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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Imparting strength and toughness to brittle composites

Appropriate intermittent coatings of fibers can produce areas of low and high toughness in brittle composites. Experiments using silicon vacuum grease (SVG) and polyurethane varnish (PUV) coatings that achieve weakly and strongly bonded interfaces are described. Tensile strength and edge-crack fracture toughness for both SVG and PUV coatings were plotted against the percentage coating (C). Both coating materials maintain tensile strengths in the order of the rule of mixture strength values up to a large C. It is suggested that both materials produce similar coated interfacial shear strengths while producing different effects on toughness.

Atkins, A. G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

On fracture toughness evaluation for semi-brittle fracture

The existing methods of assessing the fracture toughness of materials exhibiting semi-brittle fracture are critically reviewed. The methods concern the Crack Growth Resistance (R-curve), the Crack Opening Displacement (COD), and the J-integral. An analysis of the shortcomings of the methods described makes it possible to formulate a new definition of fracture toughness appropriate to semi-brittle fracture. An improved simple experimental method for measuring fracture toughness for semi-brittle fracture is proposed which takes into account both crack growth and plastic nonlinear effects at crack front. The proposed method is shown to be free of the theoretical and experimental discrepancies encountered in the R-curve, COD, and J-integral methods.

Eftis, J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Large fracture toughness boron-epoxy composites

The high tensile strengths of strong interfacial bonding may be combined with the large fracture toughness of weak interfacial bonding in brittle fiber/brittle matrix composites by intermittently coating the filaments before layup so as to have random alternate weak and strong regions. Appropriate coating materials enable Cook-Gordon Mode I interfacial debonding to take place, which produces very long pull-out lengths with an associated large contribution to toughness. Unidirectional boron-epoxy composites have been so made which have toughnesses greater than 200 kJ/sq m while retaining rule of mixtures tensile strengths. Similar trends have been observed for crossply layups.

Atkins, A. G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

On fracture toughness in the nonlinear range

A general definition of fracture toughness is developed which is appropriate to situations of subcritical crack growth and/or large-scale crack border plastic yield. The theoretical basis as well as comparisons with other proposed measures of fracture toughness are discussed. A simple method is given for evaluating fracture toughness which is based on use of the load-displacement test record.

Eftis, J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

The feasibility of ranking material fracture toughness by ultrasonic attenuation measurements

A preliminary study was conducted to assess the feasibility of ultrasonically ranking material fracture toughness. Specimens of two grades of maraging steel for which fracture toughness values were measured were subjected to ultrasonic probing. The slope of the attenuation coefficient vs frequency curve was empirically correlated with the plane strain fracture toughness value for each grade of steel.

Vary, A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Effect of minor reactive metal additions on fracture toughness of iron: 12-percent nickel alloy at-196 deg and 25 deg C

The slow bend precracked Charpy fracture toughness and tensile behavior of arc-melted and hot-rolled Fe-12Ni alloys containing up to 4 atomic percent reactive metal additions were determined at -196 C and 25 C after water quenching from three annealing temperatures. The fracture toughness of Fe-12Ni at -196 C was improved by small amounts of Al, Ce, Hf, La, Nb, Ta, Ti, V, Y, and Zr, but not by Si. Cryogenic toughness was improved up to 7.5 times that of binary Fe-12Ni and varied with the reactive metal, its concentration, and the annealing temperature.

Witzke, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

A joint fracture toughness evaluation of hot-pressed beryllium

Fracture toughness tests at room temperature were made on three-point bend specimens cut from hot-pressed beryllium obtained from two suppliers. The test specimens had dimensions conforming to ASTM fracture toughness standard E399-72. A total of 42 specimens were machined from each batch of material. Six specimens from each batch were then distributed to seven independent laboratories for testing. The test data from the laboratories were collected and analyzed for differences between the laboratories and the two batches of material. It is concluded that ASTM 399-72 can be used as a valid test procedure for determining the fracture toughness of beryllium, providing that Kf(max) in fatigue cracking could be up to 80 percent of the K(0) value.

Conrad, H.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Fracture toughness of silicon

The paper presents a study to determine the fracture toughness and to characterize fracture modes of silicon as a function of the orientation of single-crystal and polycrystalline material. It is shown that bar specimens cracked by Knoop microhardness indentation and tested to fracture under four-point bending at room temperature were used to determine the fracture toughness values. It is found that the lowest fracture toughness value of single crystal silicon was 0.82 MN/m to the 3/2 in the 111 plane type orientation, although the difference in values in the 111, 110, and 100 planes was small.

Chen, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Performance of Chevron-notch short bar specimen in determining the fracture toughness of silicon nitride and aluminum oxide

Ease of preparation and testing are advantages unique to the chevron-notch specimen used for the determination of the plane strain fracture toughness of extremely brittle materials. During testing, a crack develops at the notch tip and extends stably as the load is increased. For a given specimen and notch configuration, maximum load always occurs at the same relative crack length independent of the material. Fracture toughness is determined from the maximum load with no need for crack length measurement. Chevron notch acuity is relatively unimportant since a crack is produced during specimen loading. In this paper, the authors use their previously determined stress intensity factor relationship for the chevron-notch short bar specimen to examine the performance of that specimen in determining the plane strain fracture toughness of silicon nitride and aluminum oxide.

Munz, D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Fracture toughness of boron/aluminum laminates with various proportions of 0 deg and plus or minus 45 deg

The fracture toughness of boron/aluminum laminates was measured on sheet specimens containing central slits of various lengths that represent cracks. The specimens were loaded axially and had various widths. The sheets were made with five laminate orientation. Fracture toughness was calculated for each laminate orientation. Specimens began failing at the ends of the slit with what appeared to be tensile failures of fibers in the primary load carrying laminae. A general fracture toughness parameter independent of laminate orientation was derived on the basis of fiber failure in the principal load carrying laminae. The value of this parameter was proportional to the critical value of the stress intensity factor. The constant of proportionality depended only on the elastic constants of the laminates.

Poe, C. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Increased fracture toughness of graphite-epoxy composites through intermittent interlaminar bonding

The objective of this study was to increase the fracture toughness of multilayer continuous-filament graphite-epoxy composites. The method used is intermittent interlaminar bonding which can lead to a large increase in the fracture surface area. Intermittent bonding was achieved through introduction of thin perforated Mylar between the layers of the composite. For the optimum condition, fracture toughness was increased from about 100 kJ/sq m for untreated specimens to an average of about 500 kJ/sq m, while tensile strength dropped from 500 MPa to 400 MPa, and elastic modulus remained the same at about 75 GPa. An approximate analysis is presented to explain the improvement in toughness.

Jea, L.-C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Interrelation of material microstructure, ultrasonic factors, and fracture toughness of two phase titanium alloy

The pivotal role of an alpha-beta phase microstructure in governing fracture toughness in a titanium alloy, Ti-662, is demonstrated. The interrelation of microstructure and fracture toughness is demonstrated using ultrasonic measurement techniques originally developed for nondestructive evaluation and material property characterization. It is shown that the findings determined from ultrasonic measurements agree with conclusions based on metallurgical, metallographic, and fractographic observations concerning the importance of alpha-beta morphology in controlling fracture toughness in two phase titanium alloys.

Vary, A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Specimen size and geometry effects on fracture toughness of Al2O3 measured with short rod and short bar chevron-notch specimens

Plane strain fracture toughness measurements were made on Al2O3 using short rod and short bar chevron notch specimens previously calibrated by the authors for their dimensionless stress intensity factor coefficients. The measured toughness varied systematically with variations in specimen size, proportions, and chevron notch angle apparently due to their influence on the amount of crack extension to maximum load (the measurement point). The toughness variations are explained in terms of a suspected rising R curve for the material tested, along with a discussion of an unavoidable imprecision in the calculation of K sub Ic for materials with rising R curves when tested with chevron notch specimens.

Shannon, J. L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Strength and fracture toughness of reaction-bonded Si3N4

Fracture strength and fracture toughness measurements were made on reaction-bonded Si3N4 materials with a range of alpha/beta ratios. The results do not indicate any clear relation between the modulus of rupture and the alpha/beta ratio over the range 1.5-9. Values for the modulus of rupture range from 219 to 290 MN per sq m, with an overall average of 238 MN per sq m. The notched beam fracture toughness is found to be constant over the range of microstructures produced, indicating that of the various microstructural features (e.g., alpha/beta ratio and pore size and distribution) no single element has a controlling influence over fracture toughness and the fracture surface energy.

Danforth, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Grain-refining heat treatments to improve cryogenic toughness of high-strength steels

The development of two high Reynolds number wind tunnels at NASA Langley Research Center which operate at cryogenic temperatures with high dynamic pressures has imposed severe requirements on materials for model construction. Existing commercial high strength steels lack sufficient toughness to permit their safe use at temperatures approaching that of liquid nitrogen (-320 F). Therefore, a program to improve the cryogenic toughness of commercial high strength steels was conducted. Significant improvement in the cryogenic toughness of commercial high strength martensitic and maraging steels was demonstrated through the use of grain refining heat treatments. Charpy impact strength at -320 F was increased by 50 to 180 percent for the various alloys without significant loss in tensile strength. The grain sizes of the 9 percent Ni-Co alloys and 200 grade maraging steels were reduced to 1/10 of the original size or smaller, with the added benefit of improved machinability. This grain refining technique should permit these alloys with ultimate strengths of 220 to 270 ksi to receive consideration for cryogenic service.

Rush, H. F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Development of plane strain fracture toughness test for ceramics using Chevron notched specimens

Chevron-notched four-point-bend and short-bar specimens have been used to determine the fracture toughness of sintered aluminum oxide and hot-pressed silicon nitride ceramics. The fracture toughness for Si3N4 is found to be essentially independent of the specimen size and chevron notch configuration, with values ranging from 4.6 to 4.9 MNm exp -3/2. In contrast, significant specimen size and notch geometry effects have been observed for Al2O3, with the fracture toughness ranging from 3.1 to 4.7 MNm exp -3/2. These effects are attributed to a rising crack growth resistance curve for the Al2O3 tested.

Bubsey, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Graphite/PMR polyimide composites with improved toughness

The toughness of composites made with modified PMR (polymerization of monomer reactants) polyimides and Celion 6000 graphite fibers was studied. Various types/levels of monomer reactants containing flexible links were incorporated into PMR resin compositions used to prepare composites. The composites were evaluated for toughness using instrumented drop weight and 10 deg off axis tensile tests at room temperature, and for strength using flexure and short beam shear tests at room temperature and at elevated temperature. The effect of resin composition on composite processability, thermo-oxidative stability, toughness and mechanical properties are discussed.

Vannucci, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Comparisons of various configurations of the edge delamination test for interlaminar fracture toughness

Various configurations of Edge Delamination Tension (EDT) test specimens, of both brittle (T300/5208) and toughened-matrix (T300/BP907) graphite reinforced composite laminates, were manufactured and tested. The mixed-mode interlaminar fracture toughness, G sub C, was measured using (30/30 sub 2/30/90 sub N)sub s, n=1 or 2, (35/-35/0/90) sub s and (35/0/-35/90) sub s layups designed to delaminate at low tensile strains. Laminates were made without inserts so that delaminations would form naturally between the central 90 deg plies and the adjacent angle plies. Laminates were also made with Teflon inserts implanted between the 90 deg plies and the adjacent angle (theta) plies at the straight edge to obtain a planar fracture surface. In addition, interlaminar tension fracture toughness, GIc, was measured from laminates with the same layup but with inserts in the midplane, between the central 90 deg plies, at the straight edge. All of the EDT configurations were useful for ranking the delamination resistance of composites with different matrix resins. Furthermore, the variety of layups and configurations available yield interlaminar fracture toughness measurements needed to generate delamination failure criteria. The influence of insert thickness and location, and coupon size on G sub c values were evaluated.

Obrien, T. K.↗