Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “BENDING FATIGUE”

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.

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

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Fatigue life prediction in bending from axial fatigue information

Bending fatigue in the low cyclic life range differs from axial fatigue due to the plastic flow which alters the linear stress-strain relation normally used to determine the nominal stresses. An approach is presented to take into account the plastic flow in calculating nominal bending stress (S sub bending) based on true surface stress. These functions are derived in closed form for rectangular and circular cross sections. The nominal bending stress and the axial fatigue stress are plotted as a function of life (N sub S) and these curves are shown for several materials of engineering interest.

Manson, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS1969

Calibration of combined bending-torsion fatigue reliability data reduction

The combined bending-torsion fatigue reliability research machines are described. Three such machines are presently in operation. The calibration of these machines is presented in depth. Fatigue data generated with these machines for SAE 4340 steel grooved specimens subjected to reversed bending and steady torque loading are given. The data reduction procedure is presented. Finally, some comments are made about notch sensitivity and stress concentration as applied to combined fatigue.

Kececioglu, D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Ultrasonic Gear Steel Fatigue at NASA

Gear tooth bending fatigue life is one of the main drivers of rotorcraft gear box weight and maintenance cost. Depending on rotorcraft gearbox speed, 10,000 flight hours can easily mean reaching gear tooth bending fatigue cycles in the 10^10 cycle regime. Traditionally gear fatigue life in the 10^10 cycle regime is estimated based on empirical correction factors applied to the traditional fatigue limit of 10^7 cycles. In order to improve on this method of life prediction, enable better gear box design, and reduce gear box maintenance cost, NASA has started an ultrasonic gear steel fatigue program to quantify the 10^10 life of gear steels. Ultrasonic fatigue testing makes use of piezo electric actuators and resonance to generate stress-strain cycles at 20 kHz. The ability to test gear steals at 20 kHz reduces test time for 10^10 cycles from roughly 16 years with traditional 20 Hz testing to 6 days. In this presentation, the establishment of NASA's ultrasonic test capability, results to date, and future testing plans will be discussed.

Tallerico, Thomas F.↗
NASA NTRS1969

Probabilistic-graphical and phenomenological analysis of combined bending-torsion fatigue reliability data

Fatigue data generated by three combined bending-torsion fatigue reliability research machines at The University of Arizona are probabilistic-graphically and phenomenologically analyzed. Distributions that are applicable to fatique life and static strength data are discussed. Phenomenological justifications for the use of these distributions are presented. It is found that the normal distribution represents the cycles-to-failure data at the highest stress levels best. The lognormal distribution appears to fit the cycles-to-failure data at the lower stress levels best and quite well at all stress levels including the highest. A regression analysis and least-squares goodness-of-fit test was performed for normal and lognormal plots. In most cases, the correlation coefficient gave a better fit to the data using the normal distribution, but the difference between the two was so slight that positive discrimination could not be made.

Kececioglu, D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The optimal design of involute gear teeth with unequal addenda

The design of a gear mesh is treated with the objective of minimizing the gear size for a given gear ratio, pinion torque, pressure angle, and allowable tooth lengths. Tooth strengths considered include scoring, pitting fatigue, and bending fatigue. Kinematic involute interference is avoided. The design variation on standard spur gear teeth called the long and short addendum system, is considered. In this system the mesh center distance and pressure angle are maintained as is the ability to manufacture the teeth with standard tooling. However, the pinion and gear tooth proportions are altered in order to obtain fewer teeth numbers for the same ratio as standard gears without kinematic involute interference. The effect of this nonstandard gearing geometry with on tooth strengths and gear mesh size are studied. For a 2:1 gearing ratio, the optimal nonstandard gear design is compared with the optimal standard gear design.

Savage, M.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Space Shuttle Rudder Speed Brake Actuator-A Case Study Probabilistic Fatigue Life and Reliability Analysis

The U.S. Space Shuttle fleet was originally intended to have a life of 100 flights for each vehicle, lasting over a 10-year period, with minimal scheduled maintenance or inspection. The first space shuttle flight was that of the Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102), launched April 12, 1981. The disaster that destroyed Columbia occurred on its 28th flight, February 1, 2003, nearly 22 years after its first launch. In order to minimize risk of losing another Space Shuttle, a probabilistic life and reliability analysis was conducted for the Space Shuttle rudder/speed brake actuators to determine the number of flights the actuators could sustain. A life and reliability assessment of the actuator gears was performed in two stages: a contact stress fatigue model and a gear tooth bending fatigue model. For the contact stress analysis, the Lundberg-Palmgren bearing life theory was expanded to include gear-surface pitting for the actuator as a system. The mission spectrum of the Space Shuttle rudder/speed brake actuator was combined into equivalent effective hinge moment loads including an actuator input preload for the contact stress fatigue and tooth bending fatigue models. Gear system reliabilities are reported for both models and their combination. Reliability of the actuator bearings was analyzed separately, based on data provided by the actuator manufacturer. As a result of the analysis, the reliability of one half of a single actuator was calculated to be 98.6 percent for 12 flights. Accordingly, each actuator was subsequently limited to 12 flights before removal from service in the Space Shuttle.

Rudder↗
NASA NTRS2012

Simulated Single Tooth Bending of High Temperature Alloys

Future unmanned space missions will require mechanisms to operate at extreme conditions in order to be successful. In some of these mechanisms, very high gear reductions will be needed to permit very small motors to drive other components at low rotational speed with high output torque. Therefore gearing components are required that can meet the mission requirements. In mechanisms such as this, bending fatigue strength capacity of the gears is very important. The bending fatigue capacity of a high temperature, nickel-based alloy, typically used for turbine disks in gas turbine engines and two tool steel materials with high vanadium content, were compared to that of a typical aerospace alloy-AISI 9310. Test specimens were fabricated by electro-discharge machining without post machining processing. Tests were run at 24 and at 490 C. As test temperature increased from 24 to 490 C the bending fatigue strength was reduced by a factor of five.

Handschuh, Robert, F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Evaluation of high-contact-ratio spur gears with profile modification

Scoring tests, surface fatigue tests, and single-tooth bending fatigue tests were conducted with four sets of spur gears of standard design and three sets of spur gears of the new tooth form (NTF) design. Scoring tests were conducted in a gear test rig at a speed of 10,000 rpm using a synthetic polyester C5, C6, C7 substituted pentaerythritol oil. Surface fatigue tests were conducted in the same rig at a speed of 10,000 rpm and Hertz stresses of 173 x 10 to the 7th power and 143 x 10 to the 7th power Pa (250,000 and 214,000 psi). Single tooth bending fatigue tests were conducted on both the standard and NTF gears at an initial load that produced a 10.35 x 10 to the eight power Pa (150,000-psi) bending stress. The gears were load cycled to failure or for 3 x 10 to the 6th power cycles, whichever occurred first. The load was increased after test until failure occurred at 3 x 10 to the 6th power cycles or less. Both the standard and NTF gears scored at a gear bulk temperature of approximately 409 K (277 F). At this temperature the load on the NTF gears was 22 percent less than the load on the standard gears. The scoring failure was a function of gear bulk temperature, where for a given lubricant the temperature is a function of gear design, operating load, and speed.

Townsend, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Combined bending-torsion fatigue reliability of AISI 4340 steel shafting with K sub t = 2.34

Results generated by three, unique fatigue reliability research machines which can apply reversed bending loads combined with steady torque are presented. Six-inch long, AISI 4340 steel, grooved specimens with a stress concentration factor of 2.34 and R sub C 35/40 hardness were subjected to various combinations of these loads and cycled to failure. The generated cycles-to-failure and stress-to-failure data are statistically analyzed to develop distributional S-N and Goodman diagrams. Various failure theories are investigated to determine which one represents the data best. The effect of the groove and of the various combined bending-torsion loads on the S-N and Goodman diagrams are determined. Three design applications are presented. The third one illustrates the weight savings that may be achieved by designing for reliability.

Kececioglu, D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Combined bending-torsion fatigue reliability. III

Results generated by three, unique fatigue reliability research machines which can apply reversed bending loads combined with steady torque are presented. AISI 4340 steel, grooved specimens with a stress concentration factor of 1.42 and 2.34, and Rockwell C hardness of 35/40 were subjected to various combinations of these loads and cycled to failure. The generated cycles-to-failure and stress-to-failure data are statistically analyzed to develop distributional S-N and Goodman diagrams. Various failure theories are investigated to determine which one represents the data best. The effects of the groove, and of the various combined bending-torsion loads, on the S-N and Goodman diagrams are determined. Two design applications are presented which illustrate the direct useability and value of the distributional failure governing strength and cycles-to-failure data in designing for specified levels of reliability and in predicting the reliability of given designs.

Kececioglu, D.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Advanced Gear Alloys for Ultra High Strength Applications

Single tooth bending fatigue (STBF) test data of UHS Ferrium C61 and C64 alloys are presented in comparison with historical test data of conventional gear steels (9310 and Pyrowear 53) with comparable statistical analysis methods. Pitting and scoring tests of C61 and C64 are works in progress. Boeing statistical analysis of STBF test data for the four gear steels (C61, C64, 9310 and Pyrowear 53) indicates that the UHS grades exhibit increases in fatigue strength in the low cycle fatigue (LCF) regime. In the high cycle fatigue (HCF) regime, the UHS steels exhibit better mean fatigue strength endurance limit behavior (particularly as compared to Pyrowear 53). However, due to considerable scatter in the UHS test data, the anticipated overall benefits of the UHS grades in bending fatigue have not been fully demonstrated. Based on all the test data and on Boeing s analysis, C61 has been selected by Boeing as the gear steel for the final ERDS demonstrator test gearboxes. In terms of potential follow-up work, detailed physics-based, micromechanical analysis and modeling of the fatigue data would allow for a better understanding of the causes of the experimental scatter, and of the transition from high-stress LCF (surface-dominated) to low-stress HCF (subsurface-dominated) fatigue failure. Additional STBF test data and failure analysis work, particularly in the HCF regime and around the endurance limit stress, could allow for better statistical confidence and could reduce the observed effects of experimental test scatter. Finally, the need for further optimization of the residual compressive stress profiles of the UHS steels (resulting from carburization and peening) is noted, particularly for the case of the higher hardness C64 material.

Shen, Tony↗
NASA NTRS1995

Gear Crack Propagation Investigation

Reduced weight is a major design goal in aircraft power transmissions. Some gear designs incorporate thin rims to help meet this goal. Thin rims, however, may lead to bending fatigue cracks. These cracks may propagate through a gear tooth or into the gear rim. A crack that propagates through a tooth would probably not be catastrophic, and ample warning of a failure could be possible. On the other hand, a crack that propagates through the rim would be catastrophic. Such cracks could lead to disengagement of a rotor or propeller from an engine, loss of an aircraft, and fatalities. To help create and validate tools for the gear designer, the NASA Lewis Research Center performed in-house analytical and experimental studies to investigate the effect of rim thickness on gear-tooth crack propagation. Our goal was to determine whether cracks grew through gear teeth (benign failure mode) or through gear rims (catastrophic failure mode) for various rim thicknesses. In addition, we investigated the effect of rim thickness on crack propagation life. A finite-element-based computer program simulated gear-tooth crack propagation. The analysis used principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics, and quarter-point, triangular elements were used at the crack tip to represent the stress singularity. The program had an automated crack propagation option in which cracks were grown numerically via an automated remeshing scheme. Crack-tip stress-intensity factors were estimated to determine crack-propagation direction. Also, various fatigue crack growth models were used to estimate crack-propagation life. Experiments were performed in Lewis' Spur Gear Fatigue Rig to validate predicted crack propagation results. Gears with various backup ratios were tested to validate crack-path predictions. Also, test gears were installed with special crack-propagation gages in the tooth fillet region to measure bending-fatigue crack growth. From both predictions and tests, gears with backup ratios (rim thickness divided by tooth height) of 3.3 and 1.0 produced tooth fractures, whereas a backup ratio of 0.3 produced rim fractures. For a backup ratio of 0.5, the experiments produced rim fractures and the predictions produced both rim and tooth fractures, depending on the initial geometry of the crack. Good correlation between predicted and measured crack growth was achieved when the fatigue crack-closure concept was introduced into the analysis. As the gear rim thickness decreased, the compressive cyclic stress in the gear-tooth fillet region increased. This retarded crack growth and increased the number of crack-propagation cycles to failure.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1999

Three-Dimensional Gear Crack Propagation Studied

Gears used in current helicopters and turboprops are designed for light weight, high margins of safety, and high reliability. However, unexpected gear failures may occur even with adequate tooth design. To design an extremely safe system, the designer must ask and address the question, "What happens when a failure occurs?" With gear-tooth bending fatigue, tooth or rim fractures may occur. A crack that propagates through a rim will be catastrophic, leading to disengagement of the rotor or propeller, loss of an aircraft, and possible fatalities. This failure mode should be avoided. A crack that propagates through a tooth may or may not be catastrophic, depending on the design and operating conditions. Also, early warning of this failure mode may be possible because of advances in modern diagnostic systems. One concept proposed to address bending fatigue fracture from a safety aspect is a splittooth gear design. The prime objective of this design would be to control crack propagation in a desired direction such that at least half of the tooth would remain operational should a bending failure occur. A study at the NASA Lewis Research Center analytically validated the crack-propagation failsafe characteristics of a split-tooth gear. It used a specially developed three-dimensional crack analysis program that was based on boundary element modeling and principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics. Crack shapes as well as the crack-propagation life were predicted on the basis of the calculated stress intensity factors, mixed-mode crack-propagation trajectory theories, and fatigue crack-growth theories. The preceding figures show the effect of the location of initial cracks on crack propagation. Initial cracks in the fillet of the teeth produced stress intensity factors of greater magnitude (and thus, greater crack growth rates) than those in the root or groove areas of the teeth. Crack growth was simulated in a case study to evaluate crack-propagation paths. Tooth fracture was predicted from the crackgrowth simulation for an initial crack in the tooth fillet region. This was the desired failure mode for an ultrasafe design. Lastly, tooth loads on the uncracked mesh of the split-tooth design were up to five times greater than those on the cracked mesh if equal deflections of the cracked and uncracked teeth were considered. This effect needs to be considered in the design of a split-tooth configuration. This work was done in-house at Lewis in support of the National Rotorcraft Technology Center project, Ultra-Safe Gear Design, with the Boeing Defense and Space Group. The crack-propagation package was developed by the Cornell Fracture Group at Cornell University. The reported results, which are the initial findings of Lewis gear-crackpropagation research for the Rotorcraft Base Program, will be further investigated to develop generalized gear design guidelines.

Lewicki, David G.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The optimal design of standard gearsets

A design procedure for sizing standard involute spur gearsets is presented. The procedure is applied to find the optimal design for two examples - an external gear mesh with a ratio of 5:1 and an internal gear mesh with a ratio of 5:1. In the procedure, the gear mesh is designed to minimize the center distance for a given gear ratio, pressure angle, pinion torque, and allowable tooth strengths. From the methodology presented, a design space may be formulated for either external gear contact or for internal contact. The design space includes kinematics considerations of involute interference, tip fouling, and contact ratio. Also included are design constraints based on bending fatigue in the pinion fillet and Hertzian contact pressure in the full load region and at the gear tip where scoring is possible. This design space is two dimensional, giving the gear mesh center distance as a function of diametral pitch and the number of pinion teeth. The constraint equations were identified for kinematic interference, fillet bending fatigue, pitting fatigue, and scoring pressure, which define the optimal design space for a given gear design. The locus of equal size optimum designs was identified as the straight line through the origin which has the least slope in the design region.

Savage, M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Gear Crack Propagation Path Studies-- Guidelines Developed for Ultrasafe Design

Effective gear designs balance strength, durability, reliability, size, weight, and cost. However, unexpected gear failures may occur even with adequate gear tooth design. To design an extremely safe system, the designer must ask and address the question "What happens when a failure occurs?" With regard to gear-tooth bending fatigue, tooth or rim fractures may occur. For aircraft, a crack that propagated through a rim would be catastrophic, leading to the disengagement of a rotor or propeller, the loss of an aircraft, and possible fatalities. This failure mode should be avoided. However, a crack that propagated through a tooth might or might not be catastrophic, depending on the design and operating conditions. Also, early warning of this failure mode might be possible because of advances in modern diagnostic systems. An analysis was performed at the NASA Glenn Research Center to develop design guidelines to prevent catastrophic rim fracture failure modes in the event of gear-tooth bending fatigue. The finite element method was used with principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics. Crack propagation paths were predicted for a variety of gear tooth and rim configurations. The effects of rim and web thicknesses, initial crack locations, and gear-tooth geometry factors such as diametral pitch, number of teeth, pitch radius, and tooth pressure angle were considered. Design maps of tooth and rim fracture modes, including the effects of gear geometry, applied load, crack size, and material properties were developed. The occurrence of rim fractures significantly increased as the backup ratio (rim thickness divided by tooth height) decreased. The occurrence of rim fractures also increased as the initial crack location was moved down the root of the tooth. Increased rim and web compliance increased the occurrence of rim fractures. For gears with constant-pitch radii, coarser-pitch teeth increased the occurrence of tooth fractures over rim fractures. Also, 25 degree pressure angle teeth increased the occurrence of tooth fractures over rim fractures in comparison to 20 pressure angle teeth. For gears with a constant number of teeth or for gears with constant diametral pitch, varying size had little or no effect on crack propagation paths.

Lewicki, David G.↗
NASA NTRS1968

Effect of surface irregularities on bellows fatigue life

Report presents test data on the bending fatigue life of notched sheet specimens. The influence of a surface irregularity on the fatigue life of a metal bellows is evaluated, with emphasis on accidental defects in ducting bellows which are impossible to avoid short of completely eliminating human contact.

Schmidt, E. H.↗