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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 757 records · Page 42

Compressive Strength of Flat Panels with Z- and Hat-Section Stiffeners

Compression tests were conducted on 247 panels with Z-section stiffeners and 304 panels with hat-section stiffeners. Specimens were constructed from artificially aged Alclad 24S aluminum alloy with minimum guaranteed yield strengths of 64 and 57 ksi for stiffeners and sheet materials, respectively. Height, thickness, and spacing of stiffeners, sheet thickness, and length of specimens were varied systematically to show effects of changes in these dimensions on panel strength. Results show average stresses at buckling load and maximum load.

STRESSED SKIN - SHEETS - STRENGTH, COMPRESSIVE↗

Cooled Panel With Thermostats In All Passages

Simple shape-memory-alloy or bimaterial thermostatic valve incorporated in each passage of multiple-passage cooled panel, according to proposal. Thermostatic valves all set to same opening/closing temperature, so they regulate flows in all passages to equalize or nearly equalize temperature across panel in presence of transient, nonuniform surface heating. Concept beneficial in application in which overheating causes damage and both overcooling and excessive circulation of coolant occurs in absence of regulation if cooling capacity of panel made large enough to handle peak heat load. Potential applications include cooled structures for advanced hypersonic aircraft and engines.

Blosser, Max L.↗

Space Exploration Initiative Fuels, Materials and Related Nuclear Propulsion Technologies Panel

This report was prepared by members of the Fuels, Materials and Related Technologies Panel, with assistance from a number of industry observers as well as laboratory colleagues of the panel members. It represents a consensus view of the panel members. This report was not subjected to a thorough review by DOE, NASA or DoD, and the opinions expressed should not be construed to represent the official position of these organizations, individually or jointly. Topics addressed include: requirement for fuels and materials development for nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) and nuclear electric propulsion (NEP); overview of proposed concepts; fuels technology development plan; materials technology development plan; other reactor technology development; and fuels and materials requirements for advanced propulsion concepts.

Bhattacharyya, S. K.↗

Aerospace safety advisory panel

This report from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) contains findings, recommendations, and supporting material concerning safety issues with the space station program, the space shuttle program, aeronautics research, and other NASA programs. Section two presents findings and recommendations, section three presents supporting information, and appendices contain data about the panel membership, the NASA response to the March 1993 ASAP report, and a chronology of the panel's activities during the past year.

Source record↗

Local design optimization for composite transport fuselage crown panels

Composite transport fuselage crown panel design and manufacturing plans were optimized to have projected cost and weight savings of 18 and 45 percent, respectively. These savings are close to those quoted as overall NASA Advanced Composite Technology (ACT) program goals. Three local optimization tasks were found to influence the cost and weight of fuselage crown panels. The effects are summarized of each task and the task associated with a design cost model is described in detail. Studies were performed to evaluate the relationship between manufacturing cost and design details. A design tool was developed to aid in these studies. The development of the design tool included combining cost and performance constraints with a random search optimization algorithm. The resulting software was used in a series of optimization studies that evaluated the sensitivity of design variables, guidelines, criteria, and material selection on cost. The effect of blending adjacent design points in a full scale panel subjected to changing load distributions and local variations was shown to be important. Technical issues and directions for future work were identified.

Swanson, G. D.↗

Composite fuselage crown panel manufacturing technology

Commercial fuselage structures contain significant challenges in attempting to save manufacturing costs with advanced composite technology. Assembly issues, materials costs, and fabrication of elements with complex geometry are each expected to drive the cost of composite fuselage structure. Key technologies, such as large crown panel fabrication, were pursued for low cost. An intricate bond panel design and manufacturing concept were selected based on the efforts of the Design Build Team. The manufacturing processes selected for the intricate bond design include multiple large panel fabrication with Advanced Tow Placement (ATP) process, innovative cure tooling concepts, resin transfer molding of long fuselage frames, and use of low cost materials forms. The process optimization for final design/manufacturing configuration included factory simulations and hardware demonstrations. These efforts and other optimization tasks were instrumental in reducing costs by 18 pct. and weight by 45 pct. relative to an aluminum baseline. The qualitative and quantitative results of the manufacturing demonstrations were used to assess manufacturing risks and technology readiness.

Willden, Kurtis↗

Static and fatigue testing of full-scale fuselage panels fabricated using a Therm-X(R) process

Large, curved, integrally stiffened composite panels representative of an aircraft fuselage structure were fabricated using a Therm-X process, an alternative concept to conventional two-sided hard tooling and contour vacuum bagging. Panels subsequently were tested under pure shear loading in both static and fatigue regimes to assess the adequacy of the manufacturing process, the effectiveness of damage tolerant design features co-cured with the structure, and the accuracy of finite element and closed-form predictions of postbuckling capability and failure load. Test results indicated the process yielded panels of high quality and increased damage tolerance through suppression of common failure modes such as skin-stiffener separation and frame-stiffener corner failure. Finite element analyses generally produced good predictions of postbuckled shape, and a global-local modelling technique yielded failure load predictions that were within 7% of the experimental mean.

Dinicola, Albert J.↗

Analysis of stresses in finite anisotropic panels with centrally located cutouts

A method for analyzing biaxial- and shear-loaded anisotropic rectangular panels with centrally located circular and elliptical cutouts is presented in the present paper. The method is based on Lekhnitskii's complex variable equations of plane elastostatics combined with a boundary collocation method and a Laurent series approximation. Results are presented for anisotropic panels with elliptical cutouts and subjected to combined shear and compression loading. The effects on the stress field of panel aspect ratio, anisotropy, cutout size, and cutout orientation are addressed. Angle-ply laminates, unidirectional off-axis laminates, and ((+ or - 45/0/90)(sub 3))s, ((+ or - 45/0(sub 2))(sub 3))s, and ((+ or - 45/90(sub 2))(sub 3))s laminates are examined.

Britt, Vicki O.↗

Local design optimization for composite transport fuselage crown panels

Composite transport fuselage crown panel design and manufacturing plans were optimized to have projected cost and weight savings of 18 percent and 45 percent, respectively. These savings are close to those quoted as overall NASA ACT program goals. Three local optimization tasks were found to influence the cost and weight of fuselage crown panels. This paper summarizes the effect of each task and describes in detail the task associated with a design cost model. Studies were performed to evaluate the relationship between manufacturing cost and design details. A design tool was developed to aid in these investigations. The development of the design tool included combining cost and performance constraints with a random search optimization algorithm. The resulting software was used in a series of optimization studies that evaluated the sensitivity of design variables, guidelines, criteria, and material selection on cost. The effect of blending adjacent design points in a full scale panel subjected to changing load distributions and local variations was shown to be important. Technical issues and directions for future work were identified.

Swanson, G. D.↗

Composite fuselage crown panel manufacturing technology

Commercial fuselage structures contain significant challenges in attempting to save manufacturing costs with advanced composite technology. Assembly issues, material costs, and fabrication of elements with complex geometry are each expected to drive the cost of composite fuselage structures. Boeing's efforts under the NASA ACT program have pursued key technologies for low-cost, large crown panel fabrication. An intricate bond panel design and manufacturing concepts were selected based on the efforts of the Design Build Team (DBT). The manufacturing processes selected for the intricate bond design include multiple large panel fabrication with the Advanced Tow Placement (ATP) process, innovative cure tooling concepts, resin transfer molding of long fuselage frames, and utilization of low-cost material forms. The process optimization for final design/manufacturing configuration included factory simulations and hardware demonstrations. These efforts and other optimization tasks were instrumental in reducing cost by 18 percent and weight by 45 percent relative to an aluminum baseline. The qualitative and quantitative results of the manufacturing demonstrations were used to assess manufacturing risks and technology readiness.

Willden, Kurtis↗

Effect of low-speed impact damage and damage location on behavior of composite panels

An investigation of the effects of low-speed impact damage on the compression and tension strength of thin (less than .05 inches thick) and moderately thick (between .12 and .17 inches thick) composite specimens was conducted. Impact speeds ranged from 50 to 550 ft/sec (impact energies from .25 to 30.7 ft-lb) and impact locations were near or away from a lateral unloaded edge. In this study, thin tension-loaded or compression-loaded specimens with only 90 deg and +/- 40 deg plies which were impacted away from the unloaded edge suffered less reduction in maximum load-carrying capability due to impact damage than the same specimens impacted near the unloaded edge. Unlike the thin laminates, failure loads of thicker compression-loaded specimens with a similar stacking sequence were independent of impact location. Failure loads of thin tension-loaded specimens with 0 deg plies were independent of impact location while failure loads of thicker compression-loaded specimens with 0 deg plies were dependent upon impact location. A finite-element analysis of strain distributions across the panel width indicated that high axial strains occur near the unloaded edges of postbuckled panels, indicating that impacts near the unloaded edge would significantly effect the behavior of postbuckled panels.

Jegley, Dawn↗

Manufacturing scale-up of composite fuselage crown panels

The goal of the Boeing effort under the NASA ACT program is to reduce manufacturing costs of composite fuselage structure. Materials, fabrication of complex subcomponents and assembly issues are expected to drive the costs of composite fuselage structure. Several manufacturing concepts for the crown section of the fuselage were evaluated through the efforts of a Design Build Team (DBT). A skin-stringer-frame intricate bond design that required no fasteners for the panel assembly was selected for further manufacturing demonstrations. The manufacturing processes selected for the intricate bond design include Advanced Tow Placement (ATP) for multiple skin fabrication, resin transfer molding (RTM) of fuselage frames, innovative cure tooling, and utilization of low-cost material forms. Optimization of these processes for final design/manufacturing configuration was evaluated through the fabrication of several intricate bond panels. Panels up to 7 ft. by 10 ft. in size were fabricated to simulate half scale production parts. The qualitative and quantitative results of these manufacturing demonstrations were used to assess manufacturing risks and technology readiness for production.

Willden, Kurtis↗

Dimensional stability of curved panels with cocured stiffeners and cobonded frames

Closed form and finite element analyses are presented for axial direction and transverse direction dimensional stability of skin/stringer panels. Several sensitivity studies are presented to illustrate the influence of various design parameters on the dimensional stability of these panels. Panel geometry, material properties (stiffness and coefficient of thermal expansion), restraint conditions and local details, such as resin fillets, all combine to influence dimensional stability, residual and assembly forces.

Mabson, G. E.↗

Design and evaluation of a foam-filled hat-stiffened panel concept for aircraft primary structural applications

Geodesically stiffened structures are very efficient in carrying combined bending, torsion, and pressure loading that is typical of primary aircraft structures. They are also very damage tolerant since there are multiple load paths available to redistribute loads compared to prismatically stiffened structures. Geodesically stiffened structures utilize continuous filament composite materials which make them amenable to automated manufacturing processes to reduce cost. The current practice for geodesically stiffened structures is to use a solid blade construction for the stiffener. This stiffener configuration is not an efficient concept and there is a need to identify other stiffener configurations that are more efficient but utilize the same manufacturing process as the solid blade. This paper describes a foam-filled stiffener cross section that is more efficient than a solid-blade stiffener in the load range corresponding to primary aircraft structures. A prismatic hat-stiffener panel design is then selected for structural evaluation in uni-axial compression with and without impact damage. Experimental results for both single stiffener specimens and multi-stiffener panel specimens are presented. Finite element analysis results are presented that predict the buckling and postbuckling response of the test specimens. Analytical results for both the element and panel specimens are compared with experimental results.

Ambur, Damodar R.↗

Buckling analysis of curved composite sandwich panels subjected to inplane loadings

Composite sandwich structures are being considered for primary structure in aircraft such as subsonic and high speed civil transports. The response of sandwich structures must be understood and predictable to use such structures effectively. Buckling is one of the most important response mechanisms of sandwich structures. A simple buckling analysis is derived for sandwich structures. This analysis is limited to flat, rectangular sandwich panels loaded by uniaxial compression (N(sub x)) and having simply supported edges. In most aerospace applications, however, the structure's geometry, boundary conditions, and loading are usually very complex. Thus, a general capability for analyzing the buckling behavior of sandwich structures is needed. The present paper describes and evaluates an improved buckling analysis for cylindrically curved composite sandwich panels. This analysis includes orthotropic facesheets and first-order transverse shearing effects. Both simple support and clamped boundary conditions are also included in the analysis. The panels can be subjected to linearly varying normal loads N(sub x) and N(sub y) in addition to a constant shear load N(sub xy). The analysis is based on the modified Donnell's equations for shallow shells. The governing equations are solved by direct application of Galerkin's method. The accuracy of the present analysis is verified by comparing results with those obtained from finite element analysis for a variety of geometries, loads, and boundary conditions. The limitations of the present analysis are investigated, in particular those related to the shallow shell assumptions in the governing equations. Finally, the computational efficiency of the present analysis is considered.

Cruz, Juan R.↗

Long-term hygrothermal effects on damage tolerance of hybrid composite sandwich panels

A sandwich construction, composed of hybrid carbon-glass fiber-reinforced plastic skins and a syntactic foam core, was selected as the design concept for a wind tunnel compressor blade application, where high damage tolerance and durability are of major importance. Beam specimens were prepared from open-edge and encapsulated sandwich panels which had previously been immersed in water at different temperatures for periods of up to about two years in the extreme case. Moisture absorption and strength characteristics, as related to time of exposure to hygrothermal conditions, were evaluated for the sandwich specimens and their constituents (skins and foam). After different exposure periods, low-velocity impact damage was inflicted on most sandwich specimens and damage characteristics were related to impact energy. Eventually, the residual compressive strengths of the damaged (and undamaged) beams were determined flexurally. Test results show that exposure to hygrothermal conditions leads to significant strength reductions for foam specimens and open-edge sandwich panels, compared with reference specimens stored at room temperature. In the case of skin specimens and for beams prepared from encapsulated sanwich panels that had previously been exposed to hygrothermal conditions, moisture absorption was found to improve strength as related to the reference case. The beneficial effect of moisture on skin performance was, however, limited to moisture contents below 1% (at 50 C and lower temperatures). Above this moisture level and at higher temperatures, strength degradation of the skin seems to prevail.

Ishai, Ori↗

Analysis Of Performance Of A Thick Dichroic Microwave Panel

Report describes theoretical and experimental studies of performance of thick dichroic microwave panel comprising honeycomblike planar array of cross-shaped, waveguidelike apertures separated by thin metal walls. Except for small changes in dimensions, design of panel identical to one of designs described in "Two Thick Microwave Dichroic Panels" (NPO-18887).

Epp, Larry W.↗