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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.

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At least 37 records · Page 2

Fatigue failure of regenerator screens in a high frequency Stirling engine

Failure of Stirling Space Power Demonstrator Engine (SPDE) regenerator screens was investigated. After several hours of operation the SPDE was shut down for inspection and on removing the regenerator screens, debris of unknown origin was discovered along with considerable cracking of the screens in localized areas. Metallurgical analysis of the debris determined it to be cracked-off-deformed pieces of the 41 micron thickness Type 304 stainless steel wire screen. Scanning electron microscopy of the cracked screens revealed failures occurring at wire crossovers and fatigue striations on the fracture surface of the wires. Thus, the screen failure can be characterized as a fatigue failure of the wires. The crossovers were determined to contain a 30 percent reduction in wire thickness and a highly worked microstructure occurring from the manufacturing process of the wire screens. Later it was found that reduction in wire thickness occurred because the screen fabricator had subjected it to a light cold-roll process after weaving. Installation of this screen left a clearance in the regenerator allowing the screens to move. The combined effects of the reduction in wire thickness, stress concentration (caused by screen movement), and highly worked microstructure at the wire crossovers led to the fatigue failure of the screens.

Hull, David R.↗

Fatigue failure of regenerator screens in a high frequency Stirling engine

Failure of Stirling Space Power Demonstrator Engine (SPDE) regenerator screens was investigated. After several hours of operation the SPDE was shut down for inspection and on removing the regenator screens, debris of unknown origin was discovered along with considerable cracking of the screens in localized areas. Metallurgical analysis of the debris determined it to be cracked-off-deformed pieces of the 41 micron thickness Type 304 stainless steel wire screen. Scanning electron microscopy of the cracked screens revealed failures occurring at wire crossovers and fatigue striations on the fracture surface of the wires. Thus, the screen failure can be characterized as a fatigue failure of the wires. The crossovers were determined to contain 30 percent reduction in wire thickness and a highly worked microstructure occurring from the manufacturing process of the wire screens. Later it was found that reduction in wire thickness occurred because the screen fabricator had subjected it to a light cold-roll process after weaving. Installation of this screen left a clearance in the regenerator allowing the screens to move. The combined effects of the reduction in wire thickness, stress concentration (caused by screen movement), and highly worked microstructure at the wire crossovers led to the fatigue failure of the screens.

Hull, David R.↗

Probabilistic low cycle fatigue failure analysis with application to liquid propellant rocket engines

A probabilistic Low Cycle Fatigue (LCF) failure analysis of a candidate turbine disk for use in a turbopump of a rocket engine of the Space Shuttle Main Engine class is described. A state-of-the-art LCF failure prediction method was used in a Monte Carlo simulation to generate a distribution of failure lives. A stochastic Stress/Life (S/N) model was used for materials characterization. The LCF failure model expresses fatigue life as a function of stochastic parameters including environmental parameters, loads, material properties, structural parameters, and model specification errors. The rationale for the particular characterization of each stochastic input parameter is described. The results and interpretation of the failure analysis are given.

Newlin, L.↗

A continuum damage approach to spallation and the role of microinertia

Spall failure is of interest due to its prevalence in high strain rate problems in which the spallation is driven by the interaction of release waves. In this article, a porosity-based damage model that includes microinertial effects is used to examine spall failure. The model is successfully calibrated to plate impact-driven experiments and then used to evaluate experimental conditions producing more extreme strain rate conditions, such as those in laser-driven experiments. The incorporation of microinertia allows us to better understand the increase in apparent macroscopic spall strength seen at high strain rates. Correspondingly, we conclude that the incorporation of microinertial effects improves the model’s predictive capabilities. Microinertial effects result in more severe local tensile stresses that affect the damage evolution, and microinertia can play a significant role in the approach to the material’s ideal strength at extreme loading rates. Additionally, a preliminary parametric study is also carried out to investigate the role of microstructural aspects such as nucleation volume fraction and initial pore radius. One counter-intuitive result from the microinertial effects is that, for a given nucleation site volume fraction, having larger initial pore nucleation sites can lead to an improved macroscopic spall strength.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Critical design load case fatigue and ultimate failure simulation for a 10-m H-type vertical-axis wind turbine

While previous studies investigating critical VAWT design load cases have focused on large and relatively flexible Darrieus designs, the bulk of current commercial products seeking certification fall in the relatively small, stiff, and H-type configuration, such as the XFlow Energy Corporation turbine that this study compares against. Understanding the critical design load case impacts for both fatigue and ultimate failure for this size and type of VAWT are imperative for certification. The abil

Brownstein, Ian↗

Probabilistic failure assessment with application to solid rocket motors

A quantitative methodology is being developed for assessment of risk of failure of solid rocket motors. This probabilistic methodology employs best available engineering models and available information in a stochastic framework. The framework accounts for incomplete knowledge of governing parameters, intrinsic variability, and failure model specification error. Earlier case studies have been conducted on several failure modes of the Space Shuttle Main Engine. Work in progress on application of this probabilistic approach to large solid rocket boosters such as the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor for the Space Shuttle is described. Failure due to debonding has been selected as the first case study for large solid rocket motors (SRMs) since it accounts for a significant number of historical SRM failures. Impact of incomplete knowledge of governing parameters and failure model specification errors is expected to be important.

Jan, Darrell L.↗

Proposed method for determining the thickness of glass in solar collector panels

An analytical method was developed for determining the minimum thickness for simply supported, rectangular glass plates subjected to uniform normal pressure environmental loads such as wind, earthquake, snow, and deadweight. The method consists of comparing an analytical prediction of the stress in the glass panel to a glass breakage stress determined from fracture mechanics considerations. Based on extensive analysis using the nonlinear finite element structural analysis program ARGUS, design curves for the structural analysis of simply supported rectangular plates were developed. These curves yield the center deflection, center stress and corner stress as a function of a dimensionless parameter describing the load intensity. A method of estimating the glass breakage stress as a function of a specified failure rate, degree of glass temper, design life, load duration time, and panel size is also presented.

Moore, D. M.↗

Failure risk assessment by analysis and testing

The sources of information on which to base an evaluation of reliability or failure risk of an aerospace flight system are (1) experience from tests and flights and (2) engineering analysis. It is rarely feasible to establish high reliability at high confidence by testing aerospace systems or components. Moreover, failure prediction by conventional, deterministic methods of engineering analysis can become arbitrary and subject to serious misinterpretation when uncertain or approximate information is used to establish analysis parameter values and to calibrate the accuracy of engineering models. The limitations of testing to evaluate failure risk are discussed, and a statistical approach which incorporates both engineering analysis and testing is presented.

Moore, N.↗

Structural Analysis for the American Airlines Flight 587 Accident Investigation: Global Analysis

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) supported the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the American Airlines Flight 587 accident investigation due to LaRC's expertise in high-fidelity structural analysis and testing of composite structures and materials. A Global Analysis Team from LaRC reviewed the manufacturer s design and certification procedures, developed finite element models and conducted structural analyses, and participated jointly with the NTSB and Airbus in subcomponent tests conducted at Airbus in Hamburg, Germany. The Global Analysis Team identified no significant or obvious deficiencies in the Airbus certification and design methods. Analysis results from the LaRC team indicated that the most-likely failure scenario was failure initiation at the right rear main attachment fitting (lug), followed by an unstable progression of failure of all fin-to-fuselage attachments and separation of the VTP from the aircraft. Additionally, analysis results indicated that failure initiates at the final observed maximum fin loading condition in the accident, when the VTP was subjected to loads that were at minimum 1.92 times the design limit load condition for certification. For certification, the VTP is only required to support loads of 1.5 times design limit load without catastrophic failure. The maximum loading during the accident was shown to significantly exceed the certification requirement. Thus, the structure appeared to perform in a manner consistent with its design and certification, and failure is attributed to VTP loads greater than expected.

Young, Richard D.↗

Structural Health Monitoring of Vertical Lift Structures Operating in an Urban Environment

Verifying the structural integrity of aeronautical vehicles is of critical importance for the safety of passengers and crew. When operating in a densely populated urban area, pedestrian safety and collateral damage to buildings and other infrastructure also become important concerns. Damage modes, including fatigue from an increased frequency of take-off and landing cycles and a higher probability of impacts from bird strikes, also pose different failure risks as compared to commercial long-haul aircraft and thus require a change in structural health monitoring philosophy. This presentation will review the state of the art in structural health monitoring with an eye toward applications for vertical lift systems operated in the urban environment. Structural health monitoring methods including eddy current, fiber optic, ultrasonic plate wave, surface acoustic wave and electrical impedance tomography will be explored for use in on-board monitoring of impact and overstrain events as well as damage detection and characterization. Infusion of the data into an early warning system to help ensure damage will not propagate to failure during flight will also be discussed.

Russell A Wincheski↗

Dynamic response of additively manufactured Ti–5Al–5V–5Mo–3Cr as a function of heat treatment

Both shock and shockless compression experiments were performed on laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) Ti–5Al–5V–5Mo–3Cr (Ti-5553) to peak compressive stresses near 15 GPa. Experiments were performed on the as-built material, containing a purely β (body centered cubic) microstructure, and two differing heat treatments resulting in a dual phase α (hexagonal close packed) and β microstructure. The Hugoniot, Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL), and spallation strength were measured and compared to wrought Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-64). The results indicate the LPBF Ti-5553 Hugoniot response is similar between heat treatments and to Ti-64. The HEL stress observed in the LPBF Ti-5553 was considerably higher than Ti-64, with the as-built, fully β alloy exhibiting the largest values. The spallation strength of the LPBF Ti-5553 was also similar to Ti-64. Clear evidence of initial porosity serving as initiation sites for spallation damage was observed when comparing computed tomography measurements before and after loading. Post-mortem scanning electron microscopy images of the recovered spallation samples showed no evidence of retained phase changes near the spall plane. The spall plane was found to have kinks aligned with the loading direction near areas with large concentrations of twin-like, crystallographic defects in the as-built condition. For the heat-treated samples, the concentrations of twin-like, crystallographic defects were absent, and no preference for failure at the interface between the α and β phases was observed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Solid rocket booster joint seal analyses

O-ring response and sealing in pressurized shell structures is examined. The study found that the key elements in the failure of the seal to be joint opening and rotation, assembly out of roundness, and O-ring seal response.

Moore, Carleton J.↗

Seal testing of large diameter rocket motors

This investigative program examines leakage testing of elastomeric O-ring seals for a solid rocket casing and provides direction towards an improved nondestructive postassembly test. It also details test equipment for the Space Shuttle systems solid rocket boosters (SRB). The results are useful to designers of hardware for pressure containment vessels which use O-ring seals. Using several subscale seal and groove configuration test fixtures equipped with either two or three O-ring seals in series, seal integrity is investigated with both a pressure decay and flowmeter methods. Both types of test equipment adequately detect the practical range of expected seal leak rates of 1 to 0.0001 sccs. The flowmeter leak test equipment appears to reduce testing time substantially. Limited seal leakage testing is performed on full-sized rocket motor segment seals, a pre-Challenger short stack, providing comparison of bore seals to test specimen bore and face seals. The conclusions are that seal reliability, verified via a performance pressure test, can be affected by temperature, quantity of grease, test pressure, and seal pressure load direction. Potential seal failure scenarios including contamination, seal damage, and sealing surface damage are discussed. Recommendations are made for an improved test procedure.

Moore, N. B.↗

Solar Sea Power Plants (SSPP): A critical review and survey

An overview of technical and economic matters relating to the eventual success or failure of the SSPP concept is presented, with emphasis on the pollution and energy problems which the SSPP would serve to eliminate. Factors discussed include cost, mariculture possibilities, siting, legal limitations, design materials, mooring and anchoring, and the human element involved. Several alternative power systems are considered for incorporation into SSPP design, such as Nitinol power, Claude cycle, and closed cycle engine systems.

Strauss, A. M.↗

An improved approach for flight readiness certification: Probabilistic models for flaw propagation and turbine blade failure. Volume 1: Methodology and applications

An improved methodology for quantitatively evaluating failure risk of spaceflight systems to assess flight readiness and identify risk control measures is presented. This methodology, called Probabilistic Failure Assessment (PFA), combines operating experience from tests and flights with analytical modeling of failure phenomena to estimate failure risk. The PFA methodology is of particular value when information on which to base an assessment of failure risk, including test experience and knowledge of parameters used in analytical modeling, is expensive or difficult to acquire. The PFA methodology is a prescribed statistical structure in which analytical models that characterize failure phenomena are used conjointly with uncertainties about analysis parameters and/or modeling accuracy to estimate failure probability distributions for specific failure modes. These distributions can then be modified, by means of statistical procedures of the PFA methodology, to reflect any test or flight experience. State-of-the-art analytical models currently employed for designs failure prediction, or performance analysis are used in this methodology. The rationale for the statistical approach taken in the PFA methodology is discussed, the PFA methodology is described, and examples of its application to structural failure modes are presented. The engineering models and computer software used in fatigue crack growth and fatigue crack initiation applications are thoroughly documented.

Moore, N. R.↗

An improved approach for flight readiness certification: Probabilistic models for flaw propagation and turbine blade failure. Volume 2: Software documentation

An improved methodology for quantitatively evaluating failure risk of spaceflights systems to assess flight readiness and identify risk control measures is presented. This methodology, called Probabilistic Failure Assessment (PFA), combines operating experience from tests and flights with analytical modeling of failure phenomena to estimate failure risk. The PFA methodology is of particular value when information on which to base an assessment of failure risk, including test experience and knowledge of parameters used in analytical modeling, is expensive or difficult to acquire. The PFA methodology is a prescribed statistical structure in which analytical models that characterize failure phenomena are used conjointly with uncertainties about analysis parameters and/or modeling accuracy to estimate failure probability distributions for specific failure modes. These distributions can then be modified, by means of statistical procedures of the PFA methodology, to reflect any test or flight experience. State-of-the-art analytical models currently employed for design, failure prediction, or performance analysis are used in this methodology. The rationale for the statistical approach taken in the PFA methodology is discussed, the PFA methodology is described, and examples of its application to structural failure modes are presented. The engineering models and computer software used in fatigue crack growth and fatigue crack initiation applications are thoroughly documented.

Moore, N. R.↗