SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Structures, Design and Test”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2018

Demonstration of Probabilistic Sensitivity Analyses Tools on the Structural Response of a Representative Inflatable Space Structure

This work provides an initial step toward demonstrating a probabilistic numerical simulation capability to support trade studies and the development of a certification plan for inflatable space habitats. This study concentrates on interpreting the results from probabilistic analysis and numerical simulation tools to identify parameter sensitivities for a novel inflatable airlock concept, specifically the Non‐Axisymmetric Inflatable Pressure Structure (NAIPS) that was designed and tested under NASA's Minimalistic Advanced Softgoods Hatch (MASH) Program. A brief overview of the finite element model is provided along with the probabilistic sensitivity analysis approach. The sensitivity studies required a model that was numerically stable and efficient enough that hundreds of simulations could be completed in the allotted time. Therefore, the existing full model was simplified by: extracting a quarter symmetry section of the dome; focusing on a single inflation pressure; and replacing the non‐linear material stress‐strain curves with linear, isotropic materials defined by elastic moduli. Responses of interest include the sensitivity of various structural component loads to material properties, cord lengths, inflation pressure and friction. Multiple sensitivity studies were completed and three are reported here. The first study focused on utilizing wide input parameter ranges to provide an opportunity to assess numerical robustness. The next two studies narrowed the parameter ranges to enable focus on understanding uncertainty at a fixed operating condition. The completion of the sensitivity studies improved understanding of the interdependence of multiple inputs on the responses. In addition, numerical stability of the simulations over wide parameter ranges, shows the feasibility of incorporating uncertainty‐based methods in the design and certification of inflatable space habitats. With the experience and trust gained, it is anticipated that these same methods will be applied to nonlinear, orthotropic models in the future.

Lyle, Karen H.↗

NASA NTRS1980

A space stable optical bench structure for the space telescope wide field and planetary camera

The design, fabrication, and verification tests of two optical bench structures fabricated under contract to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are discussed. It is noted that graphite-epoxy and invar have been selected as the structural materials for the bench. The ability to manufacture a precise graphite-epoxy optical system platform has been demonstrated. It is noted that the 19 channel laser interferometer was used to measure the CTE of the bench structure graphite-epoxy components and the two invar bulkheads.

Smith, D. D.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Structural Certification of Human-Rated Inflatable Space Structures

This paper details the results of an initial study to develop a certification plan for human-rated inflatable space structures, including guidelines for qualification testing. Habitable softgoods inflatables are multi-layered shell structures that use high-strength webbing, cordage and broadcloth fabric to carry the skin loads of a variety of volumetric shapes and structural architectures. The primary objectives of this study are to define the key parameters that affect these structures and propose a statistically robust approach to defining safety and knockdown factors based on test and analysis. Current NASA standards for habitable inflatable space structures use a factor of safety of 4, which was inherited from airship design criteria. An updated approach to defining a design factor, taking into account material strength variability, load variability in the article, number of test samples, and damage and degradation effects is specified. Accurate analytical modeling of these structures is hindered by the difficulty of obtaining accurate and consistent material data due to load-history- dependent, nonlinear load versus strain behavior. A building block approach to certification is detailed that uses stochastic modeling and statistical test design and analysis to address the unique challenges these high-strength softgoods structures present. Human-rated inflatable modules are a transformative capability for launching much larger habitable volumes into space than is possible with rigid shell structures. This research aims to provide the framework for certifying these structures for future human space exploration missions.

Jones, Thomas C.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Active structural control design and experiment for the Mini-Mast

Control system design and closed-loop test results for the Mini-Mast truss structure located at the NASA Langley Research Center are presented. The simplicity and effectiveness of a classical control approach to the active structural control design are demonstrated by ground experiments. The concepts of robust nonminimum phase compensation and periodic disturbance rejection are also experimentally validated. The practicality of a sensor output decoupling approach is demonstrated for the inherent, multivariable control problem of the Mini-Mast.

Wie, Bong↗

NASA NTRS2007

F15B-Quiet Spike Aeroservoelastic Flight Test Data Analysis

Airframe structural morphing technologies designed to mitigate sonic boom strength are being developed by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GAC). Among these technologies is a concept in which an aircraft's frontend would be extended prior to supersonic acceleration. This morphing would effectively lengthen the vehicle, reducing peak sonic boom amplitude, but is also expected to partition the otherwise strong bow shock into a series of reduced-strength, non-coalescing shocklets. This combination of boom shaping techniques is predicted to transform the classic, high-impulse N-wave pattern typically generated by an aircraft traveling at supersonic speed into a signature more closely resembling a sinusoidal wave with a greatly reduced perceived loudness. 'QuietSpike' is GAC's nomenclature for its recently patented front-end vehicle morphing arrangement. The ability of Quiet Spike to effectively shape a vehicle's far- field sonic boom signature is highly dependent on the area distribution characteristics of the aircraft. The full aeroacoustic benefits of front-end morphing at farfield are only possible when the QuietSpike article and vehicle configuration are designed in consideration of each other. Adding QuietSpike technology to the airframe of an existing, non-boom-optimized supersonic vehicle is unlikely to result in an improved far-field signature due to the generally over-powering influence of wing- and inlet-generated shocks. Therefore, it is generally recognized within NASA and the industry that a clean-sheet vehicle design is required to demonstrate the theoretically predicted far-field aeroacoustic benefits of QuietSpike type morphing and other boom- mitigating concepts. NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Supersonics Division has placed increased priority on near-term development and flight-testing of such a vehicle. To help achieve this objective, static and dynamic aerostructural proof-of-concept testing was considered a prudent step prior to a clean-sheet effort in order to reduce risk associated with a follow-on test program. Following a survey of potential test platforms, NASA Dryden's F-15B was selected as the target test vehicle primarily because of its unique ability to carry a largescale test apparatus to relevant supersonic flight speeds, so called the F15 -QS. The QuietSpike test article was constructed primarily of composite materials and attached to the forward fuselage of the F-1 5B bulkhead (see Figures 1,2). The QuietSpike test article replaces the current flight test noseboom and radome assembly. Power is supplied to the Quiet Spike motor assembly in order to extend and retract the Spike, and the Quiet Spike test article was appropriately instrumented with accelerometers, strain gages, pressure transducers, and thermocouples.

Brenner, Martin J.↗

NASA NTRS1980

A mechanical adapter for installing mission equipment on large space structures

A mechanical attachment adapter was designed, constructed, and tested. The adapter was was included in a simulation program that investigated techniques for assembling erectable structures under simulated zero-g conditions by pressure-suited subjects in a simulated EVA mode. The adapter was utilized as an interface attachment between a simulated equipment module and one node point of a tetrahedral structural cell. The mating performance of the adapter, a self-energized mechanism, was easily and quickly demonstrated and required little effort on the part of the test subjects.

Lefever, A. E.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) Torus Mechanical Testing

The Armstrong Flight Research Center has performed loads testing of a series of developmental atmospheric entry decelerator structural components. Test setup hardware were designed and fabricated. In addition, test plan and checklist were developed for the consistent and efficient execution of the tests. Eight test articles were successfully tested in over one hundred test runs as test objectives were met. Test article buckling shapes and buckling loads were observed. Displacements and strains were also recorded as various load cases were applied. The test data was sent to Langley Research Center to help with the construction of the finite element model of the decelerator assembly.

buckling↗

NASA NTRS1984

Concepts for improving the damage tolerance of composite compression panels

The residual strength of specimens with damage and the sensitivity to damage while subjected to an applied inplane compression load were determined for flatplate specimens and blade-stiffened panels. The results suggest that matrix materials that fail by delamination have the lowest damage tolerance capability. Alternate matrix materials or laminates which are transversely reinforced suppress the delamination mode of failure and change the failure mode to transverse shear crippling which occurs at a higher strain value. Several damage-tolerant blade-stiffened panel design concepts are evaluated. Structural efficiency studies conducted show only small mass penalties may result from incorporating these damage-tolerant features in panel design. The implication of test results on the design of aircraft structures was examined with respect to FAR requirements.

Rhodes, M. D.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Actively cooled airframe structures for high-speed flight

An assessment of forced convectively cooled aircraft structures is presented based on recent and on-going studies. Particular emphasis is given to contractual efforts in which large panels of three different concepts are being designed and fabricated for cyclic thermal-structural tests at the Langley Research Center. Results of ambient temperature fatigue tests of small specimens of these concepts are reviewed. Aspects of conceptual and detail designs, material selection, fabrication, reliability, and heat-load/hydrogen fuel heat-sink matching are discussed. Results to date indicate that active cooling significantly impacts the structural design process, and, despite the use of conventional aluminum materials, advanced complex fabrication processes are required.

Nowak, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Computational tools for multi-linked flexible structures

A software module which designs and tests controllers and filters in Kalman Estimator form, based on a polynomial state-space model is discussed. The user-friendly program employs an interactive graphics approach to simplify the design process. A variety of input methods are provided to test the effectiveness of the estimator. Utilities are provided which address important issues in filter design such as graphical analysis, statistical analysis, and calculation time. The program also provides the user with the ability to save filter parameters, inputs, and outputs for future use.

Lee, Gordon K. F.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PAF Structural Test Design/Analysis

The ET50 team was tasked with designing and analyzing various STE to support development and qualification tests for the Space Launch System (SLS) Payload Adapter Fitting (PAF). Axial, shear, and torsion load line assemblies are among the needed STE hardware. The product starts with a design concept with requirements by the customer.

Hao Hua↗

NASA NTRS1991

Characterization of the dimensional stability of advanced metallic materials using an optical test bench structure

The dimensional stability of low-density high specific-strength metal-matrix composites (including 30 vol pct SiC(p)/SXA 24-T6 Al, 25 vol pct SiC(p)/6061-T6 Al, 40 vol pct graphite P100 fiber/6061 Al, 50 vol pct graphite P100 fiber/6061 Al, and 40 vol pct P100 graphite fiber/AZ91D Mg composites) and an Al-Li-Mg metal alloy was evaluated using a specially designed five-strut optical test bench structure. The structure had 30 thermocouple locations, one retroreflector, one linear interferometer multilayer insulation, and various strip heaters. It was placed in a 10 exp -7 torr capability vacuum chamber with a laser head positioned at a window port, and a laser interferometer system for collecting dimensional change data. It was found that composite materials have greater 40-C temporal dimensional stability than the AL-Li-Mg alloy. Aluminum-based composites demonstrated better 40-C temporal stability than Mg-based composites.

Hsieh, Cheng↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TPSAS-NF1676L-25778-DND

Testing required to design and certify aircraft structures has increased dramatically with the growth in use of composite materials, and the development time and cost have become an issue as industry looks towards the next generation of aircraft. To help address this challenge, NASA has formed an industry-spanning consortium with the goal of cutting by 30% today's 10-year timeline for developing and certifying composite aircraft structures. This goal is to be achieved by infusing leading edge, physics-based tools to improve the prediction of the response and failure of composite aerospace structures. The plan for the public-private partnership of NASA, the FAA, airframe manufacturers, aircraft engine manufacturers, and several universities is to conduct joint research under the five-year Advanced Composites Program (ACP). The emphasis of the ACP project is the development of damage prediction and non-destructive inspection methods capabilities that are sufficiently reliable to enable a reduction in the element and subcomponent testing necessary for design and certification. ACP also is expected to create rapid design tools to speed preliminary design and improve safety and performance. A critical element of this research concerns the residual strength of postbuckled stiffened panels with impact damage. This presentation will discuss different aspects of ongoing research on the prediction of structural collapse due to skin/stiffener separation. In particular, the presentation will examine issues that must be addressed in the analysis, such as R-curve toughening, delamination migration, bridging, as well as some unexpected effects of ply orientation.

Carlos G Davila↗

NASA NTRS1992

Design, analysis, and testing of the Phase 1 CSI Evolutionary Model erectable truss

This report addressed the design, analysis, and testing of the erectable truss structure for the Phase 1 CSI Evolutionary Model (CEM) testbed. The Phase 1 CEM testbed is the second testbed to form part of an ongoing program of focused research at NASA/LaRC in the development of Controls-Structures Integration (CSI) technology. The Phase 1 CEM contains the same overall geometry, weight, and sensor locations as the Phase 0 CEM, but is based in an integrated controller and structure design, whereby both structure and controller design variables are sized simultaneously. The Phase 1 CEM design features seven truss sections composed of struts with tailored mass and stiffness properties. A common erectable joint is used and the strut stiffness is tailored by varying the cross-sectional area. To characterize the structure, static tests were conducted on individual struts and 10-bay truss assemblies. Dynamic tests were conducted on 10-bay truss assemblies as well as the fully-assembled CEM truss. The results indicate that the static and dynamic properties of the structure are predictable, well-characterized, and within the performance requirements established during the Phase 1 CEM integrated controller/structure design analysis.

Gronet, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Propeller-induced structure-borne noise - Laboratory-based test apparatus

A potentially important source of structure-borne interior noise transmission in advanced turboprop aircraft is the impingement of the propeller wake/vortex on downstream aerodynamic surfaces. The expected levels of propeller wake/vortex-induced structure-borne noise transmission are not known nor can they be determined with present-day technology. A test apparatus has been designed, built and calibrated for the purposes of studying propeller-induced, structure-borne noise transmission in prototypical aircraft structures. The principal approach to the test apparatus design was to provide a physical means of separating the airborne and structure-borne noise components so that the structure-borne noise transmission response could be studied directly without airborne noise contamination. This was accomplished by housing the receiving fuselage structure in an acoustic shield fitted with a wing-to-fuselage acoustic seal. Initial evaluation of the wing-to-fuselage acoustic seal indicates adequate airborne noise isolation to allow direct study of structure-borne noise transmission.

Unruh, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Composite structural materials

The composite aircraft program component (CAPCOMP) is a graduate level project conducted in parallel with a composite structures program. The composite aircraft program glider (CAPGLIDE) is an undergraduate demonstration project which has as its objectives the design, fabrication, and testing of a foot launched ultralight glider using composite structures. The objective of the computer aided design (COMPAD) portion of the composites project is to provide computer tools for the analysis and design of composite structures. The major thrust of COMPAD is in the finite element area with effort directed at implementing finite element analysis capabilities and developing interactive graphics preprocessing and postprocessing capabilities. The criteria for selecting research projects to be conducted under the innovative and supporting research (INSURE) program are described.

Ansell, G. S.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Preliminary Design and Analysis of an In-plane PRSEUS Joint

As part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) program, the Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) has been designed, developed and tested. However, PRSEUS development efforts to date have only addressed joints required to transfer bending moments between PRSEUS panels. Development of in-plane joints for the PRSEUS concept is necessary to facilitate in-plane transfer of load from PRSEUS panels to an adjacent structure, such as from a wing panel into a fuselage. This paper presents preliminary design and analysis of an in-plane PRSEUS joint for connecting PRSEUS panels at the termination of the rod-stiffened stringers. Design requirements are provided, the PRSEUS blade joint concept is presented, and preliminary design changes and analyses are carried out to examine the feasibility of the proposed in-plane PRSEUS blade joint. The study conducted herein focuses mainly on the PRSEUS structure on one side of the joint. In particular, the design requirements for the rod shear stress and bolt bearing stress are examined. A PRSEUS blade joint design was developed that demonstrates the feasibility of this in-plane PRSEUS joint concept to terminate the rod-stiffened stringers. The presented design only demonstrates feasibility, therefore, some areas of refinement are presented that would lead to a more optimum and realistic design.

Lovejoy, Andrew E.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Flexible spacecraft simulator

Verification of control algorithms for flexible spacecraft can be done only through simulation and test; these are necessary to understand control/structure interaction (C/SI) sufficiently to design robust controllers for future spacecraft. The objective persued is to develop a low-cost facility which simulates the fundamental problem of C/SI; and to provide accessibility for designs so that experience can be gained in applying various multivariable control design methods to an actual structure. A test facility is being constructed with test elements that provide 3 rigid body and 6 flexible modes, all in the horizontal plane, with frequencies below 2.5 Hz. The control force actuator are on/off air jets with sensing by optical displacement sensors. Loop closure is provided by a digital computer with control algorithms designed using the IAC and MATRIX-X.

Source record↗