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Conceptual antenna dish, solar collector, or similar structure consists of hexagonal panels supported by truss erected in field. Truss built in increments to maintain access to panel-attachment nodes. Each panel brought toward truss at angle and attached to two nodes. Panel rotated into attachment at third node.
The buckling characteristics of a titanium matrix composite hat-stiffened panel were experimentally examined for various combinations of thermal and mechanical loads. Panel failure was prevented by maintaining the applied loads below real-time critical buckling predictions. The test techniques used to apply the loads, minimize boundary were shown to compare well with a finite-element buckling analysis for previous panels. Comparisons between test predictions and analysis for this panel are ongoing.
The structure and mechanisms associated with the Payload Bay Doors (PLBDs) and the radiator panels are detailed. The PLBDs allow the radiator panels to be exposed to space, protect payloads from contamination, and provide an aerodynamic fairing over the payload bay. The radiator panels dissipate heat from the orbiter and regulate hydraulic fluid temperature. Contamination in the payload bay can hinder the success of missions. Therefore, the contamination control barrier which the PLBDs provide must be efficient in keeping the bay free from contaminants. The aerodynamic fairing the PLBDs provide prevents the orbiter from being torn apart by aerodynamic forces. These facts make the PLBDs and radiator panels mission critical elements of the Space Shuttle.
A study is made of the thermomechanical buckling and postbuckling responses of flat unstiffened composite panels. The panels are subjected to combined temperature change and applied edge displacement. The analysis is based on a first-order shear deformation, von Karman type nonlinear plate theory. A mixed formulation is used with the fundamental unknowns consisting of the generalized displacements and the stress resultants of the plate. An efficient multiple-parameter reduction method is used in conjunction with mixed finite element models, for determining the stability boundary and postbuckling response. The reduction method is also used for evaluating the sensitivity coefficients which measure the sensitivity of the buckling and postbuckling responses to variations in the different lamination and material parameters of the panel. Numerical results are presented showing the effects of variations in the laminate stacking sequence, fiber orientation, number of layers and aspect ratio of the panels on their thermomechanical buckling and postbuckling responses and their sensitivity coefficients.
The panel flutter phenomenon is studied assuming free-molecule flow. This kind of analysis is relevant in the case of hypersonic flight vehicles traveling at high altitudes, especially in the leeward portion of the vehicle. In these conditions the aerodynamic shear can be expected to be considerably larger than the pressure at a given point, so that the effects of such a loading are incorporated into the structural model. Both the pressure and shear loadings are functions of the panel temperature, which can lead to great variations on the location of the stability boundaries for parametric studies. Different locations can, however, be 'collapsed' onto one another by using as ordinate an appropriately normalized dynamic pressure parameter. This procedure works better for higher values of the panel temperature for a fixed undisturbed flow temperature. Finally, the behavior of the system is studied when the panel has some initial curvature. This leads to the conclusion that it may be unrealistic to try to distinguish between a parabolic or sinusoidal initial shape.
Report discusses one concept providing alternative to some aluminum structural components of wings: fluted core panels made of graphite/epoxy material. Includes description of structural-efficiency study of fluted-core sandwich panels of two different configurations. Results of study compared with results of similar study of conventional aluminum panels and blade-stiffened graphite/epoxy panels.
Panels bent permanently without cracking. In restraint age forming, panel wrapped onto mandrel having necessary curved contour, restrained on mandrel clamps and vacuum, and heat treated. When panel released after end of heat treatment, retains contour of mandrel except for small springback. Process repeatable: panels subsequently processed under same mechanical and thermal conditions on same contour emerge with same final contour.
The electronics module cover for the leading edge (Row D 9) experiment M0003-8 was fabricated from T300 graphite/934 epoxy unidirectional prepreg tape in a (O(sub 2), +/- 45, O(sub 2), +/- 45, 90, 0)(sub s) layup. This 11.75 in x 16.75 in panel was covered with thermal control coatings in three of the four quadrants with the fourth quadrant uncoated. The composite panel experienced different thermal cycling extremes in each quadrant due to the different optical properties of the coatings and bare composite. The panel also experienced ultraviolet (UV) and atomic oxygen (AO) attack as well as micrometeoroid and space debris impacts. An AO reactivity of 0.99 x 10(exp -24) cm(sup 3)/atom was calculated for the bare composite based on thickness loss. The white urethane thermal control coatings (A276 and BMS 1060) prevented AO attack of the composite substrate. However, the black urethane thermal control coating (Z306) was severely eroded by AO, allowing some AO attack of the composite substrate. An interesting banding pattern on the AO eroded bare composite surface was investigated and found to match the dimensions of the graphite fiber tow widths as prepregged. Also, erosion depths were greater in the darker bands. Five micrometeoroid/space debris impacts were cross sectioned to investigate possible structural damage as well as impact/AO interactions. Local crushing and delaminations were found to some extent in all of the impacts. No signs of coating undercutting were observed despite the extensive AO erosion patterns seen in the exposed composite material at the impact sites. An extensive microcrack study was performed on the panel along with modeling of the thermal environment to estimate temperature extremes and thermal shock. The white coated composite substrate displayed almost no microcracking while the black coated and bare composite showed extensive microcracking. Significant AO erosion was seen in many of the cracks in the bare composite.
The results of this experimental comparison of filament wound control (unimpacted) cylinders loaded to failure in axial compression indicates that one fiber cross-over location has no effect on the failure mode or strain in thick walled filament wound graphite-epoxy specimens with stacking sequence (plus or minus 45/90) sub 3s. A comparison between filament wound and hand laid-up tape control cylinders indicates that there is little or no difference in the response of cylinders constructed by using two different fabrication methods, however, unimpacted panels with many fiber cross-overs fail at up to 15 percent lower strains than panels with no fiber cross-overs. A comparison of samples subjected to low speed impact damage prior to compressive loading indicates that impact damage reduces the strain at failure by over 60 percent in tape and filament wound graphite-epoxy cylinders and in tape flat panels. The presence of fiber cross-overs was observed to reduce the strength of filament wound impact-damaged panels, but to have no significant effect on the strength of filament wound impact-damaged cylinders.
A methodology was developed to predict the failure of stiffened composite panels by stiffener-skin separation. The methodology is applicable to curved or flat panels under combined uniaxial compression and in-plane shear loads. The analytical crux of the methodology are two different analysis packages: PACL1, which predicts the stress and displacement fields in a stiffened postbuckled panel; and WEBSTER, which predicts the local interfacial (shear and normal) stresses at the skin and stiffener flange junction. PACL1 is a Rayleigh-Ritz analysis of curved composite panels loaded into a post-buckling range. WEBSTER is a two-dimensional elasticity analysis for the skin-stiffener interface. Results of the predictive methodology are given.
The use of a solar-diffuser panel is a desirable approach to the on-board absolute radiometric calibration of satellite multispectral sensors used for earth observation in the solar reflective spectral range. It provides a full aperture, full field, end-to-end calibration near the top of the sensor's dynamic range and across its entire spectral response range. A serious drawback is that the panel's reflectance, and the response of any simple detector used to monitor its reflectance may change with time. This paper briefly reviews some preflight and on-board methods for absolute calibration and introduces the ratioing-radiometer concept in which the radiance of the panel is ratioed with respect to the solar irradiance at the time the multispectral sensor is viewing the panel in its calibration mode.
A global/local procedure for the computation of the interlaminar stress components at the skin wrap, skin core, and wrap core interfaces for an advanced concept stiffened panel, is described. The procedure consists of a global model of two dimensional shell elements that is used to design a grid stiffened panel with blade type stiffeners, a local model of three dimensional solid elements that is used to compute interlaminar stress components, and a scheme devised to assign displacement boundary conditions for a local model that are based on displacement and rotation data of a few nodes of the global model. A global panel was designed according to strength, stiffness, and stability criteria associated with the design of traditional aircraft wing panels. Interlaminar normal and shearing stress components, computed via the local model, were found to be well below typical tensile normal and shearing strengths of a graphite epoxy material.
A study is made of the thermomechanical buckling of flat unstiffened composite panels with central circular cutouts. The panels are subjected to combined temperature changes and applied edge loading (or edge displacements). The analysis is based on a first-order shear deformation plate theory. A mixed formulation is used with the fundamental unknowns consisting of the generalized displacements and the stress resultants of the plate. Both the stability boundary and the sensitivity coefficients are evaluated. The sensitivity coefficients measure the sensitivity of the buckling response to variations in the different lamination and material parameters of the panel. Numerical results are presented showing the effects of the variations in the hole diameter, laminate stacking sequence, fiber orientation, and aspect ratio of the panel on the thermomechanical buckling response and its sensitivity coefficients.
A study is made of the effect of lamination and material parameters of thermally stressed multilayer composite panels on the strain energy and its sensitivity coefficients obtained by the three-dimensional thermoelasticity model. The sensitivity coefficients measure the sensitivity of the strain energy to variations in the different lamination and material parameters of the panel. The strain energy and sensitivity coefficients obtained by the three-dimensional model are used as the basis for assessing the accuracy of the corresponding quantities obtained by two-dimensional first-order shear deformation theory. Numerical results are presented for antisymmetrically laminated angle-ply panels subjected to linear temperature variation through the thickness. The numerical results demonstrate the accuracy of the strain energy and its sensitivity coefficients obtained by the first-order shear deformation theory, for the range of parameters considered, and the importance of the particular terms in the strain energy, which vanish for single-layer panels.
A solution is presented for the problem of the buckling of curved rectangular panels subjected to combined shear and direct axial stress. Charts giving theoretical critical combinations of shear and direct axial stress are presented for panels having five different length-width ratios. Because the actual critical compressive stress of rectangular panels having substantial curvature is known to be much lower than the theoretical value, a semiempirical method of analysis of curved panels subjected to combined shear and direct axial stress is presented for use in design. (author
A generalized crippling analysis for short monolithic panels with formed or extruded stiffeners is presented. Methods are presented for determining if riveted panels act in a monolithic manner and for determining the strength of those which do not. The failure modes of intermediate-length and long stiffened panels are discussed and methods given for estimating column strength. Theory and test data on optimum stiffened panels are presented and the various factors of importance in box types of construction are considered.
An investigation was conducted to determine whether there are significant size effects in compressive strength of large Z-stiffened sheet-stringer panels as compared with geometrically similar smaller models and thus to ascertain whether the prediction of the strength of large panels by model tests is reliable. The specimens studied were manufactured from 7075-T6 aluminum alloy and included four representative types of panel designs, with full- and one-quarter-scale panels of each type.
The combined load (mechanical or thermal load) buckling equations were established for orthotropic rectangular sandwich panels under four different edge conditions by using the Rayleigh-Ritz method of minimizing the total potential energy of a structural system. Two-dimensional buckling interaction curves and three-dimensional buckling interaction surfaces were constructed for high-temperature honeycomb-core sandwich panels supported under four different edge conditions. The interaction surfaces provide overall comparison of the panel buckling strengths and the domains of symmetrical and antisymmetrical buckling associated with the different edge conditions. In addition, thermal buckling curves of these sandwich panels are presented. The thermal buckling conditions for the cases with and without thermal moments were found to be identical for the small deformation theory.