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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 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Demonstrating damage tolerance of composite airframes

Commercial transport aircraft operating in the United States are certified by the Federal Aviation Authority to be damage tolerant. On 28 April 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 727-200 airplane, suffered an explosive decompression of the fuselage but landed safely. This event provides very strong justification for the damage tolerant design criteria. The likely cause of the explosive decompression was the linkup of numerous small fatigue cracks that initiated at adjacent fastener holes in the lap splice joint at the side of the body. Actually, the design should have limited the damage size to less than two frame spacings (about 40 inches), but this type of 'multi-site damage' was not originally taken into account. This cracking pattern developed only in the high-time airplanes (many flights). After discovery in the fleet, a stringent inspection program using eddy current techniques was inaugurated to discover these cracks before they linked up. Because of concerns about safety and the maintenance burden, the lap-splice joints of these high-time airplanes are being modified to remove cracks and prevent new cracking; newer designs account for 'multi-site damage'.

Poe, Clarence C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Transonic airframe propulsion integration

This chart shows the time line for HSR propulsion/airframe integration program. HSR Phase 1 efforts are underway in both propulsion and aerodynamics. The propulsion efforts focus on cycles, inlets combustors and nozzles that will be required to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOX) at cruise and noise at takeoff and landing to acceptable levels. The aerodynamic efforts concentrate on concepts that will reduce sonic booms and increase the lift/drag (L/D) ratio for the aircraft. The Phase 2 critical propulsion component technology program will focus on large scale demonstrators of the inlet, fan, combustor, and nozzle. The hardware developed here will feed into the propulsion system program which will demonstrate overall system technology readiness, particularly in the takeoff and supersonic cruise speed ranges. The Phase 2 aerodynamic performance and vehicle integration program will provide a validated data base for advanced airframe/control/integration concepts over the full HSR speed range. The results of this program will also feed into the propulsion system demonstration program, particularly in the critical transonic arena.

Coltrin, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Airframe materials for HSR

Vugraphs are presented to show the use of refractory materials for the skin of the High speed Civil Transport (HSCT). Examples are given of skin temperature ranges, failure mode weight distribution, tensile properties as a function of temperature, and components to be constructed from composite materials. The responsibilities of various aircraft companies for specific aircraft components are defined.

Bales, Thomas T.↗
NASA NTRS1992

HSCT airframe materials: The Boeing perspective

Vugraphs are presented on the effect of cruise Mach number on the maximum takeoff weight of the High Speed Commercial Transport (HSCT). Predictions are made of the service life of the aircraft, and the aging effects of various candidate materials are examined. The objective of the study is to develop and evaluate low cost airplane designs by examining alternate structural, material, and manufacturing concepts, for the purpose of advising material suppliers and NASA on desired materials, product forms, and processing techniques.

Grande, Donald L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Development of the NASA/FLAGRO computer program for analysis of airframe structures

The NASA/FLAGRO (NASGRO) computer program was developed for fracture control analysis of space hardware and is currently the standard computer code in NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the European Agency (ESA) for this purpose. The significant attributes of the NASGRO program are the numerous crack case solutions, the large materials file, the improved growth rate equation based on crack closure theory, and the user-friendly promptive input features. In support of the National Aging Aircraft Research Program (NAARP); NASGRO is being further developed to provide advanced state-of-the-art capability for damage tolerance and crack growth analysis of aircraft structural problems, including mechanical systems and engines. The project currently involves a cooperative development effort by NASA, FAA, and ESA. The primary tasks underway are the incorporation of advanced methodology for crack growth rate retardation resulting from spectrum loading and improved analysis for determining crack instability. Also, the current weight function solutions in NASGRO or nonlinear stress gradient problems are being extended to more crack cases, and the 2-d boundary integral routine for stress analysis and stress-intensity factor solutions is being extended to 3-d problems. Lastly, effort is underway to enhance the program to operate on personal computers and work stations in a Windows environment. Because of the increasing and already wide usage of NASGRO, the code offers an excellent mechanism for technology transfer for new fatigue and fracture mechanics capabilities developed within NAARP.

Forman, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Application of linear array imaging techniques to the real-time inspection of airframe structures and substructures

Development and application of linear array imaging technologies to address specific aging-aircraft inspection issues is described. Real-time video-taped images were obtained from an unmodified commercial linear-array medical scanner of specimens constructed to simulate typical types of flaws encountered in the inspection of aircraft structures. Results suggest that information regarding the characteristics, location, and interface properties of specific types of flaws in materials and structures may be obtained from the images acquired with a linear array. Furthermore, linear array imaging may offer the advantage of being able to compare 'good' regions with 'flawed' regions simultaneously, and in real time. Real-time imaging permits the inspector to obtain image information from various views and provides the opportunity for observing the effects of introducing specific interventions. Observation of an image in real-time can offer the operator the ability to 'interact' with the inspection process, thus providing new capabilities, and perhaps, new approaches to nondestructive inspections.

Miller, James G.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Application of Linear Array Imaging Techniques to the Real-Time Inspection of Airframe Structures and Substructures

Current concern for ensuring, the air-worthiness of the aging commercial air fleet has prompted the establishment of broad-agency programs to develop NDT technologies that address specific aging-aircraft issues. One of the crucial technological needs that has been identified is the development of rapid, quantitative systems for depot-level inspection of bonded aluminum lap joints on aircraft. Research results for characterization of disbond and corrosion based on normal-incidence pulse-echo measurement geometries are showing promise, but are limited by the single-site nature of the measurement which requires manual or mechanical scanning to inspect an area. One approach to developing efficient systems may be to transfer specific aspects of current medical imaging technology to the NDT arena. Ultrasonic medical imaging, systems offer many desirable attributes for large scale inspection. They are portable, provide real-time imaging, and have integrated video tape recorder and printer capabilities available for documentation and post-inspection review. Furthermore, these systems are available at a relatively low cost (approximately $50,000 to $200,000) and can be optimized for use with metals with straight-forward modifications.

Miller, James G.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Airframe Systems: Research and Technology Base Program

The author argues that the aeronautics research and technology base has shifted from a discipline focus to a program focus. The program planning is progressing as Level I is complete and Level II plans are under development, while there is significant inter-center planning and coordination taking place. These programs are addressing problems that are important to the nation namely, "the three pillars to success" which are; access to space, global civil aviation and revolutionary technology leaps.

Whitlow, Woodrow, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Structural Qualification of Composite Airframes

The development of fundamental approaches for predicting failure and elongation characteristics of fibrous composites are summarized in this document. The research described includes a statistical formulation for individual fiber breakage and fragmentation and clustered fiber breakage, termed macrodefects wherein the aligned composite may represent a structural component such as a reinforcing bar element, a rebar. Experimental work conducted in support of the future exploitation of aligned composite rebar elements is also described. This work discusses the experimental challenges associated with rebar tensile test evaluation and describes initial numerical analyses performed in support of the experimental program.

Kedward, Keith T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

A PTC Optimization and Control Surface Interference Study HSR Airframe Technical Review

This report considers the effect of canard and horizontal tail vertical position on the aerodynamic characteristics of the PTC configuration without nacelles and diverters. This analysis is followed by three optimization studies using canard and tail incidence as design variables in the first problem followed by an optimization run with canard and tail incidence and wing camber design variables and finally an optimization run with canard incidence and wing camber. The first problem was run at fixed lift while the other two problems were run at fixed angle of attack. The final investigation reported here will show data from a component buildup study using the PTC configuration. This final study will show the aerodynamic interference between the canard, wing and horizontal tail.

Hicks, Raymond↗
NASA NTRS1999

HSCT Propulsion Airframe Integration Studies

The Lockheed Martin spillage study was a substantial effort and is worthy of a separate paper. However, since a paper was not submitted a few of the most pertinent results have been pulled out and included in this paper. The reader is urged to obtain a copy of the complete Boeing Configuration Aerodynamics final 1995 contract report for the complete Lockheed documentation of the spillage work. The supersonic cruise studies presented here focus on the bifurcated - axisymmetric inlet drag delta. In the process of analyzing this delta several test/CFD data correlation problems arose that lead to a correction of the measured drag delta from 4.6 counts to 3.1 counts. This study also lead to much better understanding of the OVERFLOW gridding and solution process, and to increased accuracy of the force and moment data. Detailed observations of the CFD results lead to the conclusion that the 3.1 count difference between the two inlet types could be reduced to approximately 2 counts, with an absolute lower bound of 1.2 counts due to friction drag and the bifurcated lip bevel.

Chaney, Steve↗
NASA NTRS2000

Fiber Optic Sensors for Health Monitoring of Morphing Airframes: Bragg Grating Strain and Temperature Sensor - Part 1

Fiber optic sensors are being developed for health monitoring of future aircraft. Aircraft health monitoring involves the use of strain, temperature, vibration and chemical sensors to infer integrity of the aircraft structure. Part 1 of this two part series describes sensors that will measure load and temperature signatures of these structures. In some cases a single fiber may be used for measuring these parameters. Part 2 will describe techniques for using optical fibers to monitor composite cure in real time during manufacture and to monitor in-service integrity of composite structures using a single fiber optic sensor capable of measuring multiple chemical and physical parameters. The facilities for fabricating optical fiber and associated sensors and the methods of demodulating Bragg gratings for strain measurement will be described.

Wood, Karen↗
NASA NTRS2000

Fiber Optic Sensors for Health Monitoring of Morphing Airframes: Chemical Sensing Using Optical Fibers with Bragg Gratings - Part 2

Part 1 of this two part series described the fabrication and calibration of Bragg gratings written into a single mode optical fiber for use in strain and temperature monitoring. Part 2 of the series describes the use of identical fibers and additional multimode fibers, both with and without Bragg gratings, to perform near infrared spectroscopy. The demodulation system being developed at NASA Langley Research Center currently requires the use of a single mode optical fiber. Attempts to use this single mode fiber for spectroscopic analysis are problematic given its small core diameter, resulting in low signal intensity. Nonetheless, we have conducted a preliminary investigation using a single mode fiber in conjunction with an infrared spectrometer to obtain spectra of a high-performance epoxy resin system. Spectra were obtained using single mode fibers that contained Bragg gratings; however, the peaks of interest were barely discernible above the noise. The goal of this research is to provide a multipurpose sensor in a single optical fiber capable of measuring a variety of chemical and physical properties.

Wood, Karen↗
NASA NTRS2000

Integrated Airframe Demonstrations

The objective of the project described in this viewgraph presentation is to develop and verify the technology required for the application of minimal weight control surfaces that meet MASP vehicle requirements. The approaches include the development of design and fabrication concepts, the verification of concept design through sub-component fabrication and tests, the design and fabrication of a full-scale segment of the carbon-carbon control surface, and the design verification and fabrication technology by thermal and structural tests.

Glass, David E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Health Monitoring for Airframe Structural Characterization

This study established requirements for structural health monitoring systems, identified and characterized a prototype structural sensor system, developed sensor interpretation algorithms, and demonstrated the sensor systems on operationally realistic test articles. Fiber-optic corrosion sensors (i.e., moisture and metal ion sensors) and low-cycle fatigue sensors (i.e., strain and acoustic emission sensors) were evaluated to validate their suitability for monitoring aging degradation; characterize the sensor performance in aircraft environments; and demonstrate placement processes and multiplexing schemes. In addition, a unique micromachined multimeasure and sensor concept was developed and demonstrated. The results show that structural degradation of aircraft materials could be effectively detected and characterized using available and emerging sensors. A key component of the structural health monitoring capability is the ability to interpret the information provided by sensor system in order to characterize the structural condition. Novel deterministic and stochastic fatigue damage development and growth models were developed for this program. These models enable real time characterization and assessment of structural fatigue damage.

Munns, Thomas E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Numerical Simulation of Rolling-Airframes Using a Multi-Level Cartesian Method

A supersonic rolling missile with two synchronous canard control surfaces is analyzed using an automated, inviscid, Cartesian method. Sequential-static and time-dependent dynamic simulations of the complete motion are computed for canard dither schedules for level flight, pitch, and yaw maneuver. The dynamic simulations are compared directly against both high-resolution viscous simulations and relevant experimental data, and are also utilized to compute dynamic stability derivatives. The results show that both the body roll rate and canard dither motion influence the roll-averaged forces and moments on the body. At the relatively, low roll rates analyzed in the current work these dynamic effects are modest, however the dynamic computations are effective in predicting the dynamic stability derivatives which can be significant for highly-maneuverable missiles.

Murman, Scott M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Advances in Structural Integrity Analysis Methods for Aging Metallic Airframe Structures with Local Damage

Analysis methodologies for predicting fatigue-crack growth from rivet holes in panels subjected to cyclic loads and for predicting the residual strength of aluminum fuselage structures with cracks and subjected to combined internal pressure and mechanical loads are described. The fatigue-crack growth analysis methodology is based on small-crack theory and a plasticity induced crack-closure model, and the effect of a corrosive environment on crack-growth rate is included. The residual strength analysis methodology is based on the critical crack-tip-opening-angle fracture criterion that characterizes the fracture behavior of a material of interest, and a geometric and material nonlinear finite element shell analysis code that performs the structural analysis of the fuselage structure of interest. The methodologies have been verified experimentally for structures ranging from laboratory coupons to full-scale structural components. Analytical and experimental results based on these methodologies are described and compared for laboratory coupons and flat panels, small-scale pressurized shells, and full-scale curved stiffened panels. The residual strength analysis methodology is sufficiently general to include the effects of multiple-site damage on structural behavior.

fatigue-crack growth↗
NASA NTRS2003

Health Monitoring of RLV Airframe Structures

This final report is divided into three sections on health monitoring technologies: 1) Analysis of Optical Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Data from Composite Wing Box Experiment; 2) Current Optical Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Data Acquisition Design; and 3) Damages Identification of a Composite Plate by Prestack Reverse-Time Migration Technique. The report also includes an appendix, 'Group Velocities of Flexural Waves in a Composite Plate'.

Yuan, F. G.↗