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At least 433 records · Page 24

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NASA NTRS2025

Mechanics of Preloaded Bolt Tensile Loading With Focus on Load Introduction Factor

The bolt tensile and joint separation loads are directly influenced by the locations at which the external loads enter the clamped members of a preloaded bolted joint (PBJ) and the associated load-paths through the joint. This physical load introduction mechanism affecting the bolt tensile loading is typically represented in the bolt tensile load equation, in part, by a load introduction factor (LIF), which was shown by H.M. Lee of Marshall Spaceflight Center to be a natural product of the bolt tensile load equation using a linear spring stiffness model. This LIF, being a function of load-path stiffness, has subsequently been denoted as the stiffness-based LIF (SBLIF), providing a framework to calculate the LIF using whatever load-path stiffness approximations are appropriate. Expanding upon the work of Lee, it is shown that the SBLIF and the joint stiffness factor are functions of the stiffnesses of the same load-paths and regions within a PBJ, and thus they should not be treated as independent variables. Mathematical expressions for the SBLIF are presented. Comparisons are shown between the analytically calculated SBLIF, the analytically calculated geometric LIF (GLIF), which is a simple clamped-member thickness ratio, the experimentally derived LIF, and the LIF determined by finite element analysis (FEA). Using experiment and FEA as a benchmark, the SBLIF, using traditional load-path stiffness approximations, enables a more accurate prediction of bolt tensile loading than the GLIF, although it can be unconservative near joint separation. The GLIF generally attributes more of the externally applied tensile load to the bolt than does the SBLIF, potentially resulting in heavier and/or more costly bolted joints. Mathematical relationships between the SBLIF and the GLIF are developed. Supplemental material is provided in the appendixes where the historical practice of using the joint compressive stiffness in place of the joint tensile stiffness is evaluated. The appendixes include step-by-step examples demonstrating the calculation of the SBLIF using traditional stiffness approximations and conclude with the development of the joint diagram in terms of the SBLIF, culminating into formulas for the key features of a joint diagram, which is useful for programming.

Load Path↗

DOE OSTI2026

Mechanical Characterization of the NIF Ignition Target TMPSA Bonding Flexure

The Thermo-Mechanical Package Sub-Assembly (TMPSA) provides a critical mechanical, thermal, and electrical interface between a silicon arm and a TMP aluminum can in a NIF ignition target. During assembly, sixteen silicon pads are bonded to the aluminum using a fixture that positions the components and applies a repeatable prescribed displacement through a compliant flexure. The flexure converts fixture interference into displacement and reaction force. Because bondline thickness variation must be maintained within +/-4 µm, consistent flexure behavior is important to the assembly process. With a recent string of TMPSAs exhibiting low bond strength, the flexures were inspected. Despite being manufactured to the same specifications, flexures were found to exhibit variation in measured stiffness. Additionally, the measured stiffness values did not always follow the presumed beam mechanics model. This work addresses two questions: whether the bonding fixture is working as intended, and whether the previously made stiffness measurements are accurate representations of the use case. The flexures are analyzed using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, measured beam dimensions, finite element analysis, and tolerance stack-up calculations. The analysis shows that the fixed-guided beam mechanics model appropriately represents the flexure during TMPSA bonding, but the chisel-tip stiffness measurement method introduces a deformation to the inner ring of the flexure that is not represented during use. The measured stiffness values should therefore be interpreted as test-condition stiffness values rather than direct measurements of operational flexure stiffness. The discrepancy is therefore attributed primarily to the measurement boundary condition rather than to failure of the fixed-guided beam model. Recommendations are provided for GD&T, dimensional inspection, and a representative stiffness testing method to better control bondline variation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1998

Microcracking of Materials for Space

The effect of thermal-cycling-induced microcracking in fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites is studied. Specific attention is focused on microcrack density as a function of the number of thermal cycles, and the effect of microcracking on the dimensional stability of composite materials. Changes in laminate coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and laminate stiffness are of primary concern. Included in the study are materials containing four different Thornel fiber types: a PAN-based T50 fiber and three pitch-based fibers, P55, P75, and P120. The fiber stiffnesses range from 55 Msi to 120 Msi. The fiber CTE's range from -0.50 x 1O(exp -6)/degrees F to -0.80 x 10(exp -6)/degrees F. Also included are three matrix types: Fiberite's 934 epoxy, Amoco's ERL1962 toughened epoxy, and YLA's RS3 cyanate ester. The lamination sequences of the materials considered include a cross-ply configuration, [0/90](sub 2s), and two quasi-isotropic configurations, [0/+45/-45/90](sub s), and [0/+45/90/-45](sub s). The layer thickness of the materials range from a nominal 0.001 in. to 0.005 in. In addition to the variety of materials considered, three different thermal cycling temperature ranges are considered. These temperature ranges are +/-250 degrees F, +/-l5O degrees F, and +/-50 degrees F. The combination of these material and geometric parameters and temperature ranges, combined with thermal cycling to thousands of cycles, makes this one of the most comprehensive studies of thermal-cycling-induced microcracking to date. Experimental comparisons are presented by examining the effect of layer thickness, fiber type, matrix type, and thermal cycling temperature range on microcracking and its influence on the laminates. Results regarding layer thickness effects indicate that thin-layer laminates microcrack more severely than identical laminates with thick layers. For some specimens in this study, the number of microcracks in thin-layer specimens exceeds that in thick-layer specimens by more than a factor of two. Despite the higher number of microcracks in the thin-layer specimens, small changes in CTE after thousands of cycles indicate that the thin-layer specimens are relatively unaffected by the presence of these cracks compared to the thick-layer specimens. Results regarding fiber type indicate that the number of microcracks and the change in CTE after thousands of cycles in the specimens containing PAN-based fibers are less than in the specimens containing comparable stiffness pitch-based fibers. Results for specimens containing the different pitch-based fibers indicate that after thousands of cycles, the number of microcracks in the specimens does not depend on the modulus or CTE of the fiber. The change in laminate CTE does, however, depend highly on the stiffness and CTE of the fiber. Fibers with higher stiffness and more negative CTE exhibit the lowest change in laminate CTE as a result of thermal cycling. The overall CTE of these specimens is, however, more negative as a result of the more negative CTE of the fiber. Results regarding matrix type based on the +/-250 degree F temperature range indicate that the RS3 cyanate ester resin system exhibits the greatest resistance to microcracking and the least change in CTE, particularly for cycles numbering 3000 and less. Extrapolations to higher numbers of cycles indicate, however, that the margin of increased performance is expected to decrease with additional thermal cycling. Results regarding thermal cycling temperature range depend on the matrix type considered and the layer thickness of the specimens. For the ERL1962 resin system, microcrack saturation is expected to occur in all specimens, regardless of the temperature range to which the specimens are exposed. By contrast, the RS3 resin system demonstrates a threshold effect such that cycled to less severe temperature ranges, microcracking does not occur. For the RS3 specimens with 0.005 in. layer thickness, no microcracking or changes in CTE are observed in specimens cycled between +/-150 degree F or +/- 50 degree F. For the RS3 specimens with 0.002 in. layer thickness, no microcracking or changes in CTE are observed in specimens cycled between +/-50 degree F. Results regarding laminate stiffness indicate negligible change in laminate stiffness due to thermal cycling for the materials and geometries considered in this investigation. The study includes X-ray examination of the specimens, showing that cracks observed at the edge of the specimens penetrate the entire width of the specimen. Glass transition temperatures of the specimens are measured, showing that resin chemistry is not altered as a result of thermal cycling. Results are also presented based on a one-dimensional shear lag analysis developed in the literature. The analysis requires material property information that is difficult to obtain experimentally. Using limited data from the present investigation, material properties associated with the analysis are modified to obtain reasonable agreement with measured microcrack densities. Based on these derived material properties, the analysis generally overpredicts the change in laminate CTE. Predicted changes in laminate stiffness show reasonable correlation with experimentally measured values.

Brown, Timothy L.↗

NASA NTRS1963

Investigation of Propeller-power-plant Autoprecession Boundaries for a Dynamic-aeroelastic Model of a Four-engine Turboprop Transport Airplane

A flexibly mounted aircraft engine may under certain conditions experience a self-excited whirling instability involving a coupling between the gyroscopic and aerodynamic forces acting on the propeller, and the inertial, elastic, and damping forces contributed by the power plant, nacelle, and wing. This phenomenon has been called autoprecession, or whirl instability. An experimental investigation was made in the Langley transonic dynamics tunnel at Mach numbers below 0.3 to study some of the pertinent parameters influencing the phenomenon. These parameters included propeller rotational speed, stiffness of the power-plant assembly in the pitch and yaw planes and the ratio of pitch stiffness to yaw stiffness, structural damping of the power-plant assembly in the pitch and yaw planes, simulated fuel load in the wings, and the location and number of autoprecessing powerplant assemblies. A large dynamic-aeroelastic model of a four-engine turboprop transport airplane mounted on a vertical rod in a manner which provided several limited body degrees of freedom was used in the investigation. It was found that the boundary for autoprecession decreased markedly with Increasing proreduction of power-plant stiffness and/or damping, and to a lesser degree decreased with reduction of simulated fuel load in the wings. peller rotational speed generally lowered the autoprecession boundary. This effect was more pronounced as the stiffness was increased. An inboard power plant was found to be more susceptible to autoprecession than an outboard one. Combinations in which two or more power plants had the same level of reduced stiffness resulted in autoprecession boundaries considerably lower than that of a single power plant with the same level of reduced stiffness.

POWER PLANT↗

NASA NTRS2002

Sensorimotor integration in human postural control

It is generally accepted that human bipedal upright stance is achieved by feedback mechanisms that generate an appropriate corrective torque based on body-sway motion detected primarily by visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory systems. Because orientation information from the various senses is not always available (eyes closed) or accurate (compliant support surface), the postural control system must somehow adjust to maintain stance in a wide variety of environmental conditions. This is the sensorimotor integration problem that we investigated by evoking anterior-posterior (AP) body sway using pseudorandom rotation of the visual surround and/or support surface (amplitudes 0.5-8 degrees ) in both normal subjects and subjects with severe bilateral vestibular loss (VL). AP rotation of body center-of-mass (COM) was measured in response to six conditions offering different combinations of available sensory information. Stimulus-response data were analyzed using spectral analysis to compute transfer functions and coherence functions over a frequency range from 0.017 to 2.23 Hz. Stimulus-response data were quite linear for any given condition and amplitude. However, overall behavior in normal subjects was nonlinear because gain decreased and phase functions sometimes changed with increasing stimulus amplitude. "Sensory channel reweighting" could account for this nonlinear behavior with subjects showing increasing reliance on vestibular cues as stimulus amplitudes increased. VL subjects could not perform this reweighting, and their stimulus-response behavior remained quite linear. Transfer function curve fits based on a simple feedback control model provided estimates of postural stiffness, damping, and feedback time delay. There were only small changes in these parameters with increasing visual stimulus amplitude. However, stiffness increased as much as 60% with increasing support surface amplitude. To maintain postural stability and avoid resonant behavior, an increase in stiffness should be accompanied by a corresponding increase in damping. Increased damping was achieved primarily by decreasing the apparent time delay of feedback control rather than by changing the damping coefficient (i.e., corrective torque related to body-sway velocity). In normal subjects, stiffness and damping were highly correlated with body mass and moment of inertia, with stiffness always about 1/3 larger than necessary to resist the destabilizing torque due to gravity. The stiffness parameter in some VL subjects was larger compared with normal subjects, suggesting that they may use increased stiffness to help compensate for their loss. Overall results show that the simple act of standing quietly depends on a remarkably complex sensorimotor control system.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗

NASA NTRS2013

Quantifying Effects of Voids in Woven Ceramic Matrix Composites

Randomness in woven ceramic matrix composite architecture has been found to cause large variability in stiffness and strength. The inherent voids are an aspect of the architecture that may cause a significant portion of the variability. A study is undertaken to investigate the effects of many voids of random sizes and distributions. Response surface approximations were formulated based on void parameters such as area and length fractions to provide an estimate of the effective stiffness. Obtaining quantitative relationships between the properties of the voids and their effects on stiffness of ceramic matrix composites are of ultimate interest, but the exploratory study presented here starts by first modeling the effects of voids on an isotropic material. Several cases with varying void parameters were modeled which resulted in a large amount of variability of the transverse stiffness and out-of-plane shear stiffness. An investigation into a physical explanation for the stiffness degradation led to the observation that the voids need to be treated as an entity that reduces load bearing capabilities in a space larger than what the void directly occupies through a corrected length fraction or area fraction. This provides explanation as to why void volume fraction is not the only important factor to consider when computing loss of stiffness.

Goldsmith, Marlana B.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Probabilistic Modeling Of Ocular Biomechanics In VIIP: Risk Stratification

Visual Impairment and Intracranial Pressure (VIIP) syndrome is a major health concern for long-duration space missions. Currently, it is thought that a cephalad fluid shift in microgravity causes elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) that is transmitted along the optic nerve sheath (ONS). We hypothesize that this in turn leads to alteration and remodeling of connective tissue in the posterior eye which impacts vision. Finite element (FE) analysis is a powerful tool for examining the effects of mechanical loads in complex geometries. Our goal is to build a FE analysis framework to understand the response of the lamina cribrosa and optic nerve head to elevations in ICP in VIIP. To simulate the effects of different pressures on tissues in the posterior eye, we developed a geometric model of the posterior eye and optic nerve sheath and used a Latin hypercubepartial rank correlation coef-ficient (LHSPRCC) approach to assess the influence of uncertainty in our input parameters (i.e. pressures and material properties) on the peak strains within the retina, lamina cribrosa and optic nerve. The LHSPRCC approach was repeated for three relevant ICP ranges, corresponding to upright and supine posture on earth, and microgravity [1]. At each ICP condition we used intraocular pressure (IOP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) measurements of in-flight astronauts provided by Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health Program, NASA Johnson Space Center. The lamina cribrosa, optic nerve, retinal vessel and retina were modeled as linear-elastic materials, while other tissues were modeled as a Mooney-Rivlin solid (representing ground substance, stiffness parameter c1) with embedded collagen fibers (stiffness parameters c3, c4 and c5). Geometry creationmesh generation was done in Gmsh [2], while FEBio was used for all FE simulations [3]. The LHSPRCC approach resulted in correlation coefficients in the range of 1. To assess the relative influence of the uncertainty in an input parameter on the peak strains, we ranked and then normalized these coefficients, considering that normalized values 0.5 implied a substantial influence on the range of the peak strains in the optic nerve head (ONH). IOP and ICP were found to have a major influence on the peak strains in the ONH, as did optic nerve and LC stiffness. Interestingly, the stiffness of the sclera far from the scleral canal did not have a large influence on peak strains in ONH tissues; however, the collagen fiber stiffness in the peripapillary sclera and annular ring both influenced the peak strains within the ONH. We have created a physiologically relevant model that incorporated collagen fibers to study the effects of elevated ICP. Elevated ICP resulted in strains in the optic nerve that are not predicted to occur on earth: the upright or supine conditions. We found that IOP, ICP, lamina cribrosa stiffness and optic nerve stiffness had the highest association with these extreme strains in the ONH. These extreme strains may activate mechanosensitive cells that induce tissue remodeling and are a risk factor for the development of VIIP.

biomechanics↗

DOE OSTI2026

Additively Reinforced Thermoformable PETG Composite Sheets for Improved Structural Efficiency

Thermoforming of short-fiber reinforced thermoplastic sheets offers a viable pathway for producing lightweight composite components; however, inherent anisotropy in fiber-reinforced sheets can limit structural performance under multidirectional loading. In this work, short carbon fiber, glass fiber, and hybrid fiber–reinforced PETG sheets were evaluated as candidate feedstock materials for thermoforming, with flexural and tensile testing performed both along the primary fiber direction and in the off-axis orientation to establish baseline stiffness, strength, and anisotropy. As expected, short carbon fiber PETG exhibited the highest stiffness and strength in the primary fiber direction, while all systems showed reduced performance in the off-axis direction. This off-axis performance reduction provides clear justification for the use of additive reinforcement when such thermoformed sheets are intended for structural applications. The intended manufacturing sequence involves thermoforming the reinforced sheet first, followed by the application of additively manufactured lattice reinforcement; therefore, the reinforcement strategy does not impose limitations on sheet formability during thermoforming. Post-forming lattice reinforcement significantly reduced load-normalized displacement by approximately 95–99% relative to non-reinforced sheets and improved weight-normalized stiffness by ~70%. These findings demonstrate that geometry-driven additive reinforcement can effectively compensate for off-axis property reductions in thermoformed PETG composites, enabling enhanced multidirectional structural performance without compromising manufacturability.

Talabi, Isaac [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000340215594)↗

NASA NTRS1973

Parametric studies of the wing flutter behavior of a STOL transport.

A computer study was conducted to evaluate the effects of variations in the principal structural parameters on the wing flutter behavior of a four-engine STOL transport configuration having relatively low inplane wing stiffness and heavy engines. The wing structure was represented by a finite-element model which included the coupling between inplane and out-of-plane motion of the wing induced by the offset engine masses. The parameters which were varied were engine mass, pylon stiffness, and the inplane stiffness of the wing. It was found that the value of inplane stiffness for best flutter performance lies substantially below the range encountered in conventional designs. For engine weights in the medium-to-heavy range, the best inplane stiffness provided a dramatic improvement in flutter performance over that for infinite inplane stiffness, while for the lightest engines the improvement was moderate.

Kyser, A. C.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Integrated technology rotor/flight research rotor concept definition study

As part of the Integrated Technology Rotor/Flight Research Rotor (ITR/FRR) Program a number of advanced rotor system designs were conceived and investigated. From these, several were chosen that best meet the started ITR goals with emphasis on stability, reduced weight and hub drag, simplicity, low head moment stiffness, and adequate strength and fatigue life. It was concluded that obtaining low hub moment stiffness was difficult when only the blade flexibility of bearingless rotor blades is considered, unacceptably low fatigue life being the primary problem. Achieving a moderate hub moment stiffness somewhat higher than state of the art articulated rotors in production today is possible within the fatigue life constraint. Alternatively, low stiffness is possible when additional rotor elements, besides the blades themselves, provide part of the rotor flexibility. Two primary designs evolved as best meeting the general ITR requirements that presently exist. An I shaped flexbeam with an external torque tube can satisfy the general goals but would have either higher stiffness or reduced fatigue life. The elastic gimbal rotor can achieve a better combination of low stiffness and high fatigue life but would be a somewhat heavier design and possibly exhibit a higher risk of aeromechanical instability.

Carlson, R. G.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Modeling of joints for the dynamic analysis of truss structures

An experimentally-based method for determining the stiffness and damping of truss joints is described. The analytical models use springs and both viscous and friction dampers to simulate joint load-deflection behavior. A least-squares algorithm is developed to identify the stiffness and damping coefficients of the analytical joint models from test data. The effects of nonlinear joint stiffness such as joint dead band are also studied. Equations for predicting the sensitivity of beam deformations to changes in joint stiffness are derived and used to show the level of joint stiffness required for nearly rigid joint behavior. Finally, the global frequency sensitivity of a truss structure to random perturbations in joint stiffness is discussed.

Belvin, W. Keith↗

NASA NTRS1990

Buckling and postbuckling behavior of compression-loaded isotropic plates with cutouts

An experimental study of the buckling and postbuckling behavior of square and rectangular compression loaded aluminum plates with centrally located circular, square, and elliptical cutouts is presented. Experimental results indicate that the plates exhibit overall trends of increasing buckling strain and decreasing initial postbuckling stiffness with increasing cutout width. Corresponding plates with circular and square cutouts of the same width buckle at approximately the same strain level, and exhibit approximately the same initial postbuckling stiffness. Results show that the reduction in initial postbuckling stiffness due to a cutout generally decreases as the plate aspect ratio increases. Other results presented indicate that square plates with elliptical cutouts having a large cutout-width-to-plate-width ratio generally lose prebuckling and initial postbuckling stiffness as the cutout height increases. However, the plates buckle at essentially the same strain level. Results also indicate that postbuckling stiffness is more sensitive to changes in elliptical cutout height than are prebuckling stiffness and buckling strain.

Nemeth, Michael P.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Buckling and postbuckling behavior of compression-loaded isotropic plates with cutouts

An experimental study of buckling and postbuckling behavior of square and rectangular compression-loaded aluminum plates with centrally located circular, square, and elliptical cutouts is presented. Experimental results indicate that the plates exhibit overall trends of increasing buckling strain and decreasing initial postbuckling stiffness with increasing cutout width. Corresponding plates with circular and square cutouts of the same width buckle at approximately the same strain level, and exhibit approximately the same initial postbuckling stiffness. Results show that the reduction in initial postbuckling stiffness due to a cutout generally decreases as the plate aspect ratio increases. Other results presented in this paper indicate that square plates with elliptical cutouts having a large cutout-width-to-plate-width ratio generally lose prebuckling and initial postbuckling stiffness as the cutout height increases. However, the plates buckle at essentially the same strain level. Results also indicate that postbuckling stiffness is more sensitive to changes in elliptical cutout height than are prebuckling stiffness and buckling strain.

Nemeth, Michael P.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Stability Limits of a PD Controller for a Flywheel Supported on Rigid Rotor and Magnetic Bearings

Active magnetic bearings are used to provide a long-life, low-loss suspension of a high-speed flywheel rotor. This paper describes a modeling effort used to understand the stability boundaries of the PD controller used to control the active magnetic bearings on a high speed test rig. Limits of stability are described in terms of allowable stiffness and damping values which result in stable levitation of the nonrotating rig. Small signal stability limits for the system is defined as a nongrowth in vibration amplitude of a small disturbance. A simple mass-force model was analyzed. The force resulting from the magnetic bearing was linearized to include negative displacement stiffness and a current stiffness. The current stiffness was then used in a PD controller. The phase lag of the control loop was modeled by a simple time delay. The stability limits and the associated vibration frequencies were measured and compared to the theoretical values. The results show a region on stiffness versus damping plot that have the same qualitative tendencies as experimental measurements. The resulting stability model was then extended to a flywheel system. The rotor dynamics of the flywheel was modeled using a rigid rotor supported on magnetic bearings. The equations of motion were written for the center of mass and a small angle linearization of the rotations about the center of mass. The stability limits and the associated vibration frequencies were found as a function of nondimensional magnetic bearing stiffness and damping and nondimensional parameters of flywheel speed and time delay.

Kascak, Albert F.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Aeroelastic Analysis of a Flexible Wing Wind Tunnel Model with Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap Design

This paper presents data analysis of a flexible wing wind tunnel model with a variable camber continuous trailing edge flap (VCCTEF) design for drag minimization tested at the University of Washington Aeronautical Laboratory (UWAL). The wind tunnel test was designed to explore the relative merit of the VCCTEF concept for improved cruise efficiency through the use of low-cost aeroelastic model test techniques. The flexible wing model is a 10%-scale model of a typical transport wing and is constructed of woven fabric composites and foam core. The wing structural stiffness in bending is tailored to be half of the stiffness of a Boeing 757-era transport wing while the torsional stiffness is about the same. This stiffness reduction results in a wing tip deflection of about 10% of the wing semi-span. The VCCTEF is a multi-segment flap design having three chordwise camber segments and five spanwise flap sections for a total of 15 individual flap elements. The three chordwise camber segments can be positioned appropriately to create a desired trailing edge camber. Elastomeric material is used to cover the gaps in between the spanwise flap sections, thereby creating a continuous trailing edge. Wind tunnel data analysis conducted previously shows that the VCCTEF can achieve a drag reduction of up to 6.31% and an improvement in the lift-to-drag ratio (L=D) of up to 4.85%. A method for estimating the bending and torsional stiffnesses of the flexible wingUWAL wind tunnel model from static load test data is presented. The resulting estimation indicates that the stiffness of the flexible wing is significantly stiffer in torsion than in bending by as much as 9 to 1. The lift prediction for the flexible wing is computed by a coupled aerodynamic-structural model. The coupled model is developed by coupling a conceptual aerodynamic tool Vorlax with a finite-element model of the flexible wing via an automated geometry deformation tool. Based on the comparison of the lift curve slope, the lift prediction for the rigid wing is in good agreement with the estimated lift coefficients derived from the wind tunnel test data. Due to the movement of the VCCTEF during the wind tunnel test, uncertainty in the lift prediction due to the indicated variations of the VCCTEF deflection is studied. The results show a significant spread in the lift prediction which contradicts the consistency in the aerodynamic measurements, thus suggesting that the indicated variations as measured by the VICON system may not be reliable. The lift prediction of the flexible wing agrees very well with the measured lift curve for the baseline configuration. The computed bending deflection and wash-out twist of the flexible wing also match reasonably well with the aeroelastic deflection measurements. The results demonstrate the validity of the aerodynamic-structural tool for use to analyze aerodynamic performance of flexible wings.

Wind Tunnel↗

DOE OSTI2025

Regulating hydrogel mechanical properties with an electric field

Stimuli-responsive polymeric materials have attracted significant attention due to their ability to change properties in response to various external stimuli. Using an electric field as the stimulus is of particular interest as it possesses the potential for seamless integration of materials with electronic systems. While many materials with electric field responsive actuation have an associated mechanical property change, it is beneficial to develop materials that exhibit mechanical property changes without accompanying significant shape deformation. To address this challenge, here we designed a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogel system containing both polyelectrolytes and salt ions, which enables electric field induced changes in mechanical properties while minimizing actuation. We first successfully verified the viability of our design by removing salt ions through a diffusion-only method where we witnessed the stiffness increased to 4.5 times the initial value while still being highly deformable. After this, we applied an electric field to transport the salt ions out of the hydrogel, as shown by both Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. We were able to show a time-dependent stiffness increase, the maximum of which was 5 times the original stiffness. We quantified ion transport and water-splitting in the hydrogel by both experiments and simulations. Following this, we showed functional system reversibility by reversing the direction of the current to reinject salt ions into the semi-IPN hydrogel and reducing its stiffness to below the initial value. It's worth noting that our simulations enable us to understand the governing mechanisms behind ion generation and salt transport that leads to mechanical property changes. Finally, we were able to fabricate a spatially variable stiffness haptic interface with our hydrogel, with demonstrated reversibility and cyclability. This research can possibly find applications in soft robotics and haptics and also inspire the development of bio-compatible electronics related devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Effect of inversion asymmetry on the superconducting and exciton condensates of bilayer graphene

Inversion asymmetry in bilayer graphene can be tuned by the displacement field. As a result, the band dispersion in biased bilayer graphene acquires flatband regions near the Dirac points along with a nontrivial band geometry. We analyze the effect of inversion asymmetry on the critical temperature and superfluid stiffness of the superconducting state of AB-stacked graphene bilayer and the exciton condensate in double layers formed by two AB-stacked graphene bilayers. We find that the geometric superfluid stiffness in bilayer graphene superconductors is negligible due to the small superconducting gap. Furthermore, since the geometric superfluid stiffness is maximized for a constant order parameter, it can be neglected in biased bilayer graphene superconductors with any pairing symmetry. In contrast, the displacement field enhances the geometric superfluid stiffness in exciton condensates. It is most prominent at low densities and high displacement fields. Here, a consequence of the geometric superfluid stiffness is a modest enhancement of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature in bilayer graphene’s exciton condensate.

BKT transition↗

NASA NTRS1975

A computerized symbolic integration technique for development of triangular and quadrilateral composite shallow-shell finite elements

Computerized symbolic integration was used in conjunction with group-theoretic techniques to obtain analytic expressions for the stiffness, geometric stiffness, consistent mass, and consistent load matrices of composite shallow shell structural elements. The elements are shear flexible and have variable curvature. A stiffness (displacement) formulation was used with the fundamental unknowns consisting of both the displacement and rotation components of the reference surface of the shell. The triangular elements have six and ten nodes; the quadrilateral elements have four and eight nodes and can have internal degrees of freedom associated with displacement modes which vanish along the edges of the element (bubble modes). The stiffness, geometric stiffness, consistent mass, and consistent load coefficients are expressed as linear combinations of integrals (over the element domain) whose integrands are products of shape functions and their derivatives. The evaluation of the elemental matrices is divided into two separate problems - determination of the coefficients in the linear combination and evaluation of the integrals. The integrals are performed symbolically by using the symbolic-and-algebraic-manipulation language MACSYMA. The efficiency of using symbolic integration in the element development is demonstrated by comparing the number of floating-point arithmetic operations required in this approach with those required by a commonly used numerical quadrature technique.

Anderson, C. M.↗