A critical review of notch sensitivity in stress-rupture tests
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An extensive data base of structural dynamic characteristics has been generated from an experimental program conducted on a torsionally soft two-bladed model helicopter rotor system. Measurements of vibratory strains for five modes of vibration were made at twenty-one locations on the two blades at speeds varying from 0 to 1000 RPM and for several combinations of precone, droop and flexure stiffness. Tests were conducted in vacuum under carefully controlled conditions using a unique excitation device with a system of piezoelectric crystals bonded to the blade surface near the root. Frequencies, strain mode shapes and dampings are extracted from the time histories and can be used to validate structural dynamics codes. The dynamics of the system are such that there is a clear tendency for the first torsion and second flap modes to couple within the speed range considered. Strain mode shapes vary significantly with speed and configuration. This feature is important in the calcualtion of aeroelastic instabilities. The tension axis tests confirmed that the modulus-weighted centroid for the nonhomogeneous airfoil is slightly off the mass centroid and validated previous static tests done to determine location of the tension axis.
Sixteen ply, quasi-isotropic laminates of Celanese Celion 6000/PMR-15 and Celion 6000/LARC-160 with a fiber orientation of (0/45/90/-45) sub 2S were evaluated. Tensile and open hole specimens were tested at room temperature to establish laminate tensile strength and net tensile strength at an unloaded bolt hole. Double lap joint specimens with a single 4.83-mm (0.19 in.) diameter bolt torqued to 1.7 N-m (15 lbf-in.) were tested in tension at temperatures of 116 K (-250F), 297 K (75F), and 589 K (600F). The joint ratios of w/d (specimen width to hole diameter) and e/d (edge distance to hole diameter) were varied from 4 to 6 and from 2 to 4, respectively. The effect of joint geometry and temperature on failure mode and joint stresses are shown. Joint stresses calculated at maximum load for each joint geometry and test temperature are reported. Joint strength in net tension, bearing, and shear out at 116 K (-250F), 297 K (75F), and 589 K (600F) are given for the Celion 6000/PMR-15 and Celion 6000/LARC-160 laminates.
This study investigates the mechanical behavior of High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) irradiated M5FRAMATOME cladding under simple and complex loading conditions through axial tensile and reversible cyclic bending. Axial tension specimens were pre-machined prior to HFIR irradiation while cyclic bend specimens were inserted as intact tubes. Tests articles were neutron-irradiated to 4 and 16 dpa, and specimens were tested at ORNL's hotcell facilities. The axial tension tests were conducted under constant displacement control, and the reversible cyclic bend tests were performed using ORNL's Cyclic Integrated Reversible-Bending Fatigue Tester (CIRFT) apparatus. Results showed that mechanical response of Cr-coated and uncoated M5FRAMATOME cladding were similar and independent of irradiation dose for axial tension tests, while Cr-coated specimens’ reversible cyclic bend behavior differed from uncoated counterparts. For all tests, irradiation temperature showed a significant impact on the mechanical behavior. Below 280°C, all axial tensile specimens whether coated or not behaved similarly. Above 280°C, YS and UTS showed decrease with increasing irradiation temperature. A similar behavior was also observed in cyclic bend tests as well. The mechanical damage during cyclic bend tests was linked to damage accumulation in unirradiated Cr-coated zircaloy-4 specimens, and the effect of irradiation temperature was related to changing characteristics of defect mobility during high temperature irradiation.
There is an increasing interest in ensuring compatibility of existing natural gas infrastructure with conveyance of hydrogen, especially for vintage (pre-1970s) pipeline steels. While hydrogen is known to affect the fatigue and fracture resistance of these materials, there is a lack of data on its effects on crack initiation at low hydrogen partial pressure. To address this gap, the current work presents a series of fatigue tests on vintage API Grade X52 steel in pure nitrogen, air and gaseous hydrogen at partial pressures of 1 and 207 bar. Circumferential notch tension (CNT) specimens with direct current potential difference (DCPD) measurements are used to get S–N curves for crack initiation and failure, and compact tension (CT) tests to assess crack growth rates. Results indicate that air accelerates crack initiation, low hydrogen partial pressure affects the crack growth rate, and higher pressures have the largest impact on both. Surprisingly, crack initiation is faster in air than at 1 bar hydrogen partial pressure. The CNT tests also reveal that the orientation of the banded microstructure has no effect on the crack initiation site, but it influences its growth behavior. Moreover, fractography shows that hydrogen also promotes instances of quasi-cleavage and intergranular fracture, linked to embrittlement of the material. Here, these results demonstrate that, while hydrogen may impact the entirety of the fatigue process, its effects on the early stages of damage accumulation become relevant only at larger pressures. More comprehensive studies of crack initiation in hydrogen atmospheres will be critical to future codes and standards for hydrogen infrastructure.
Analysis and testing addressing the key technology areas of durability and damage tolerance were completed for wing surface panels. The wing of a fuel-efficient, 200-passenger commercial transport airplane for 1990 delivery was sized using graphite-epoxy materials. Coupons of various layups used in the wing sizing were tested in tension, compression, and spectrum fatigue with typical fastener penetrations. The compression strength after barely visible impact damage was determined from coupon and structural element tests. One current material system and one toughened system were evaluated by coupon testing. The results of the coupon and element tests were used to design three distinctly different compression panels meeting the strength, stiffness, and damage-tolerance requirements of the upper wing panels. These three concepts were tested with various amounts of damage ranging from barely visible impact to through-penetration. The results of this program provide the key technology data required to assess the durability and damage-tolerance capability or advanced composites for use in commercial aircraft wing panel structure.
One of the major thrusts established under the FAA's National Aging Aircraft Research Program is to foster new technologies associated with civil aircraft maintenance. Recent DOD and other government developments in the use of bonded composite patches on metal structures has supported the need for research and validation of such doubler applications on U.S. certificated airplanes. Composite patching is a rapidly maturing technology which shows promise of cost savings on aging aircraft. Sandia Labs is conducting a proof-of-concept project with Delta Air Lines, Lockheed Martin, Textron, and the FAA which seeks to remove any remaining obstacles to the approved use of composite doublers. By focusing on a specific commercial aircraft application - reinforcement of the L-1011 door frame - and encompassing all 'cradle-to-grave' tasks such as design, analysis, installation, and inspection, this program is designed to prove the capabilities of composite doublers. This paper reports on a series of structural tests which have been conducted on coupons and subsize test articles. Tension-tension fatigue and residual strength tests attempted to grow engineered flaws in coupons with composite doublers bonded to aluminum skin. Also, structures which modeled key aspects of the door corner installation were subjected to extreme tension, shear, and bending loads. In this manner it was possible to study strain fields in and around the Lockheed-designed composite doubler using realistic aircraft load scenarios and to assess the potential for interply delaminations and disbonds between the aluminum and the laminate. The data acquired was also used to validate finite element models (FEM) and associated Damage Tolerance Analyses.
The development of durable bonded joint technology for assembling composite structures is an essential component of future space technologies. While NASA is working toward providing an entirely new capability for human space exploration beyond low Earth orbit, the objective of this project is to design, fabricate, analyze, and test a NASA patented durable redundant joint (DRJ) and a NASA/Boeing co-designed fluted-core joint (FCJ). The potential applications include a wide range of sandwich structures for NASA's future launch vehicles. Three types of joints were studied -- splice joint (SJ, as baseline), DRJ, and FCJ. Tests included tension, after-impact tension, and compression. Teflon strips were used at the joint area to increase failure strength by shifting stress concentration to a less sensitive area. Test results were compared to those of pristine coupons fabricated utilizing the same methods. Tensile test results indicated that the DRJ design was stiffer, stronger, and more impact resistant than other designs. The drawbacks of the DRJ design were extra mass and complex fabrication processes. The FCJ was lighter than the DRJ but less impact resistant. With barely visible but detectable impact damages, all three joints showed no sign of tensile strength reduction. No compression test was conducted on any impact-damaged sample due to limited scope and resource. Failure modes and damage propagation were also studied to support progressive damage modeling of the SJ and the DRJ.
Blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVF2) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were prepared over a wide concentration range and tested in tension at the same relative temperature below the glass transition. In nearly all blends, under conditions favoring disentanglement, (decrease in strain rate, or increase in test temperature), the yield stress and drawing stress decreased while the breaking strain increased. For materials with about the same degree of crystallinity, those with a higher proportion of amorphous PVF2 exhibited brittle-like behavior as a result of interlamellar tie molecules. In the semicrystalline blends, yield stress remains high as the test temperature approaches Tg, whereas in the amorphous blends the yield stress falls to zero near Tg. Results of physical aging support the role of interlamellar ties which cause semicrystalline blends to exhibit aging at temperatures above Tg.
Aluminum-lithium alloys exhibit high strength, high elastic modulus, and low density as well as excellent cryogenic mechanical properties making them ideal material candidates for cryogenic tanks. NASA has proposed the use of 'built-up' structure for panels fabricated into cryogenic tanks replacing current conventional machining. Superplastically formed stiffeners would be joined to sheet (tank skin) that had been roll formed to the radius of the tank in order to produce panels. Aluminum-lithium alloys of interest for producing the built-up structure include alloy 2095-T6 stiffeners to 2095-T8 sheet and alloy 8090-T6 stiffeners to 2090-T83 sheet. Laser welding, with comparable joint properties, offers the following advantages over conventional welding: higher production rates, minimal degradation within the heat affected zones, and full process automation. This study established process parameters for laser beam welding, mechanical property determinations, metallographic characterization, and fabrication of prototype panels. Tensile tests representing partial penetration of the skin alloys provided joint efficiencies between 65 and 77 percent, depending upon alloy and degree of penetration. Results of tension shear tests of lap welds indicated that the combination of 2095-T6 to 2090-T8 exhibited significantly higher weld shear strength at the interface in comparison to welds of 8090-T6 to 2090-T83. The increased shear strength associated with 2095 is believed to be due to the alloy's ability to precipitation strengthening (naturally age) after welding.
A test program was performed to determine the influence of crack closure on fatigue crack growth (FCG) rates of short cracks. By use of the standard compact tension specimen, test procedures were devised to evaluate closure loads in the wake of the crack behind its tip. The first procedure determined the magnitude of crack closure as a function of the fatigued crack wave by incrementally removing the contacting wake surfaces and measuring closure load at each increment. The second procedure used a low-high loading sequence to simulate short crack behavior. Based on the results, it was concluded that crack closure is not the major reason for the more rapid growth of short cracks as compared to long crack growth.
Vibration analyis is nondestructive and noninvasive. Transistor isolated from heat (or cold) of surroundings by filament suspension. Filaments made of polyester are (0.005 in) 0.127 mm in diameter. Transistor lead wires are wrapped around certain filaments. Applicable for testing filament mounts too delicate for testing by tension probes.
The objective of this study is to develop failure-limit material models for Aluminum 6061-T6, A36 Carbon Steel, 304 Stainless Steel, and Nitronic 60 metals, based on parameters of plastic equivalent strain (failure strain) and stress triaxiality. The research is conducted in two parts. This paper presents Part One of the study. In Part One, custom-designed test specimens undergo controlled uniaxial tension and compression testing at ambient temperature. These tests are performed at quasi-static speeds using Universal Testing Machines (UTMs) in accordance with ASTM E8 and ASTM E9 standards. Experimental data, specifically engineering stress–strain and force–displacement curves, are recorded from the onset of loading until specimen fracture, or in the case of compression tests, until the capacity of the testing machine is reached. In Part Two, the emphasis shifts to the calibration of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) models of the custom-designed test specimens. Plastic equivalent strain and the corresponding stress triaxiality values at failure are extracted from each test specimen for the given metal. These values are then systematically plotted onto a single graph to construct the failure-limit curve, which delineates the boundary conditions for material failure. This approach will facilitate the development of a comprehensive material property definition that correlates plastic equivalent strain with stress triaxiality at failure for Aluminum 6061-T6, A36 Carbon Steel, 304 Stainless Steel, and Nitronic 60 metals.
Eight thermoplastic polyimide resin systems were evaluated as composite matrix materials. Two resins were selected for more extensive mechanical testing and both were versions of LaRC-TPI (Langley Research Center - Thermoplastic Polyimide). One resin was made with LaRC-TPI and contained 2 weight percent of a di(amic acid) dopant as a melt flow aid. The second system was a 1:1 slurry of semicrystalline LaRC-TPI powder in a polyimidesulfone resin diglyme solution. The LaRC-TPI powder melts during processing and increases the melt flow of the resin. Testing included dynamic mechanical analysis, tension and compression testing, and compression-after-impact testing. The test results demonstrated that the LaRC-TPI resins have very good properties compared to other thermoplastics, and that they are promising matrix materials for advanced composite structures.
Specimens of a single crystal superalloy, PWA 1480, both bare and coated with a NiCoCrAlY alloy, PWA 276, were tested in low-cycle fatigue at 650 and 1050 C, and in bithermal thermomechanical fatigue tests. In the two bithermal test types, tensile strain was imposed at one of the two temperatures and reversed in compression at the other. In the high-strain regime, lives for both bithermal test types approached that for the 650 C isothermal test on an inelastic strain basis, all being controlled by the low ductility of the superalloy at 650 C. In the low-strain regime, coating cracking reduced life in the 650 C isothermal test. The bithermal test imposing tension at 650 C, termed out-of-phase, also produced rapid surface cracking, but in both coated and bare specimens. Increased crack growth rates also occurred for the out-of-phase test. Increased lives in vacuum suggested that there is a large environmental contribution to damage in the out-of-phase test due to the 1050 C exposure followed by tensile straining at the low temperature.
Specimens of a single crystal superalloy, PWA 1480, both bare and coated with a NiCoCrAlY alloy, PWA 276, were tested in low-cycle fatigue at 650 and 1050 C, and in bithermal thermomechanical fatigue tests. In the two bithermal test types, tensile strain was imposed at one of the two temperatures and reversed in compression at the other. In the high-strain regime, lives for both bithermal test types approached that for the 650 C isothermal test on an inelastic strain basis, all being controlled by the low ductility of the superalloy at 650 C. In the low-strain regime, coating cracking reduced life in the 650 C isothermal test. The bithermal test imposing tension at 650 C, termed out-of-phase, also produced rapid surface cracking, but in both coated and bare specimens. Increased crack growth rates also occurred for the out-of-phase test. Increased lives in vacuum suggested that there is a large environmental contribution to damage in the out-of-phase test due to the 1050 C exposure followed by tensile straining at the low temperature.
A team consisting of Arizona State University, Honeywell Engines, Systems & Services, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center, and SRI International collaborated to develop computational models and verification testing for designing and evaluating turbine engine fan blade fabric containment structures. This research was conducted under the Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Assurance Center of Excellence and was sponsored by the Aircraft Catastrophic Failure Prevention Program. The research was directed toward improving the modeling of a turbine engine fabric containment structure for an engine blade-out containment demonstration test required for certification of aircraft engines. The research conducted in Phase II began a new level of capability to design and develop fan blade containment systems for turbine engines. Significant progress was made in three areas: (1) further development of the ballistic fabric model to increase confidence and robustness in the material models for the Kevlar(TradeName) and Zylon(TradeName) material models developed in Phase I, (2) the capability was improved for finite element modeling of multiple layers of fabric using multiple layers of shell elements, and (3) large-scale simulations were performed. This report concentrates on the material model development and simulations of the impact tests.
This paper presents a characterization of damage processes in four different two-dimensionally braided architectures consisting of graphite fibers in an epoxy matrix, subjected to both static and fatigue loading. Both notched and unnotched specimens were tested from each architecture. Damage mechanisms in static compression testing were found to range from matrix cracking in an architecture controlled by shearing characteristics of the matrix to axial fiber bundle kinking and splitting in architectures controlled by unidirectional fiber bundles. In both static tension and tension-tension fatigue testing, it was found that all architectures sustained the same basic damage types and progression sequences. The first types of damage to occur were splits in the braider bundles and cracks in the resin rich areas. Once a sufficient density of this type of damage had occurred, the axial bundles began to disbond from the surrounding constituents, and continued to do so until ultimate failure. One architecture sustained an additional mode of failure, which involved splitting of the axial bundles along their length. Varied degrees of notch sensitivity were found among the different architectures. In one architecture, this was attributed to differences found in the stacking of the individual plys of the braided architecture. As the density of axial bundles adjacent to the notch increased, the rate of stiffness loss increased and the life decreased.