X-29A composite plate.

Yeh, Hsien-Yang↗

Low-cost single-crystal turbine blades, volume 1

The exothermic casting process was successfully developed into a low cost nonproprietary method for producing single crystal (SC) castings. Casting yields were lower than expected, on the order of 20 percent, but it is felt that the casting yield could be significantly improved with minor modifications to the process. Single crystal Mar-M 247 and two derivative SC alloys were developed. NASAIR 100 and SC Alloy 3 were fully characterized through mechanical property testing. SC Mar-M 247 shows no significant improvement in strength over directionally solidified (DS) Mar-M 247, but the derivative alloys, NASAIR 100 and Alloy 3, show significant tensile and fatigue improvements. The 1000 hr/238 MPa (20 ksi) stress rupture capability compared to DS Mar-M 247 was improved over 28 C. Firtree testing, holography, and strain gauge rig testing were used to evaluate the effects of the anisotropic characteristics of single crystal materials. In general, the single crystal material behaved similarly to DS Mar-M 247. Two complete engine sets of SC HP turbine blades were cast using the exothermic casting process and fully machined.

Strangman, T. E.↗

Evaluating some computer enhancement algorithms that improve the visibility of cometary morphology

The observed morphology of cometary comae is determined by ejection circumstances and the interaction of the ejected material with the local environment. Anisotropic emission can provide useful information on such things as orientation of the nucleus, location of active areas on the nucleus, and the formation of ion structure near the nucleus. However, discrete coma features are usually diffuse, of low amplitude, and superimposed on a steep intensity gradient radial to the nucleus. To improve the visibility of these features, a variety of digital enhancement algorithms were employed with varying degrees of success. They usually produce some degree of spatial filtering, and are chosen to optimize visibility of certain detail. Since information in the image is altered, it is important to understand the effects of parameter selection and processing artifacts can have on subsequent interpretation. Using the criteria that the ideal algorithm must enhance low contrast features while not introducing misleading artifacts (or features that cannot be seen in the stretched, unprocessed image), the suitability of various algorithms that aid cometary studies were assessed. The strong and weak points of each are identified in the context of maintaining positional integrity of features at the expense of photometric information.

Larson, S. M.↗

Grain orientation in high Tc superconductors by molten salt powder synthesis

The molten salt or the flux method is used to fabricate a grain oriented YBa2Cu3O(7-x) (123) superconductor. Here we suggest a two-stage approach in using the 'green phase', Y2BaCuO5 (211), as seed crystals in the formation of YBa2Cu3O(7-x). The process uses Y2BaCuO5 formed by molten salt synthesis. The Y2BaCuO5 phase was observed to be stable in water and in most of the salt systems. Salt processing can form a small quantity of anisotropic particles of Y2BaCuO5. This material can form the 123 phase when tape cast and sintered in the presence of the required levels of Ba and Cu.

Gopalakrishnan, Sudhakar↗

Aeroelastic Tailoring for Stability Augmentation and Performance Enhancements of Tiltrotor Aircraft

The requirements for increased speed and productivity for tiltrotors has spawned several investigations associated with proprotor aeroelastic stability augmentation and aerodynamic performance enhancements. Included among these investigations is a focus on passive aeroelastic tailoring concepts which exploit the anisotropic capabilities of fiber composite materials. Researchers at Langley Research Center and Bell Helicopter have devoted considerable effort to assess the potential for using these materials to obtain aeroelastic responses which are beneficial to the important stability and performance considerations of tiltrotors. Both experimental and analytical studies have been completed to examine aeroelastic tailoring concepts for the tiltrotor, applied either to the wing or to the rotor blades. This paper reviews some of the results obtained in these aeroelastic tailoring investigations and discusses the relative merits associated with these approaches.

Nixon, Mark W.↗

Thermoplastic Space Point Design (TSPD) Tall Tower Lunar Thermal Analysis

The Thermoplastics Development for Exploration Applications (TDEA) project seeks to advance NASA’s thermoplastic composites capabilities by developing structurally efficient joining solutions for large-scale space structures to support NASA’s future exploration missions. A key objective is to develop and understand advanced thermoplastic joining techniques relevant to space environments and applicable to unitized and/or reconfigurable composite structures. The TDEA project uses NASA Langley’s Tall Lunar Tower (TLT) concept as a target application for the design and development of in-space assembled thermoplastic composites. TLT is a 50-meter-tall tower constructed on the lunar surface near the south pole. The tower’s height at this location on the moon allows for extended durations of incident solar flux which can be used to generate power via photovoltaic arrays. The thermal environment present on lunar south pole represents a challenging environment for any space-based asset. This study provides an overview of the analysis techniques used to determine the temperature extremes, gradients, and timelines of a tall composite tower over a one-year duration at the Shackleton Connecting Ridge. The developed thermal model includes tower and lunar surface elements with anisotropic and temperature-dependent material properties and incorporates a solar vector orbit with time-varying solar flux. Study topics include: a comparison between the effects of simplified lunar surface topologies on thermal results, prediction of surface temperature values versus Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) flight data, and tower structural-thermal deformation.

Lunar↗

Buckling analysis of fully anisotropic plates containing cutouts and elastically restrained edges

An analysis is developed which combines the Ritz and collocation methods for the stability solution of an anisotropic plate with a cutout and elastically restrained edges. Results are presented which agree closely with experiment for isotropic and orthotropic materials. Results are also given for restrained anisotropic plates with circular holes loaded in compression and shear. Difference is noted in the critical buckling loads between displacement and stress loaded panels as hole size is increased. Clamping is also seen to affect the trends in buckling associated with hole size.

Jones, Kevin M.↗

Stress concentration around circular hole in a composite material specimen representative of the X-29A forward-swept wing aircraft

The theory of anisotropic elasticity was used to evaluate the anisotropic stress concentration factors of a composite laminated plate containing a small circular hole. This advanced composite material was used to manufacture the X-29A forward swept wing. Observe that the usual isotropic material stress concentration factor is three. However, for composite material, it was found that the anisotropic stress concentration factor is no longer constant, and that the locations of maximum tangential stress points could shift by changing the fiber orientation with respect to the loading axis. The analysis showed that through the lamination process, the stress concentration factor could be drastically reduced, and therefore the structural performance could be improved. Both the mixture rule approach and the constant strain approach were used to calculate the stress concentration factor. The results predicted by the mixture rule approach were about 20 percent deviate from the experimental data. However, the results predicted by the constant strain approach matched the testing data very well. This showed the importance of the inplane shear effect on the evaluation of stress concentration factor for the X-29A composite plate.

Yeh, Hsien-Yang↗