Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “LOADING RATE”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5

Height-tapered double cantilever beam specimen for study of rate effects on fracture toughness of composites

Loading rate effects on the mode I delamination fracture toughness of AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy are presently studied by means of a height-tapered double-cantilever beam specimen whose height contour is designed to furnish a slightly decreasing compliance with increasing crack length, in order to yield a stable and smooth crack propagation at high loading rates. This specimen geometry also allows much higher crack propagation velocities to be obtained with either uniform or width-tapered double cantilever beam specimens.

Yaniv, Gershon↗

Development and Clustering of Rate-Oriented Load Metrics for Customer Price-Plan Analysis: Preprint

One of the few methods electric utilities can use to motivate and change customer energy consumption is through their retail rate structures. Utilities are increasingly moving towards more dynamic rate-plans to achieve the objectives of motivating energy conservation, increasing self-consumption from onsite renewable generation, reducing peak demand and to flattening the demand profiles. This paper presents a set of rate-oriented customer load metrics that are the determinants of customers bill under four unique rate-plans. These metrics are not only indicative of which rate structure a customer should choose based on their load profiles, but also convey useful information about load consumption behavior. With these metrics, the utility can analyze their customers and identify customer classes that are rewarded under each rate-plan. This can help inform utilities whether the customer profiles being rewarded under each rate-plans are meeting their original objectives. To develop these customer classes, we calculate these rate-oriented load metrics for each customer and perform k-means clustering. The analysis is conducted on from a set of 300 customer profiles, examining the impact of four different rate-plans, different numbers of clusters and looking at customer bills and cluster load profile characteristics.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Modeling propellant-based stimulation of a borehole with peridynamics

A non-local formulation of classical continuum mechanics theory known as peridynamics is used to study fracture initiation and growth from a wellbore penetrating the subsurface within the context of propellant-based stimulation. The principal objectives of this work are to analyze the influence of loading conditions on the resulting fracture pattern, to investigate the effect of in-situ stress anisotropy on fracture propagation, and to assess the suitability of peridynamics for modeling complex fracture formation. In peridynamics, the momentum equation from the classical theory of solid mechanics is replaced by a non-local analogue, which results in an integrodifferential conservation equation. A continuum material is discretized with a set of material points that interact with all other points within a specified distance. Interactions between points are governed by bonds that can deform and break depending on loading conditions. The accumulated breakage of bonds gives rise to a picture of complex growth of fractures that is seen as a key advantage in the peridynamic representation of discontinuities. It is shown that the loading rate significantly influences the number and ex- tent of fractures initiated from a borehole. Results show that low loading rates produce fewer but longer fractures, whereas high loading rates produce numerous shorter fractures around the borehole. The numerical method is able to predict fracture growth patterns over a wide range of loading and stress conditions. Our results also show that fracture growth is attenuated with increasing in-situ confining stress, and, in the case of confining stress anisotropy, fracture extensions are largest in the direction perpendicular to the minimum compressive stress. Since the results are in broad qualitative agreement with experimental and numerical studies found in the literature, suggesting that peridynamics can be a powerful tool in the study of complex fracture network formation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Non-Deterministic Dynamic Instability of Composite Shells

A computationally effective method is described to evaluate the non-deterministic dynamic instability (probabilistic dynamic buckling) of thin composite shells. The method is a judicious combination of available computer codes for finite element, composite mechanics, and probabilistic structural analysis. The solution method is incrementally updated Lagrangian. It is illustrated by applying it to thin composite cylindrical shell subjected to dynamic loads. Both deterministic and probabilistic buckling loads are evaluated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. A universal plot is obtained for the specific shell that can be used to approximate buckling loads for different load rates and different probability levels. Results from this plot show that the faster the rate, the higher the buckling load and the shorter the time. The lower the probability, the lower is the buckling load for a specific time. Probabilistic sensitivity results show that the ply thickness, the fiber volume ratio and the fiber longitudinal modulus, dynamic load and loading rate are the dominant uncertainties, in that order.

Chamis, Christos C.↗

Dynamic Probabilistic Instability of Composite Structures

A computationally effective method is described to evaluate the non-deterministic dynamic instability (probabilistic dynamic buckling) of thin composite shells. The method is a judicious combination of available computer codes for finite element, composite mechanics and probabilistic structural analysis. The solution method is incrementally updated Lagrangian. It is illustrated by applying it to thin composite cylindrical shell subjected to dynamic loads. Both deterministic and probabilistic buckling loads are evaluated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. A universal plot is obtained for the specific shell that can be used to approximate buckling loads for different load rates and different probability levels. Results from this plot show that the faster the rate, the higher the buckling load and the shorter the time. The lower the probability, the lower is the buckling load for a specific time. Probabilistic sensitivity results show that the ply thickness, the fiber volume ratio and the fiber longitudinal modulus, dynamic load and loading rate are the dominant uncertainties in that order.

Chamis, Christos C.↗

Locomotion in simulated microgravity: gravity replacement loads

BACKGROUND: When an astronaut walks or runs on a treadmill in microgravity, a subject load device (SLD) is used to return him or her back to the treadmill belt. The gravity replacement load (GRL) in the SLD is transferred, via a harness, to the pelvis and/or the shoulders. This research compared comfort and ground reaction forces during treadmill running in a microgravity locomotion simulator at GRLs of 60%, 80%, and 100% of body weight (BW). Two harness designs (shoulder springs only (SSO) and waist and shoulder springs (WSS)) were used. HYPOTHESES: 1) The 100% BW gravity replacement load conditions would be comfortably tolerated and would result in larger ground reaction forces and loading rates than the lower load conditions, and 2) the WSS harness would be more comfortable than the SSO harness. METHODS: Using the Penn State Zero Gravity Locomotion Simulator (ZLS), 8 subjects ran at 2.0 m x s(-1) (4.5 mph) for 3 min at each GRL setting in each harness. Subjective ratings of harness comfort, ground reaction forces, and GRL data were collected during the final minute of exercise. RESULTS: The 100% BW loading conditions were comfortably tolerated (2.3 on a scale of 0-10), although discomfort increased as the GRL increased. There were no overall differences in perceived comfort between the two harnesses. The loading rates (27.1, 33.8, 39.1 BW x s(-1)) and the magnitudes of the first (1.0, 1.4, 1.6 BW) and second (1.3, 1.7, 1.9 BW) peaks of the ground reaction force increased with increasing levels (60, 80, 100% BW respectively) of GRL. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects were able to tolerate a GRL of 100% BW well. The magnitude of the ground reaction force peaks and the loading rate is directly related to the magnitude of the GRL.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗

Low cost and massively parallel force spectroscopy with fluid loading on a chip

Current approaches for single molecule force spectroscopy are typically constrained by low throughput and high instrumentation cost. Herein, a low-cost, high throughput technique is demonstrated using microfluidics for multiplexed mechanical manipulation of up to ~4000 individual molecules via molecular fluid loading on-a-chip (FLO-Chip). The FLO-Chip consists of serially connected microchannels with varying width, allowing for simultaneous testing at multiple loading rates. Molecular force measurements are demonstrated by dissociating Biotin-Streptavidin and Digoxigenin-AntiDigoxigenin interactions along with unzipping of double stranded DNA of varying sequence under different dynamic loading rates and solution conditions. Rupture force results under varying loading rates and solution conditions are in good agreement with prior studies, verifying a versatile approach for single molecule biophysics and molecular mechanobiology. FLO-Chip enables straightforward, rapid, low-cost, and portable mechanical testing of single molecules that can be implemented on a wide range of microscopes to broaden access and may enable new applications of molecular force spectroscopy.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Statistics of reversible transitions in two-state trajectories in force-ramp spectroscopy

A possible way to extract information about the reversible dissociation of a molecular adhesion bond from force fluctuations observed in force ramp experiments is discussed. For small loading rates the system undergoes a limited number of unbinding and rebinding transitions observable in the so-called force versus extension (FE) curves. The statistics of these transient fluctuations can be utilized to estimate the parameters for the rebinding rate. This is relevant in the experimentally important situation where the direct observation of the reversed FE-curves is hampered, e.g., due to the presence of soft linkers. I generalize the stochastic theory of the kinetics in two-state models to the case of time-dependent kinetic rates and compute the relevant distributions of characteristic forces. While for irreversible systems there is an intrinsic relation between the rupture force distribution and the population of the free-energy well of the bound state, the situation is slightly more complex if reversible systems are considered. For a two-state model, a “stationary” rupture force distribution that is proportional to the population can be defined and allows to consistently discuss quantities averaged over the transient fluctuations. While irreversible systems are best analyzed in the soft spring limit of small pulling device stiffness and large loading rates, here I argue to use the stiffness of the pulling device as a control parameter in addition to the loading rate.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

High Strain Rate Response of Adhesively Bonded Fiber-Reinforced Composite Joints – A Computational Study to Guide Experimental Design

Adhesively bonded carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composite laminates are widely used in aerospace applications. During a high energy impact event, these laminates are often subjected to high strain rate loading. However, the influence of high strain rate loading on the response of these composite joints is not well understood. Computational finite element (FE) modeling and simulations are conducted to guide the design of high strain rate experiments. Two different experimental designs based on split Hopkinson bar were numerically modeled to simulate Mode I and Mode II types loading in the composite. In addition, the computational approach adopted in this study helps in understanding the high strain rate response of adhesively bonded composite joints subjected to nominally Mode I and Mode II loading. The modeling approach consists of a ply-level 3D FE model, a progressive damage constitutive model for the composite material behavior and a cohesive tie-break contact element for interlaminar delamination.

Ravindran, Suraj↗

Methods of hydrolyzing pretreated densified biomass particulates and systems related thereto

A method is provided in which pretreated and densified cellulosic biomass particulates can be hydrolyzed at a high solids loading rate as compared with the solids loading rate of loose hydrolysable cellulosic biomass fibers. The resulting high concentration sugar-containing stream can be easily converted to biofuels or an entire suite of other useful bioproducts.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Methods of hydrolyzing pretreated densified biomass particulates and systems related thereto

A method is provided in which pretreated and densified cellulosic biomass particulates can be hydrolyzed at a high solids loading rate as compared with the solids loading rate of loose hydrolysable cellulosic biomass fibers. The resulting high concentration sugar-containing stream can be easily converted to biofuels or to an entire suite of other useful bioproducts.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Investigation on Fracture Behavior of Grade 91 Steel at 300-550 °C

The fracture toughness (J{sub 1c}) of modified 9Cr-1Mo (P91 or Grade 91) steel was evaluated in the temperature range 300-550 °C. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength values were observed to decrease with test temperatures. The ductility (% uniform elongation and post-necking elongation) was minimum in the temperature range 350-400 °C. From J–R curves established at 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, and 550 °C, fracture toughness (J{sub 1c}) and tearing modulus were determined at different loading rates of 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 mm/s. For all the loading rates, J{sub 1c} values decreased in the temperature range 300-450 °C, followed by an increase in fracture toughness up to 550 °C. These trends in tensile and fracture properties can be attributed to the influence of dynamic strain aging.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hydrogen production from pine-derived catalytic pyrolysis aqueous phase via microbial electrolysis

In this paper, microbial electrolysis of an aqueous phase generated from catalytic pyrolysis of pine sawdust was investigated for renewable hydrogen production. The microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) performance was investigated at an organic loading rate ranging from 2 to 50 g/L-day. A maximum hydrogen productivity of 5.8 ± 0.18 L/L-day was obtained, however, the productivity increased linearly only up to a loading rate of 10 g/L-day. The highest current density achieved was 6.8 ± 0.1 A/m 2 . The efficiency of conversion of the substrate to current in the anode decreased with increasing loading, but the initial maximum Coulombic efficiency was 98 ± 0.04%. The cathode efficiency, on the other hand, increased with loading up to a maximum of 89 ± 1.4%. Total hydrogen recovery was relatively constant for most runs at 30%, which is equivalent to an yield of 0.6 moL H 2 /mole COD, except at the highest loading rate. The operation of the MEC under batch mode, however, resulted in a higher hydrogen recovery of 63 ± 4%. The conversion of a wide range of compounds, including carboxylic acids, anhydrosugars, furanic and phenolic compounds present in the aqueous phase is reported. Finally, the results demonstrate potential for hydrogen production from a waste stream which can improve the total biofuel or energy yield of the biorefinery.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Characterization of Composites Response at High Rates of Loading

The objective of the proposed research is to experimentally study the effect of strain rate on mechanical response (deformation and failure) carbon fiber/epoxy matrix composites. The experimental data provide the information needed for the development of a nonlinear, rate dependent deformation and strength models that can subsequently be used in design. This year effort was directed into testing the epoxy resin. Two types of epoxy were tested each in tension and shear at various strain rate that ranges from 5x10(exp -5), to 700/s. The results show that both the strain rate and the mode of loading affect the epoxy response.

Gilat, Amos↗

Mechanical Properties of Woven Composites at Ambient Temperature

This report describes the mechanical characterization of six types of woven composites that Sandia National Laboratories are interested in. These six composites have various combinations of two types of fibers (Carbon-IM7 and Glass-S2) and three types of resins (UF-3362, TC275-1, TC350-1). In this work, two sets of experiments were conducted: quasi-static loading with displacement rate of 2 mm/min (1.3x10 ^(-3) in/s) and high rate loading with displacement of 5.08 m/s (200 in/s). Quasi-static experiments were performed at three loading orientations of 0°, 45°, 90° for all the six composites to fully characterize their mechanical properties. The elastic properties Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio, as well as ultimate stress and strain were obtained from the quasi-static experiments. The high strain rate experiments were performed only on glass fiber composites along 0° angle of loading. The high rate experiments were mainly to study how the strain rate affects the ultimate stress of the glass-fiber composites with different resins.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Influence of fiber inclination angle on bond-slip behavior of different alkali-activated composites under dynamic and quasi-static loadings

This study investigates the influence of inclination angle (0° and 45°) on the interfacial bond-slip behavior of macro steel fibers (straight, hooked end-deformed and length-deformed) and length-deformed polypropylene fibers reinforced in fly-ash and metakaolin based alkali-activated composites (AACs) under quasi-static and dynamic loadings. AACs demonstrate superior peak bond strength and toughness compared to cement composites regardless of fiber type and loading rate. Results also show that straight steel fiber exhibits a complete pullout in AACs. The amount of deformation of the fibers (deformation ratio) determined the failure type at different inclination angle and loading rate, thus governing the peak load and energy absorption. Depending on the fiber orientation, premature fiber rupture or matrix cracking is observed under dynamic loading in AACs due to matrix brittleness. The fiber failure modes in dynamic pullout are no different from those observed in the quasi-static pullout in AACs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Slow Crack Growth Analysis of Brittle Materials with Finite Thickness Subjected to Constant Stress-Rate Flexural Loading

A two-dimensional, numerical analysis of slow crack growth (SCG) was performed for brittle materials with finite thickness subjected to constant stress-rate ("dynamic fatigue") loading in flexure. The numerical solution showed that the conventional, simple, one-dimensional analytical solution can be used with a maximum error of about 5% in determining the SCG parameters of a brittle material with the conditions of a normalized thickness (a ratio of specimen thickness to initial crack size) T > 3.3 and of a SCG parameter n > 10. The change in crack shape from semicircular to elliptical configurations was significant particularly at both low stress rate and low T, attributed to predominant difference in stress intensity factor along the crack front. The numerical solution of SCG parameters was supported within the experimental range by the data obtained from constant stress-rate flexural testing for soda-lime glass microslides at ambient temperature.

Chio, S. R.↗

High rate mesophilic, thermophilic, and temperature phased anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge: A pilot scale study

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High temperatures were tested in single and two-stage anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The increased temperature demonstrated the possibility of improving typical yields of the conventional mesophilic process. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The temperature phased anaerobic digestion process (65 + 55 Degree-Sign C) showed the best performances with yields of 0.49 m{sup 3}/kgVS{sub fed}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ammonia and phosphate released from solids destruction determined the precipitation of struvite in the reactor. - Abstract: The paper reports the findings of a two-year pilot scale experimental trial for the mesophilic (35 Degree-Sign C), thermophilic (55 Degree-Sign C) and temperature phased (65 + 55 Degree-Sign C) anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge. During the mesophilic and thermophilic runs, the reactor operated at an organic loading rate of 2.2 kgVS/m{sup 3}d and a hydraulic retention time of 20 days. In the temperature phased run, the first reactor operated at an organic loading rate of 15 kgVS/m{sup 3}d and a hydraulic retention time of 2 days while the second reactor operated at an organic loading rate of 2.2 kgVS/m{sup 3}d and a hydraulic retention time of 18 days (20 days for the whole temperature phased system). The performance of the reactor improved with increases in temperature. The COD removal increased from 35% in mesophilic conditions, to 45% in thermophilic conditions, and 55% in the two stage temperature phased system. As a consequence, the specific biogas production increased from 0.33 to 0.45 and to 0.49 m{sup 3}/kgVS{sub fed} at 35, 55, and 65 + 55 Degree-Sign C, respectively. The extreme thermophilic reactor working at 65 Degree-Sign C showed a high hydrolytic capability and a specific yield of 0.33 gCOD (soluble) per gVS{sub fed}. The effluent of the extreme thermophilic reactor showed an average concentration of soluble COD and volatile fatty acids of 20 and 9 g/l, respectively. Acetic and propionic acids were the main compounds found in the acids mixture. Because of the improved digestion efficiency, organic nitrogen and phosphorus were solubilised in the bulk. Their concentration, however, did not increase as expected because of the formation of salts of hydroxyapatite and struvite inside the reactor.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗